Biography

The Reverend Norman MacLeod belonged to a famous family from Morvern. They descended from Donald MacLeod, who held the tack of Suradale near Dunvegan in the mid-eighteenth century. He was known as the Suradale Blacksmith, or the An Gobha Mòr (The Great Blacksmith), because he made swords for the MacLeod chiefs. He was said to be a devout man, and among the first to introduce family worship in the district of Duirinish. The Suradale Blacksmith married Anna Campbell, a member of the Campbells of Scalpay, Harris. They had at least two sons and one daughter.

Norman was one of their sons. He was born in 1745 and, at the age of eighteen, the Glenelg Assembly awarded him a bursary of £6 per year, which enabled him to go to Aberdeen University for his education. He spent some time as headmaster of the Duirinish school, and in 1775 he was appointed minister of Morvern, where he remained until his death in 1824 at the age of eighty.

Norman had two sons, Norman, Tormod Òg, and John, and it was Tormod Òg (1783–1826) who composed the song Soraidh Slàn le Fionnairigh. He also became renowned as a minister in Campbeltown, in Campsie, and at St Columba’s Church in Glasgow. In addition, he gained a lasting reputation as Caraid nan Gàidheal (Friend of the Gael). Speaking about him on a BBC Gaelic programme on the 11th of June 1957, the Reverend Thomas MacCalman said:

“He gave assistance to the Gaels during times of great famine, and he made a major contribution to Gaelic literature, in both prose and poetry.”

On another programme, broadcast on the 25th of May 1953, Mr MacCalman explained how the song Soraidh Slàn le Fionnairigh was composed:

“He was a minister in Campbeltown when he wrote the song. He and a close friend were together one day and, it seems, they decided to see who could write the best new song the quickest. He did not take long at all. Soon afterwards the song was being sung on the streets of the town, and he was not at all pleased. He tried to stop people from singing it. Fortunately, he was unsuccessful.”

List of compositions

Soraidh Slàn le Fionnairigh