We are grateful to Dr Anja Gunderloch of Edinburgh University’s Department of Celtic for a most enlightening afternoon on Tuesday 19th February.
Anja was the latest speaker in our monthly lecture series at the Dome Room in New Register House. Her subject was Donnchadh Ban MacIntyre: a Gaelic poet in Edinburgh.
Donnchadh Ban was one of a large Highland population which settled in Edinburgh during the middle of the 18th century, initially moving to the city to take up an appointment with the Edinburgh Town Guard, the forerunner to the municipal police force. There were many Highlanders in the Town Guard as the city had a preference for recruiting men from outwith Edinburgh so that there was no history between them and the population they were policing; they had no previous population with the city’s criminal population and would be harder to suborn.
Donnchadh Ban was already in his 40s when he arrived in 1767 but as he survived until 1812, he spent the majority of his life in the capital and became a well known character among its extensive Highland population. He was apparently a convivial fellow and found Edinburgh life congenial, often to be found in the area around Multrees Walk, now the back entrance to the King James Centre, which was a favourite gathering place of Edinburgh Highlanders.
Working for the Town Guard suited his lifestyle – the pay was good and the hours short – and enabled him to dedicate most of his energy to his art, chiefly the writing of Gaelic poetry. It is debatable how literate he was; there is evidence that he was able to sign his own name, but it is unlikely he was able to write much else. His achievement in getting his work published – not just once, but in three editions – is therefore all the greater. He had ready access to editors who were happy to help him and therefore we have this important body of work in printed form today, which might otherwise have been lost.
His books were published by subscription, with a lengthy list of subscribers included in the early pages. These are packed with Highland names including the names of many Highland Chiefs and other gentry who were still resident in the Old Town at this date. A glance at any of the 18th century Edinburgh town directories shows how prominent Highlanders were in the capital, not just as ordinary residents but in business and professional capacities, too.