105258: Donald MacLeod

Donald, also known as Dan, was born in 1887, the eldest child of Donald MacLeod and Margaret MacLeod of Quarry and later 24 Borve. By 1911 he was working on his father’s croft, which passed to Dan following his father’s death in 1926. He married Mary Ann MacLellan of Huna, Tigharry. Together they were to have five children.

His neighbour Donald MacKillop wrote of him in the book Sea Names of Berneray:

‘When scarcely in my teens, I often fished at this rock [Sgeir Steaphain] with a hardy  crofter-fisherman called Dan MacLeod… Dan had nerves of steel and his old 15 foot lugsail boat was often driven to the limit.’

Dan’s various boats were described in more detail on pages 62 to 63 of the book Coille an Fhàsaich: one 13 feet long built by a Berneray carpenter; another of 12 feet, slender but leaky so called  Am Pond and one 15 feet in length, that had previously belonged to his brother Norman, a ship’s cook, so the boat was named Geò​la a’ Chook. 

‘Donald was as strong a man as ever I saw … full of all kinds of fun and nonsense. Nothing ever bothered him ..’

On page 18 of Sea Names, his neighbour recounts:

‘One morning Dan MacLeod … was sailing to the island of Stromay for peats with a crewman, Norman MacKillop… There was a strong breeze from the east and suddenly old Dan told his crewman to be alert with his main sheet as John MacLeod  … was practically keel up under sail in the vicinity of Sgeir na Cloiche. Dan, of course, was being facetious, as was his nature, because he had immediately realised that John was high and dry on this protruding stone on the skerry. They went to John’s aid but no help was required as the tide was flowing and the boat floated off.

This example shows what can happen even to the wisest as John MacLeod was one of the best fishermen in the island with immense local knowledge.’

Dan also used to fish at Creag an Tuill, on the south end of Hermetray. 

He was known on Berneray as having the second sight, and his young neighbour Roderick MacKillop made several sound recordings that recalled this ability. They are available on the Tobar an Dualchais website:

• Eisimpleirean dhen dà-shealladh, 
• Fear a chunnaic duine na lìon-aodach goirid ro a bhàs, 
• Chunnaic Dòmhnall Beag tiodhlacadh air an oidhche, 
• Chunnaic balach fear ann an lìon-aodach goirid ro bhàs.