Rob Donn Trail and exhibition opens
As you travel across Mackay Country from Scourie to Melvich you will notice a series of new interpretation panels.
These are part of a collaboration between Mackay Country Community Trust and Strathnaver Museum to celebrate the life and times of renowned Gaelic bard Rob Donn Mackay.
Rob Donn
Rob Donn, a contemporary of Robert Burns, is an extremely important figure in the history of Gaelic literature and is arguably as important to Gaelic poetry as Burns is to Scots poetry. Born at Alltnacaillich, Strathmore in 1714, Rob Donn lived through a chaotic period in Highland history as the Jacobite Risings resulted in lasting changes throughout the Highlands.
Rob Donn’s work provides a valuable insight into 18th century Highland society. During Donn’s lifetime poetry played a pivotal role in people’s lives and circulated rapidly by oral transmission. Unable to read or write, dictating his poetry from memory only towards the end of his life, his work represents an important document of a world both expanding and contracting as the British state made its presence felt in the day-to-day life inhabited by Rob Donn and his contemporaries.
The Rob Donn Trail
The project team has skilfully brought to life this era using the poems and songs composed by Rob Donn to explore the history and culture of the era. The Rob Donn trail links the places and people depicted in the stories, poems and songs of Rob Donn and presents them in an accessible and informative fashion. The panels, designed by Lairg graphic designer and illustrator Eilidh Price, also provide a brief history of each of the 9 locations where the panels appear.
An exhibition of the art and craft work created by the artists and members of the community will be on display in Strathnaver Museum this year. The work includes a textile wall-hanging, art work created by renowned artists from Caithness and Sutherland and pieces of work created by local school children.
Supported by HLF Stories, Stones and Bones Fund local crafters have produced a series of stunning A3 textile panels that form a unique wall-hanging. The panels were produced by craftspeople from, or with a connection to, Mackay Country and depict scenes from Rob Donn’s life and work.
Artists from Caithness and Sutherland have created 10 pieces of artwork, in a range of media, to celebrate the life and times of this talented poet. Each artist sought inspiration from Rob Donn’s life and work to create an art piece about Rob Donn’s world.
The artists involved are Joanne Kaar, Dunnet; Jana Embury, formerly Wick; Wendy Sutherland, Brora; Mark Edwards, Tongue; Sam Barlow, Lairg; Lotte Glob, Laid; Jenny Mackenzie Ross, Latheron; Norman Gibson, Brora; and Ian Westacott, Dornoch.
A guide book is available to purchase from Strathnaver Museum and trail maps will be distributed across the area in time for the visitor season.
