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. During her youth, Anna attended school in Sight Point and Port Bàn, ruggedly beautiful areas largely uninhabited today. As a young woman, she moved to Broad Cove Banks to be closer to the once bustling town of Inverness. There 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.
- Shamus

Photo courtesy of Highland Village.

Interviewed by Jim Watson, Mary Jane Lamond
Camera operated by Shamus Y. MacDonald
October 18, 2006

Total Play Time: 1:31:28

00:15 Anna introduces herself
01:11 her father
02:06 the first people who came from Scotland to Sight Point
03:28 her mother
04:28-06:26 the schoolhouse, schoolchildren
06:26 her brother, sister
07:19 the dog spoke Gàidhlig
07:45-12:48 her uncle's expression; Oidhche na Challuinn View | Listen
12:49 they moved to Inverness
13:37 when her parents died
16:30-19:56 talking about the outhouse View | Listen
19:57-25:11 hauling water; keeping milk cold View | Listen
25:13-27:53 story about the livestock dying; signs for the weather View | Listen
28:11 water at her house
29:54-35:01 washing clothes
35:02 stores in the area, things they would buy at the store
37:40 phone rings; part of the door, the step
42:30 washing clothes View | Listen
43:28 sheep's wool; story about the bear
47:35-54:20 bedclothes
54:21-55:29 story about the bat in the house View | Listen
55:29 the house, the kitchen loft
56:41-1:02:23 making the bed, dressing for the day
1:10:30 starting the day, lighting the fire, cleaning the flu
1:14:04-1:16:06 blessings and prayers View | Listen
1:16:28-1:22:00 cleaning the floor; dishes; Anna misses her old house View | Listen
1:22:34-1:28:23 expressions: one her uncle had, and her father View | Listen
1:28:24-1:31:22 blessing the land, parts of the barn