Biography

Allan MacDonald, Ailean Chrìsdein, was from Harrapool in the parish of Strath on the Isle of Skye. He was a big man, and he came from a family of big people, which is why he was called the Big Doctor.

On the programme Sgoil an Eòlais on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal on 21/12/93, Jonathan MacDonald said:

"When he first came to this end of the island, as I remember, he wore a suit with plus fours. But it wasn't long before he started wearing a kilt. From then on, I never saw him, on a weekday or a Sunday, without his kilt. He always wore it; he had lovely grey hair, and he was a pleasant man to see and to meet. Allan always spoke Gaelic. He would not speak a word of English if he could help it, and he was always chatting to people about local matters and about the Island, showing how fond he was of his heritage."

An Dotair Mòr was also a fine piper, and John MacKenzie recalled the piping lessons he received – not always willingly:

"He would always be standing outside watching, especially in summer, behind the hedge. When I went past on my bicycle, I would try to sneak by without him noticing. He would shout me in, and I would be there until nighttime; there was no chance of getting to football or anything else."

Many years later, John MacKenzie played a special set of bagpipes that An Dotair Mòr had given him – one of five sets made for the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow in 1938.

Allan MacDonald often visited Katherine Douglas [1939], who composed and collected songs. This is where Jonathan MacDonald often saw him.

"She collected many old songs, and she and Allan would 'swap' verses and discuss tunes and things like that."

Joan MacLeod, who won the Gold Medal in 1957 and who once worked as a nurse with him, gave this description of Dr Allan:

"He was a kind man, a humorous and cheerful man – and so musical. When he was sitting waiting for a baby to be born, he would be sat waiting and his fingers would be moving as if playing the chanter. But he was very skilled in caring for mothers and babies. He had songs I had never heard before. I first heard Chaidh Mo Dhonnchadh dhan Bheinn from him, and he had many tunes I had never heard before."

No one who listens to recordings of Dr Allan MacDonald would disagree with Jonathan MacDonald when he said:

"I loved the gentle, calm, musical quality of his voice. There was wonderful music in Allan's voice, and he brought great beauty to the singing of the old Skye songs."