The MacDowallsBy Fergus D. H. Macdowall Editor-in-Chief, William L. MacDougall Editor, Scott A. MacDougald Associate Editor, Suzanne O. McDougal Production Editor, and eight talented writers
|
|
Journeying in MacDougall CountryBy Walter M. Macdougall
A descriptive travelogue of that grand Highland countryside which gave birth to our MacDougall ancestors along with extensive notes on Clan history, geographic features, maps, sketches and historical anecdotes designed to enrich a journey in the land of Lorn. Introduction by our 30th and 31st Chiefs of Clan MacDougall. This wide ranging book is based on journals of trips to Lorn and Argyll made by the author. He has visited the places of our clan, researched our history, and met with the people who are most knowledgeable about the area and its history. The book contains a special section called “The Lore of Lorn” where additional information is provided for those searching for more details on the topics.Walter has directed that all profits from the sale of this book are to be donated to the Dunollie Preservation Trust. This is a project for the renovation and improvement of Dunollie Manor in Oban, Scotland so that it may house the Hope MacDougall Collection, a museum, and a clan center.The new and expanded second Edition of this book became available in January 2008. It may be purchased through Lulu.com. The soft cover price is $24.95 plus shipping. Also your local bookstore can order it for you but may ask for the ISBN 978-0-6151-7789-2. Major outlets such as amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com may offer it at their own prices and keep a portion of the sales price. Available from The Drapers Shop at Dunollie House in Oban as well. |
|
Kings in the West Beyond the Sea:
|
 |
From a Hollow on the HillBy Nancy MacDougall Black
A compendium of facts, stories, history, and photograph relating to a number of MacDougall lines and the families into which they married both within a large area around Oban, Scotland, and in such far off places as Australia. From her tremendous background and prodigious research Miss Black provides insight into the life and times of our ancestors which is not available either in more limited family histories or in general histories. Among those whom Miss Black traces in her own ancestry are the famous family of MacDougall bagpipe makers and players. This book is must for those seriously interested in how their ancestors lived or who want to understand more fully the web of social interconnections which existed in the Highlands and across the oceans to distant lands. This book is available from The Drapers Shop at Dunollie House in Oban as well as through Amazon. |
 |
Highland Postbag:
|
|
Island of Kerrera:
|
 |
An Official Short History of Clan MacDougallBy Michael Starforth
This excellent little book of 50 pages was written for our thirtieth Chief and her family members by a professional historian as an official and a definitive source on MacDougall history. It covers our clan origins, the rise and fall in power, the Scottish Wars of Independence, the relations with the Stewarts, the Jacobite wars, and our Chiefs through eight hundred and fifty years. This contents of this well written little book are historically reliable. It is available from The Drapers Shop at Dunollie House in Oban. |
|
The Copper Inheritance:
|
 |
Dunollie, Oban, ArgyllBy W. Douglas Simpson and Compiled by A.T. Hall Center For Scottish Studies, University of Aberdeen (1991), Old Aberdeen, Scotland, AB9 2UB
Original price of 3.95 pounds should be verified when ordering. This book of 118 pages was written by a very well respected archaeologist and historian from the University of Aberdeen who specialized in castles and fortifications. This book is well researched and footnoted with his research sources. A scholarly study of the history and the geographic setting of Dunollie and Gylen castles and the Oban area from prehistory, through the dark ages, and feudal ages up to the time of building of the Dunollie Manor House. This is a source of historic information from documents and from within our Chief’s family which is not generally available. It includes a detailed analysis of the Brooch of Lorn, its history, and its provenance. |
 |
The MacDowalls of Galloway:
|
 |
Clan MacDougall(Your Clan Heritage Series) Contains interesting old prints and fine color reproductions of our crest and tartan. |
|
Piobaireachd, by James William Cook
There is a long and proud history between MacDougalls and bagpipes. Not only have there been a number of well-regarded MacDougall pipers, but during the 19th century the MacDougall family of bagpipe makers operated an establishment in Perth whose bagpipes are still regarded as among the best ever made.
So it seems only fitting that MacDougalls and their descendants would take up writing about pipes and piping. One such product is a book produced by a member of our own Society, James William Cook, who has authored this slim volume, Piobaireachd. For those not familiar, piobaireachd (pronounced something like “PEE-brock) is the classical music of the Great Highland Bagpipe. Piobaireachd, or Ceol Mor (literally, “big music”), is characterized by a musical theme that is repeated with increasingly complex variations. Piobaireachd is a slow music that is entirely unique to Scotland.
This book is not a history of piobaireachd, nor is it rightly characterized as an instructional manual (though it does contain some instructions on the embellishments used in piobaireachd). It is perhaps better characterized as a reference book. After a brief introduction it describes each of the embellishments used in piobaireachd, together with its name and how it appears in musical notation. Perhaps the most valuable element is that this volume includes the canntaireachd (“CANT-rock”) for each embellishment. Before the musical notation for the Great Highland Bagpipe was regularized, piobaireachd was taught using canntaireachd, a system of “singing” the embellishments for each piece. The piobaireachd manuscripts that survive from the time before notation was regularized are written using a form of the canntaireachd, making them very difficult for non-experts to understand.
This volume is a useful reference for anyone from the aspiring piobaireachd player who needs a ready reference, to the curious musician not familiar with piping notation, to the those who are just curious about this unique musical form. If you would like to purchase a copy of this book, you can purchase it from Amazon ($40) or directly from the author at jwlscook@netecin.net ($30).