Hallaig

The settlement of Hallaig depopulated between 1852 and 1854 under George Rainy and since MacLean's relatives were affected,[2] the author decided to evoke the community of this abandoned village in his poem.

[3] It is a reflection on the nature of time and the historical impact of the Highland Clearances leaving an empty landscape populated only by the ghosts of the evicted and those forced to emigrate.

The poem is notable for its deployment of imagery of nature, and in this respect is redolent of Duncan Ban MacIntyre's Beinn Dorain, particularly in its references to woodlands and deer.

The name MV Hallaig was chosen for Caledonian MacBrayne's first hybrid-powered vehicle ferry,[5] launched in December 2012, now serving the Sconser to Raasay route.

Analyzing the English version (translated by MacLean himself) it is possible to notice that he used the first person narration and this technique enables the audience to share the emotions of the author.