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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.
—