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".
Jordan McLean
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, McLean is of Māori descent and played his junior rugby league for the Young Cherrypickers and attending Young High School as a teenager. He was then signed by the Canberra Raiders and played for them in the Harold Matthews Cup before being signed by the Melbourne Storm. He played for the Storm's NYC team from 2009 to 2011 and was a part of their 2009 NYC premiership winning team.