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With all the guilty terrors which Was pourtrayed in Macbeth. Where lovely Mary, Queen of Scots, Once sought a safe retreat. Denied admittance, who was forc'd To lodge in open street. Another ion
Donald swept onward, spreading havoc before him. He over-ran the fertile province of Moray, advanced throni;h Strath bof,àe, and from thence broke into the district of the Garioch, tlireatening to make Scotland a desert to the shores of the Tay. The Garioch belonged to the Earl of Mar, a warrior of determined spirit and L'-reat experience. Enraged at the havoc made on his territory. Mar got together a force. The burgesses of Aberdeen took down their swords, pnt on their steel caps, nnfurled the banner of the city, and with the Provost at their head, marched with the Earl of Mar. The two armies encountered each other at the village of Harlaw, near the place where the water of Ury falls into the Don. With piohrorhs deafening to hear, the Highland host came down." We know also that the pipes were played at the first battle of Inverlochy in A.D. 1431, and that a piobroch was com- ])osed on the occasion. Besides being at Bannockburn, I find that in A.D. 1390, during the reign of Robert III., the king and a great assemblage of nobles witnessed the combat between the clan Chattan and the clan Kay at the " Inch " of Perth, where sixty Highlanders thirty from erch clan—settled an old dispute by the judgment of battle, and on that occasion each clan " stalked into the barriers to the sound of their great war-pipes." These facts should settle the question as to the ancient custom of playing t'le bagpipes in battle. There can be no doubt as to the antiquity of the bagpipes ; it was well-known among the Arabians, and has been found sculptured at Nineveh. It was also known in Babylon " The Assyrians took it to India, whilst there is great probability of its having been played in the Temple service at Jerusalem. It was used in this country after the Koman conquest, if not earlier, and Procopius, A.D., 500, informs us that it was classed as an instrument of war by the Koman infantry. So in all probability it was used in this country centuries before the battle of Bannockburn. IAIN MAC DHOMHNUILL. (JOHN MACDONALD.) I am indebted to the late Mr Archibald Sinclair, Glasgow, the editor of " An t-Oranaiche," for the following notes regarding the subject of this sketch, viz. :—John MacDonald, a native of Mull, who resided some time in Lome, as indicated in the first verse of his song " Cha mhor nach coma leam cogadh no sith." He was a bard of considerable repute, and composed some excellent songs. He is said to have died about 50 — years ago. It seems that he acted as a sort of general and handy-man among farmers, and undertook some veterinary surgeon's work in connection with stock, which necessitated his moving a good deal about the country. These intelligent handy-men have always been a great acquisition to farmers, and breeders of stock, and no doubt our bard had a considerable reputation as an empirical veterinary surgeon, as such an occupation required more skill and judgment than most shepherds and herds possessed. To one courting the muses, coming in contact with so many people of different cla.sses and temperaments, must also have sharpened his powers of observation, and conduced to increasing that poetic inspiration of which he was undoubtedly The first of his songs is at page 244 of the " Oranaiche," and entitled " Oran Le Iain Mac Dhòmhnuill ann an Eilein Mhuile," air fonn, " O nach robh sinn mar bha." Chorus. 0, cha'n urrainn mi ann, Gu rie mar is urrainn mi ann? Cha'n urrainn mi direadh a' mhullaich Bho'n dh' fliàs sinn uile cho fann. Ma thig na Russianaich thairis. Mar tha iad a' bagairt 's an iini, Co a thilleas iad ohachaidh, 'S na gaisgich againn' air chall? 'S iad gu'n seasadh an làrach, 'S nach bitheadh gun à-ach an call, 'S mur striochdadh na nàinihdean dhoibh toileach, Gu'm bitheadh an colunngnn cheann. 0, cha'n urrainn, &c. Na Gàidheil fhuranach, ghleusda, 'S an gunn' air deadh ghleusadh 'n an làinih, Bheireadh an coileach bhar gheugan, 'S a leagadh mac-eilde 'n a dheann : Mar sud a's lurhd-breacan an fheilidh, Chite air slèibhte nam beann ; Ach ciobairean glasa nan aomadh, 'S beag orr' na daoin' a bhios ann ! O, cha'n urrainn, &c. This patriotic song was probably composed during the Russian war (Crimean war), as the first line says :—If the Russians come over, who will send them home again, as our heroes are lost? His next song, " Cha Mhor nach coma leam cogadh no sith," is, at page 290, of the " Oranaiche." The chorus of it is : Fal o, hal dal o hog i o ho ro i, Fal o, hHl dal o hog i o ho ro i, Hithil Ù hillin o, agus ho. ho ro hi, Cha mhor nach coma leam cogadh no sitli. —
Page 2 and 3:
O^ ^^l
Page 5:
MACDONALD BARDS MEDIEVAL TIMES. KEI
Page 8 and 9:
INDEX. Page. Alexander MacDonald, B
Page 10 and 11:
Donald Donn p. 12, see also p. 95.
