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[Dòmhnall] Donaidh MacDhòmhnaill, Donnie Large, a thàinig am follais na sheinneadair anns na seachdadan. Leòdhasach a th’ ann a tha o chionn iomadh bliadhna a-nise a’ dèanamh a dhachaigh ann an California agus a tha a’ dèanamh rud a dh’fheuch iomadh eileanach ri dhèanamh is a dh’fhàilnich orra, tha e a’ dèanamh a bheòshlainte na sheinneadair. Fàilte mhòr, Donaidh.

[Donaidh] Tapadh leat.

[Dòmhnall] Nise, a’ chiad cheist a dh’fheumas mi a chur ort, carson ‘Large’? Chan eil thu beag ach chan eil thu cho mòr ri sin.

[Donaidh] Ò chan eil. Nuair a chaidh mise gu Àrd-sgoil MhicNeacail, bha mi a’ fuireach anns an ostail is a h-uile duine a bha a’ dol dhan ostail gach bliadhna bha iad a’ faighinn far-ainm bhon bha cus dhaoine air an robh Dòmhnall no cus dhaoine air an robh Tormod agus mar sin dheth ’s e sin an dòigh a bh’ againn air, bha far-ainm air a h-uile duine anns an ostail. Tha mi a’ smaoineachadh gun robh sin a’ dol air adhart airson bliadhnachan.

[Dòmhnall] An robh fear eile ann air an robh Donnie Little?

[Donaidh] Cha robh, ach ’s e bha, rud a chuir iongnadh ormsa gun robh an cleachdadh sin ann an ostail a’ chlann-nighean cuideachd. Bha iadsan a’ faighinn far-ainm.

[Dòmhnall] ’S bha e oifigeil, nach robh? Bha iad, mar gum biodh, gad bhaisteadh.

[Donaidh] Ò bha, bha baisteadh a’ dol air adhart. Bha. Bùrn fuar.

[Dòmhnall] Bha sin air falbh na mo latha-sa.

[Donaidh] Òa bheil?

[Dòmhnall] Is math gun robh. Ach tha Donaidh Large, an t-ainm ‘Large’, tha, no bha co-dhiù, bha e oifigeil agad cuideachd.

[Donaidh] Uill bidh mis’ a’ bruidhinn ri daoine an-dràsta is a-rithist agus ma chanas mi .. ’s e ‘Large’ a bhios ac’ orm.

[Dòmhnall] Aidh.

[Donaidh] Agus bidh feadhainn eile .. bidh iad ag ràdh Donaidh Large. Mar sin ma tha mi a’ dol air ais a Nis, mus do dh’fhàg mi Nis a-riamh, ’s e Tormod, ’s e Dòmhnall Tormod MacDhòmhnaill, ’s e Dòmhnall Thormoid a bhiodh ac’ orm ann an Nis. Agus mar sin dheth nuair a bhios mi a’ fònadh gu cuideigin feumaidh mi dèanamh cinnteach leam fhìn cò ris a tha mi a’ bruidhinn.

[Dòmhnall] Aidh.

[Donaidh] Agus dè cho fad air ais ’s a tha mi a’ dol.

[Dòmhnall] Dìreach. Ach tha cairt Equity agad. ’S e ‘Large’..

[Donaidh] Uill chaidh mi, chaidh mi a-steach dhan Equity agus mar sin dheth cha robh m’ ainm-s’ comasach dhomh-s’ a chleachdadh. Bha cuideigin eile air a chleachdadh romham agus cha robh duine air cleachdadh ‘Donnie Large’.

[Dòmhnall] Uill, thuirt thu Nis. An ann à Nis a tha thu?

[Donaidh] ’S ann. Cho fad ’s a gheibh thu a dhol, mar a tha Nis a’ dol, tòiseachadh a’ dol taobh Tholastaidh, ’s e Sgiogarstaigh am baile mu dheireadh. ’S ann ann an Sgiogarstaigh a thogadh mise. Anns an, gun robh mi, chanainn-sa, timcheall air ceithir bliadhna deug.

[Dòmhnall] Agus bha do mhàthair a’ teagaisg an sin.

[Donaidh] Uill bha. Bha i a’ teagaisg. Thug i fichead bliadhna a’ teagaisg anns an sgoil bhig ann an Sgiogarstaigh agus cha robh ann ach an aon rùm mar a bhiodh e gu mathtric gu leòr anns na sgoiltean beaga agus bhiodh còig clasan ann. Agus nise cha robh i a-riamh anns an oilthigh no ann an college airson sin ionnsachadh ach dìreach nuair a bha an cogadh seachad bha .. fhuair i cuireadh bho chuideigin, no am baile fhèin ag ràdh tha tidsear a dhìth oirnn agus thuirt i gun dèanadh i e.

