THIS week sees the 150th anniversary of the death of one of Scotland’s finest yet least-known Gaelic poets, Mary Macdougal Macdonald, author of a hymn which is known throughout the Christian world and whose tune in another form with different words made the pop music charts in the 1970s.
The first thing to say is that Mary Macdougal Macdonald should not be confused with another Mary, who was born a MacDonald and became a MacPherson. That was Màiri Mhòr nan Òran or Great Mary of the Songs (1821-1898) who was originally from the Isle of Skye whereas Mary Macdougal Macdonald was from Mull. The two are frequently confused, but this Mary Macdonald very much led a quiet life while Great Mary of the Songs was well known in Scotland for her writings and her activism for land reform.
