109410: Donald MacVicar

Donald (d 1581) was the son of Donald MacVicar, Am Piocair Mòr. The MacVicars held large swathes of land in North Uist, with Donald owning Claddach Carinish and Carinish, where he lived with his wife and three children. 

This was the time of the Reformation and the mainland authorities felt unable to spread their religious message to Uist with the MacVicars in control. Instead they hatched a plot with the infamous Hugh MacDonald, Uisdean MacGhilleasbuig Chleirich. With Donald’s father at a conference in Edinburgh, Hugh made his way from Skye to Carinish, where he murdered Donald, burning his property, before luring Donald’s brothers to their deaths. 

Their sister composed a lament to their memory. This is just one version, available from Tobar an Dualchais.