[Dòmhnall] Chaidh i ann. Tha mi a’ toirt do mhàthair a-steach oir bruidhnidh sinn oirre a-rithist oir tha i cho cudromach na do bheatha ’s na do sheinn. ’S i a bhios a’ dèanamh tòrr de na h-òrain a bha thu a’ seinn ach cha deach a treànadh mar thidsear ach bha obair eile aice bha thu ag innse dhomh (a bha) cudromach, am measg nan uaislean.

[Donaidh] Ò bha. Uill bha i anns na Wrens aig aon àm ach mus do thòisich an cogadh chaidh i a-mach sìos gu Drymen far an robh àite Duke of Montrose agus bha an Diùc ’s a bhean bha balach beag ’s nighean bheag aca, ach bha iad fhèin a’ toirt ùine ann an Rodesia mar a bhiodh iad ga chleachdadh aig an àm, Zimbabwe, agus bha iad a’ toirt ùine ann an sin ach bha a’ chlann air ais ann an Alba agus dh’fheumadh iad cuideigin a bhiodh a’ seasamh a-steach mar mhàthair dhaibh agus ’s e mo mhàthair-sa a rinn sin. (19)37 agus (19)38 agus co-dhiù tha mi a’ smaoineachadh gun robh i ann airson dà bhliadhna mus do thòisich an cogadh.

Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2014.

[Donald] Donnie MacDonald, Donnie Large, who rose to fame as a singer in the seventies. A Lewisman who has for many years now made his home in California and is doing something that many an islander tried and failed to do, he makes is living as a singer. A big welcome, Donnie.

[Donnie] Thank you.

[Donald] Now, the first question I must ask you, why ‘Large’? You are not small but you are not as big as that.

[Donnie] Oh no. When I went to the Nicolson Institute (high school), I stayed in the hostel and everyone that went to the hostel each year they got a nickname since there were too many people called Donald or too many people called Norman and therefore that is the approach we had for it, everyone in the hostel had a nickname. I think that that went on for years.

[Donald] Was there another guy called Donnie Little?

[Donnie] No, but it was, something that surprised me was that that practice was in the girls’ hostel too. They got a nickname.

[Donald] And it was official, wasn’t it? They, as it were, baptised you.

[Donnie] Oh yes, there was baptism. Yes. Cold water.

[Donald] That had gone in my day.

[Donnie] Oh had it?

[Donald] It’s good that it had. But Donnie Large, the name ‘Large’ it is, or certainly was, it was official too.

[Donnie] Well I speak to people now and again and if I say so they call me ‘Large’.

[Donald] Aye.

[Donnie] And some others .. they say Donnie Large. Therefore if I am going back to Ness, before I ever left Ness, it was Norman, Donald Norman Macdonald, Donald Norman they would call me in Ness. And therefore when I phone someone I must make myself sure of who I am speaking to.

[Donald] Aye.

[Donnie] And how far back I am going.

[Donald] Exactly. But you have an Equity card. It is ‘Large’...

[Donnie] Well I went, I went into the Equity and therefore I could not use my name. Someone else had used it before me and no-one had used ‘Donnie Large’.

[Donald] Well, you said Ness. Are you from Ness?

[Donnie] Yes. As far as you can go, as Ness goes, starting by going by Tolsta, Skigersta is the last village. It was in Skigersta that I was raised. Until I was, I would say, around fourteen years old.

[Donald] And your mother taught there.

[Donnie] Well yes. She taught . She spent twenty years teaching in the small school in Skigersta but there was only one room as would, that was often (common) enough in the small schools and there was five classes in it. And now she was never in university or in college to learn that but just when the war was over, she received an invite from someone or from the village itself saying how about .. we need a teacher and she said that she would do it.

[Donald] She went. I am bringing in your mother because we will talk about here again because she is so important in your life and in your singing. It is she who does lots of the songs that you sang but she was never trained as a teacher but she had another job you were telling me that was important, amongst the nobility.

[Donnie] Oh yes. Well she was in the Wrens at one time but before the war started she went out to, down to Drymen whilst the Duke of Montrose was there and the Duke and his wife had a wee boy and a wee girl, but they themselves were spending time in Rodesia as they would call it at the time, Zimbabwe, and they spent time there but the children were back in Scotland and they needed someone who would stand in as a mother to them and it was my mother who did that. (19)37 and 19(38) and anyway I think that she was there for two years.

This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2014.