Baile Nan Gàidheal | Highland Village, Iona

Anna MacDonald MacKinnon, Annag ni'n Iain Alaisdair 'ic Aonghais Ailein, Broad Cove Banks, Inverness County. Anna MacKinnon seldom heard English before she went to school. At her childhood home in Sight Point, Gaelic was the language of daily life. Her father, John Alex MacDonald, was a fisherman who operated a small farm overlooking the expansive Northumberland Strait. Her mother came from a musical family which included legendary fiddlers Donald Angus Beaton and Màiri Alasdair Raghnaill as close relations. She married, cared for her family and spent decades behind the counter of Malcolm Dan MacLellan's store in the centre of town. For several years, MacKinnon remembers speaking little Gaelic in public - then she decided to start. Older customers were delighted to do business in Gaelic and encouraged her to continue. By the time she retired from a local gift shop in town, Anna had been sharing her language with customers for decades. Full of fun, and devoted to her friends and family, MacKinnon continues to be a strong supporter of Gaelic in her community today and has hosted language classes there for several years.

Topic: Tradition bearers

Date: 2013

Reference:  Highland Village Museum H2013.31.09

For more information, please contact Baile Nan Gàidheal | Highland Village.