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".
Dougie MacLean
MacLean grew up in the Perthshire countryside, where his father was a gardener. His mother played melodeon, and his father played the fiddle.
To support himself in the 1970s, MacLean was a driver for Doc Watson and Merle Watson during their tour around Europe. He maintained a friendship afterward and has appeared at Merlefest.