I note that this thread started some time back with a discussion of Father Coll MacDonald of Lochaber but has since moved on apace, so in that sense the following is not entirely relevant. However, for the sake of a bit of anecdotal fun, the following extracts come from 'A Boyhood in An Gearasdan' - a speech delivered to the Gaelic Society of Inverness in 1992 by JFM MacLeod MA LLB, whose grandfather, John MacLeod grew up in Fort William during the 1860s-70s and later wrote his memories. He notes that Father Coll was a bit before his time, so these anecdotes had 'done the rounds' in the Fort:
Tales went about in regard to the prowess of the old priest Coll Macdonald as an undiscovered salmon fisherman in his early days in Brae Lochaber and his unmortified fondness for a cut of venison of his own killing when he was a priest in Fort William. He used to drive down to Ballachulish to hold a service there on Sabbath afternoon. He saw time and again a stag within easy reach of his gun not far from the gamekeeper’s place near a clump of trees. The chance was too much for him. So one day he took his gun with him and as he was driving there, sure enough, was the stag within shot. There was a risk as the gamekeeper’s house was so near. He came out of his trap, stalked and bagged his quarry. But the sound of the shot brought out the keeper at full speed. The priest had not quite got into his trap but had hid his gun and was adjusting his clothes. He pointed beyond the wood and sent the keeper off in chase of the poacher. This gave him time to get the stag into his trap and get off before the keeper appeared on the scene again.
The free use of strong drink was quite in keeping with the social ways of the country [Lochaber] and, to say the least, it was not frowned upon by such parish ministers as Dr. Macintyre, Kilmonivaig, Dr. Clark of Kilmallie or Dr. Stewart of Nether Lochaber. On one occasion the last of these was in such a pitiable plight as to call forth the compassion of Father Coll – his word were “Bha mi air mo thamailteachadh fear dhe’ aodach a bhi ann a leithid de shuideachadh” – I felt humiliated that one of his cloth should be in such a state. The critic was not himself by any means invulnerable on the same score for when he had taken freely of the wine of the country his companions used to chaff him about Purgatory. He was asked if he believed in it. He owned that he did not but he taught it all the same. When in Fort Augustus, he used to fish freely without let or hindrance. The steamboat used to take more than half an hour passing through the canal locks there and at times Mr Murdo Mackenzie when passing through had a chat with Big Coll. Teasing the priest for his devotion to the fishing rod, Mr MacKenzie, who was soon to be married, got the answer that it was better to be fishing for salmon than to be like some others fishing for women. “What is that your church teaches about Purgatory?” Coll replied “I hear, Mr MacKenzie, that you are to get married”. “Yes”, said Mr MacKenzie “that is quite so”. “Look” said Coll, “that is the beginning of Purgatory”. Before the monastery was built in Fort Augustus Coll had the lax and easy ways of the old Highlander Romanists. After it was built he had to be much more canonical and he felt this to be a bondage. The saying holds good “In vino veritas”. He would, when he had a dram or two, be very candid in criticising the new order with which he had to comply.
He goes on to say that Father Coll’s successor was Father John MacDonald, known as Poker John because he had been driven out of a Protestant house in Fort Augustus by a lady brandishing one as a weapon.
brigau
