Donald MacKinnon (Celtic scholar)

Donald MacKinnon (1839–1914), born on Colonsay, an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, was a Celtic scholar, the first elected Professor of Celtic languages, literature, history and antiquities at Edinburgh University, a chair he occupied from 1882[6] to the year of his death in 1914.[7] He is known particularly for his edition and translation of the so-called Glenmasan manuscript, and also catalogued the manuscripts in the Advocates Library collection.

Donald MacKinnon
Born	18 April 1839[2] Kilchattan, Colonsay, Argyll, Scotland[3]
Died	25 December 1914 (aged 75)[4] Balnahard, Colonsay, Argyll, Scotland[3]
Nationality	Scottish
Occupation	Professor of celtic
Known for	Celtic Studies
Spouse(s)	Catherine MacPhee MacKinnon ​ ​ (m. 1873)​ (1842–1917)
Children	5 Malcolm Catherine (d. 1949) Mary (d. 1960) Neil (d. 1884) Duncan (d. 1918)[5]

Education

He enrolled in the local Sean Sgoil (The Old School),[8] and at the age of eighteen, attended the Church of Scotland Training College. He was Clerk to the Church of Scotland's Educational Scheme (1869). Continuing his study at Edinburgh University, he obtained the degree of M.A. in 1870. Later he became clerk and treasurer to the School Board of Edinburgh.

Writings

MacKinnon began publishing essays in An Gaidheal (which ran from 1871 to 1877), and these essays were generally on the topic of proverbs or poetry.[9] He also contributed to the Mac Talla, a Gaelic-language newspaper published 1892 to 1904 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.[9]

Later he wrote his observations entitled "Place Names and Personal Names in Argyll", in The Scotsman, Nov–Jan 1888, in eighteen serialised parts.

He edited, translated, and annotated the fifteenth century Glenmasan manuscript (formerly Adv. Lib. MS. LIII, now National Library of Scotland Adv.MS.72.2.3), an important codex containing a later romance version of the Deirdre story besides other material.

List of Works

• "On the dialects of Scottish Gaelic" (1886).[10]
• Reading book for the use of students of the Gaelic class at Edinburgh University (1889).[11]
• Culture in Early Scotland (1892). (ed.)[12]
• "The Glenmasan Manuscript" (1904–1907). (ed.) [13]
• A Descriptive Catalogue of Gaelic Manuscripts in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, and elsewhere in Scotland (1912).[14]

References

Citations

1. Lamont (1915), p. 97.
2. Archives Hub (2010); citing The Gambolier, 25 November 1914, pp.64–66
3. Archives Hub (2010)
4. Celtic Review 10, p.1 (Title page) "Since this number was printed we have learned.. of Professor MacKinnon's death, which occurred in the Isle of Colonsay on Christmas Day." see Maclean (1914).
5. Lamb (2011) harvp error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFLamb2011 (help) webpage genealogy
6. "Chairs and Professors of Universities in the United Kingdom". Who's Who Year-book for 1908. 1908. p. 132.
7. MacKinnon1956, Preface, p. xvi. "He occupied the Celtic Chair for 32 years, retiring in June 1914 at the age of 75. On Christmas Day of the same year he died in his native island of Colonsay"
8. Ray (2005), p. 269.
9. Matheson (1957), p. 161.
10. MacKinnon (1886).
11. MacKinnon (1889).
12. MacKinnon (1892).
13. MacKinnon (1904), MacKinnon (1905), MacKinnon (1906), MacKinnon (1907), in The Celtic Review. Available via CELT Corpus (University College, Cork) in Gaelic and English
14. MacKinnon (1912).

Bibliography

• Lamb, Joanne (2011), Dalrymple Crescent: a snapshot of Victiorian Edinburgh, T & J Lamb, ISBN 978-0956671301;
• —— (2011), Family Group Sheet for Donald MacKinnon/Catherine Macphee (F148) m. 3 Nov 1873 : Dalrymple Crescent Families, Darrin Lythgoe, retrieved 12 February 2012 @ author's page
• Lamont, Donald, Rev. (1915), "Professor MacKinnon", Celtic Review, 10: 97–105 (w/ photograph of his portrait)
• MacKinnon, Donald (1882), Testimonials in favour of Donald MacKinnon ... candidate for the chair of Celtic languages ... in the University of Edinburgh
• —— (1886), "On the dialects of Scottish Gaelic", Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, 12: 345–367
• —— (1889), Reading book for the use of students of the Gaelic class at Edinburgh University
• —— (1889). News Cuttings. Internet Archive (incomplete collection of his serialised articles)
• —— (1892), Culture in Early Scotland, London: Williams & Norgat
• —— (May 1904), "The Glenmasan Manuscript" (Internet Archive), Celtic Review, 1: 12–17, 102–31, 208–29, 296–315, doi:10.2307/30069785, JSTOR 30069785 (ed. & tr.; cont. in subsequent volumes)
• —— (June 1905), "The Glenmasan Manuscript", Celtic Review, 2: 20–33, 100–121, 202–23, 300–313, doi:10.2307/30069857, JSTOR 30069857
• —— (July 1906), "The Glenmasan Manuscript", Celtic Review, 3: 10–25, 114–37, 198–15, 294–317, doi:10.2307/30069894, JSTOR 30069894
• —— (August 1907), "The Glenmasan Manuscript", Celtic Review, 4: 10–27, 104–21, 202–19, doi:10.2307/30069917, JSTOR 30069917
• —— (1912), A Descriptive Catalogue of Gaelic Manuscripts in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, and elsewhere in Scotland, Edinburgh: W. Brown
• —— (1956), MacKinnon, Lachlan (ed.), Prose writings of Donald MacKinnon, 1839–1914: the first professor of Celtic in the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Gaelic Texts Society 5, Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd
• Maclean, Donald (1914), "Donald MacKinnon, M.A., Emeritus-Professor of Celtic, University of Edinburgh" (IArchive), The Celtic Review, 10 (37): 63–68 CELT Corpus
• Matheson, William (October 1957). "(Review) Prose Writings of Donald MacKinnon, 1839-1914 by Donald MacKinnon and Lachlan MacKinnon". The Scottish Historical Review. 36 (122.2): 161–163. JSTOR 25526436.
• Ray, R. Celeste (2005), Transatlantic Scots (preview), University of Alabama Press, pp. 269–, ISBN 9780817352400

External links

• Archives Hub (2010). "Colonsay Graveyard" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
• The Gambolier, 25 November 1914, pp. 64–66 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University) [cited by Archives Hub as biographical authority]
• Collection of Professor Donald MacKinnon (1839–1914) at the Jisc Archives Hub