Rob Donn
Rob Donn (Brown-haired Rob) (1714–1778) was a Scottish Gaelic poet from Sutherland. It is generally assumed that his name was Robert Mackay (MacAoidh),[1][2] but this has been disputed, so he is sometimes referred to as "Rob Donn MacAoidh".
Biography
Born at Allt na Caillich in Strathmore, Sutherland, Rob Donn was the son of Donald Donn, a small farmer. While his surname, whether Mackay or Calder, continues to be debated, he is never referred to in the Highlands except as Rob Donn.[3]
At an early age, his wit and intelligence attracted attention and, at the age of seven or eight, he was taken into the employment of local
He remained
Rob Donn's life coincided with three
His own poetical abilities were picked up on very early by
According to Derick Thomson, Iain Mac Eachainn, "was both Rob Donn's employer and his friend, sharing a love of hunting, poetry, and humanity."[6]
Clan Mackay sided with the House of Hanover during the Jacobite rising of 1745. Despite this, the Mackays were included in the repression of Gaelic culture that followed the defeat of the Jacobite clans at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In Òran Nan Casagan Dubha ("The Song of the Black Cassocks"), Rob Donn's outraged response to the Dress Act 1746, the Bard denounced the banning of Highland clothing and mocked the Lowland dress replacing it. Rob Donn considered the Act to be so insulting that he urged Clan Mackay to change its allegiance from King George II to Prince Charles Edward Stuart.[7]
When Robb Donn's patron, Ian Mac Eachainn, died in 1757, Rob Donn praised the
In 1759, Rob Donn enlisted in the
After his dismissal, Rob Donn resided at Auchmore and Sango until 1770, when Colonel Hugh Mackay, the son of his former employer, became estate factor to Lord Reay and brought Rob Donn back into the Chief's employment. Robb Donn remained on the Chief's estate until his death in 1778.[9]
Both Lord Reay and the Rev. Murdo MacDonald were great influences on Rob Donn, and were celebrated in his poetry.
Collection of his poems
Although sometimes moralistic, Rob Donn's poetry sometimes also contained
Later editors and collectors were not always so kind, in other ways. For example, Rob's Strathnaver dialect was sometimes deliberately rewritten into a more standardised form of Scottish Gaelic,[1] which destroyed certain of the effects and rhythms.
In a diary entry 22 February, 1898, the iconic 19th century Gaelic poet Fr. Allan MacDonald wrote, "Read Rob Donn for vocabulary purposes. His vocabulary is more valuable than his poetry. His subjects are often enough coarse and treated coarsely. His reputation is greater than his merits. I should never dream of comparing him with W. Ross or Alasdair. Even Alein Dall is superior to him in rhyme, rhythm, and humour... Took up W. Ross and read pieces. His vocabulary has not so many strange words as Rob Donn's Reay Country Gaelic... He makes you feel with him and for him. Pity for the language that he died so young."[10]
References
- ^ a b c Rob Donn Mackay (1714 - 1778), Scottish Poetry Library. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
- ^ a b c Fans sing praises of the bawdy bard Rob Donn, The Scotsman, 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
- ^ John Lorne Campbell (1979), Highland Songs of the Forty-Five, Arno Press. Page 278.
- ^ John Lorne Campbell (1979), Highland Songs of the Forty-Five, Arno Press. Page 227.
- ISBN 978-0-00-686027-3.
- ^ a b Derick Thomson (1993), Gaelic Poetry in the Eighteenth Century: A Bilingual Anthology, page 117.
- ^ Derick Thomson (1993), Gaelic Poetry in the Eighteenth Century: A Bilingual Anthology, page 111-117.
- ^ John Lorne Campbell (1979), Highland Songs of the Forty-Five, Arno Press. Page 227.
- ^ John Lorne Campbell (1979), Highland Songs of the Forty-Five, Arno Press. Page 227.
- ^ Edited by Ronald Black (2002), Eilein na h-Òige: The Poems of Fr. Allan MacDonald, Mungo Press, Glasgow. Page 46.
- Lee, Sidney, ed. (1893). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co.