Raasay
The poet Sorley MacLean was born in Osgaig, a small crofting community on the west coast of the island; perhaps his most famous poem is about "Hallaig", an abandoned community on the east coast. MacLean's writings often combine an ancient traditional awareness, with a modernist political outlook, in which Raasay, and the areas adjacent to it are frequently referenced. But while MacLean's work dwells on the brutality of war, of the Highland Clearances and modern exploitation, he also writes about nature. Thus, although the Clearances leave an empty landscape populated only by the ghosts of those evicted or forced to emigrate, "Time, the deer, is in the Wood of Hallaig".
Lorne Monkley
He was born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, the son of Edward H. Monkley and Mae MacDonald. Monkley was secretary-treasurer for Amalgamated Dairies Ltd. In 1939, he married Edna Jane Champion. Monkley served in the armed forces during World War II. After the war, he was a director for the Hillcrest Housing Company which managed housing at CFB Summerside. Monkley served as Clerk of the Legislative Assembly before being elected to office. He resigned his seat in the provincial assembly in 1963 to run for a federal seat. Monkley later served as chairperson for the province's Civil Service Commission. He was the first Chief Electoral Officer for Prince Edward Island, serving from 1965 to 1978. He died in Charlottetown at the age of 77.