Norman Hector Mackinnon Maclean (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: Tormod MacGill-Eain; 26 December 1936 – 31 August 2017) was a Scottish Gaelic comedian, novelist, poet, musician and broadcaster. He is the only person to have won both Bardic Crown and Gold Medal at the same

Royal National Mòd The Royal National Mòd ( gd, Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail) is an Eisteddfod-inspired international Celtic festival focusing upon Scottish Gaelic literature, traditional music, and culture which is held annually in Scotland. It is the largest ...

. His struggles with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

are documented in his autobiography, ''The Leper's Bell: Autobiography of a Changeling''.

Early life

Maclean was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 26 December 1936 to Niall and Peigi MacLean. but was evacuated to

Lochaber Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation ...

in 1940 where he was brought up by Gaelic-speaking relatives. He spent a part of his childhood in

South Uist South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...

and

Benbecula Benbecula (; gd, Beinn nam Fadhla or ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census, it had a resident population of 1,283 with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It is in a ...

. He then went to Glasgow where he attended

Bellahouston Academy Bellahouston Academy is a non-denominational state-run secondary school in Bellahouston, south-west Glasgow, Scotland. History Bellahouston Academy first opened in 1876 as a private school run by Alexander Sim. It was taken over by the Govan ...

. His father died suddenly when Maclean was 15.

Career

Maclean (MacGill-Eain) attended

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. He trained to become a teacher but also started to perform songs and piping. In the early 1970s he expanded his repertoire by spending more time on jokes between songs and became a stand-up comedian. He wrote and starred in his own TV show "Tormod Air Telly". Maclean provided the vocal talents for several re-dubbings of children's programmes into Gaelic - most notably "Donnie Murdo", the Gaelic version of Danger Mouse. He played the lead role of the Miller in the 1998

BBC Alba BBC Alba is a Scottish Gaelic-language free-to-air public broadcast television channel jointly owned by the BBC and MG Alba. The channel was launched on 19 September 2008 and is on-air for up to seven hours a day with BBC Radio nan Gàidheal s ...

children's programme ''

Baile Mhuilinn ''Baile Mhuilinn'' is a Scottish Gaelic television series for children. The first series was broadcast in 1998. Baile Mhuilinn features comedian and entertainer Tormod MacGill-Eain as the Miller, his pantomime horse Eachann, and alternating charac ...

''. Throughout his life, Maclean had a destructive relationship with alcohol which stopped him taking many opportunities. He was due to appear in ''

Comfort & Joy ''Comfort & Joy'' is the fourteenth overall, ninth North American, and fourth holiday album by the a cappella group Rockapella. It was re-released in 2004 on Shakariki Records. Track listing Personnel *Scott Leonard – high tenor *Kevin Wrigh ...

'' as well as failing to appear for bookings or failing to achieve his potential as well as having a large effect on his personal life and health. Maclean, the subject of an award-winning documentary, 'Tormod', produced by BBC Alba, moved to

Uist "Uist" is a group of six islands and are part of the Outer Hebridean Archipelago, part of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. North Uist and South Uist ( or ; gd, Uibhist ) are two of the islands and are linked by causeways running via the isles ...

in 2009. He wrote a monthly column for the community newspaper, ''Am Pàipear'', and has a starring role, as an old bard, in the full-length feature film, '' Blackbird'' (originally known as ''Ruadhan the Bard''), which opened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2013.

Corpus

Maclean composed the pipe tune "Scarce O' Tatties", he has composed long and short poems, including "Maol Donn", also known as MacCrimmon's Sweetheart, which won him the Bardic Crown in 1967, and has produced novels in Gaelic, "Cumhnantan" (1997), "Keino" (1999), "Dacha Mo Ghaoil" (2005), and "Slaightearan" (2007), as well as his autobiography, "The Leper's Bell" (2009), in English.

Death

Maclean died on 31 August 2017 in Uist, aged 80.

References

External references

HeraldScotland, 13 January 2007Scotland on Sunday interview, 20 September 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macgill-Eain, Tormod 1936 births 2017 deaths People from Uist Comedians from Glasgow Scottish folk singers Scottish stand-up comedians Scottish male television actors Scottish male voice actors