Celebrating Rob Donn Mackay

The motion

That the Parliament welcomes the unveiling of the refurbished memorial to Rob Donn Mackay (1714-1778) on 1 October 2012, which was first erected in his honour 185 years ago; encourages the celebration of the Gaelic bard who often extemporised compositions and songs that it considers are compared to those of Robert Burns for their breadth of subject and wit; notes that Rob Donn Mackay neither spoke English nor learned to write, but spoke in the rich Gaelic dialect of the Mackay country of north west Scotland; understands that his vivid work was only printed 50 years after his death and is not in print today; thanks the noted Gaelic singer, David Morrison from Durness, and Highland Council for repairing the Balnakeil monument, and seeks to have Rob Donn Mackay's work reprinted before the tercentenary of his birth so that Gaelic speakers and the wider world might appreciate afresh Scotland's other leading poet of the 18th century, who reflected and satirised the vibrant life of north west Scotland in the decades preceding the collapse of the Mackay chiefship and the ensuing clearances.

No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

SNP 28 Lab 3 Con 2 Ind 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S4M-04182 by reference.