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The Bard in a Community in Transition and Decline: Oscar Dhu and the Hebridean Scots of the Upper St. Francis District, Quebec
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| Authors/collaborators |
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| Title |
The Bard in a Community in Transition and Decline: Oscar Dhu and the Hebridean Scots of the Upper St. Francis District, Quebec
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| Abstract |
Angus MacKay (1864-1923), a Canadian poet of Hebridean Scottish decent, is generally unrecognized by literary scholars but remains a well-known figure in parts of the Eastern Townships. MacKay was fluent in Gaelic and his pseudonym, “Oscar Dhu,” is of Gaelic origin. However, he did compose, perform and publish poetry in English. His epic documentary poem "Donald Morrison" (1892) and the collection "By Trench and Trail" (1918) reflect Scottish Quebec religious and political life in the late nineteenth century. In 1902 MacKay and his family left Quebec and moved to Seattle. The author analyzes the Morrison poem and the real-life events of Donald Morrison, the Megantic Outlaw. The loss of the Morrison family farm in the Eastern Townships in the late 1880s triggered a series of events that culminated in Morrison killing Deputy Jack Warren, and his being harboured from the police for ten months by the local Scottish community. Morrison was eventually caught and convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 18 years hard labour. He went on a hunger strike in prison. He died on June 19, 1894, four hours after being released from prison (on clemency), and was buried in the Gisla cemetery on the Stornoway road in Megantic.
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| Book Title |
Canadian Papers in Rural History. Vol. 10
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| Place |
Gananoque, ON
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| Publisher |
Langdale Press
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| Date |
1996
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| Pages |
45-79
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| Language |
en
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| Citation |
Little, J. I. “The Bard in a Community in Transition and Decline: Oscar Dhu and the Hebridean Scots of the Upper St. Francis District, Quebec.” In Canadian Papers in Rural History. Vol. 10, edited by Donald H. Akenson, 45–79. Gananoque, ON: Langdale Press, 1996.
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