Page 13 and 14:
MacDonald Bards from Mediaeval Time
Page 15 and 16:
which stood the chapel and palace o
Page 17 and 18: Ann I was ever since I was born, In
Page 19 and 20: ander and Ronald. Alexander—Alasd
Page 21 and 22: ilaughter of the Earl of Gowrie. He
Page 23 and 24: nighean donn." poem, " 'S truagh, a
Page 25 and 26: GILLEASBUIG NA CEAPAICH. (ARCHIBALD
Page 27 and 28: Fonn (Chorus). 0, 'chruinneag, e 'c
Page 29 and 30: — 'S daingeann a bhuail iad às g
Page 31 and 32: Some of our minor Scotch poets take
Page 33 and 34: — ! — Bha Iain gun teagaibh Gu
Page 35 and 36: — went down with her and took awa
Page 37 and 38: 'S mairg a mhol a' Mhòrthir robach
Page 39 and 40: — The late Thomas Pattison of Isl
Page 41 and 42: so is " Tearlach Mac Sheumais " (Ch
Page 43 and 44: Ma chaidh thu nunn thar linntichean
Page 45 and 46: — Mhac Mhic Alastair," and said t
Page 47 and 48: Latin Verses. Verses written by Sir
Page 49 and 50: — after bidding farewell to the R
Page 51 and 52: Translation by Mr L. MacBean of som
Page 53 and 54: The Alex. MacDonald above referred
Page 55 and 56: t Mrs Grant translates the verse as
Page 57 and 58: Och, aluchd-àiteacluiidli iia h-ua
Page 59 and 60: He ultimately married a young girl
Page 61 and 62: Here the merry lark ascends on dewy
Page 63 and 64: 'Mhuintir dh' an suaicheantas fraoc
Page 65 and 66: KAONAILD NIUHEAN MHIC NEIL. (RACHEL
Page 67: Yet 'mid the drift, wert thou but n
Page 71 and 72: MAIRI NIGHEAN IAIN BHAIN (MARY, DAU
Page 73 and 74: Tha ùrnuigh nam bochdan, Do 'n a n
Page 75 and 76: Loch Moidart, Loch-nan-uanih, Loch
Page 77 and 78: His pibroch is a long one, and, I t
Page 79 and 80: Bhagair ar eascaird eitidh borb, Ma
Page 81 and 82: Another fine hymn of tMenty-nine ve
Page 83 and 84: Oir thàinig oirnn naigheachd 'bha
Page 85 and 86: Dòmhnuill," 1896 (a poem); (2) " T
Page 87 and 88: Lo ])rasgan de Ghaidheil, Làn àrd
Page 89 and 90: IAIN DOMHNALLACH AN BALL, OBAN. (BL
Page 91 and 92: who was a grand-danghter of Charlot
Page 93 and 94: all subsequent documents the name a
Page 95 and 96: Maidens ! softly touch the clàrsac
Page 97 and 98: Let, the free-born sons of the moun
Page 99 and 100: — fought with his brother Donald
Page 101 and 102: Ach gu'n caisg an Righ Mor e, Hi ha
Page 103 and 104: 'Nuair a thàinig e as a colainn, '
Page 105 and 106: — NIGHEAN MHIC AONGHUIS OIG. Besi
Page 107 and 108: Nach co-ion da 'blii 'caig rium Is
Page 109 and 110: In this elegy there are 13 verses,
Page 111 and 112: Gur a binn leam 'bhi leughadh Mu'n
Page 113 and 114: Latha Sliabh-an-t-siona, Bu churaid
Page 115 and 116: the silver-hilted sword—the windo
Page 117 and 118: and imprisoned. His papers were car
Page 119 and 120:
On what she did, now many look, Won
Page 121 and 122:
IAIN DOMHNULLACH (John MacDonald).
Page 123 and 124:
10. " Spaidsearachd Dlionuill Ghrua
Page 125 and 126:
personal danger ; certainly not, fo
Page 127 and 128:
Another beautiful poem by " Fear Gh
Page 129 and 130:
De Chlann DòmhnuiU tlo-rireaclli,
Page 131 and 132:
9.—Because the great majority of
Page 133 and 134:
tional form, and as those who cheri
Page 135 and 136:
landers were accustomed to sing at
Page 137:
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