Old Photographs Bunessan Scotland

Old photograph of cottages and houses in Bunessan village on the Ross of Mull in the south of the Isle of Mull, Scotland. Bunessan lends its name to a hymn tune, originally associated with the Christmas carol, Child in the Manger.Mary M. Macdonald, born 1789, died 1872, who lived in the nearby crofting community of Ardtun and who spoke only Gaelic, wrote her hymn Leanabh an Aigh to a traditional melody. When the words were later translated into English, the melody was named after the village by the translator, Lachlan Macbean. A monument to Mary Macdonald can be seen near the village, on the road towards Craignure, just after the Knockan crossroads. The ruins of the house she lived in are also nearby. Sometime before 1927 Alexander Fraser heard the melody in the Scottish Highlands and wrote it down so that it came to the attention of Percy Dearmer, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Martin Shaw. In turn, these editors of the hymnbook Songs of Praise requested Eleanor Farjeon to write a further hymn text to the tune. This was Morning Has Broken and since 1931 the tune has become most familiarly identified with this hymn.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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