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".
William N. MacLean
Born in 1907 at Inverness, Nova Scotia, MacLean was a businessman. He married Jane Roberts in 1939. From 1933 to 1945, he was the chief of police for Inverness. He also served a term as mayor of Inverness. MacLean entered provincial politics in a 1962 byelection, winning the seat left vacant following the death of his brother, Roderick MacLean. He was re-elected in the 1963, and 1967 elections, representing the dual-member riding with Progressive Conservative Jim MacLean. In the 1970 election, MacLean was defeated for the second seat by fellow Liberal John Archie MacKenzie. MacLean died at Inverness on August 4, 1997.