FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE FRENCH MACDONALDS

Thursday 29 April at 9pm on BBC ALBA

It is the stuff of fiction. A man saves the life of a prince – and dies in exile and poverty, while his son rises to fame and fortune and returns to Scotland in triumph.

Presented by John Morrison, Dòmhnallaich na Frainge, on BBC ALBA on Thursday 29 April at 9pm, this historical re-investigation sheds new light on the ’45 rebellion – and reveals the extraordinary story of a Hebridean father and son who played key roles in both Highland and French History.

Marshal Jacque Etienne Alexander MacDonald was the son of notable Jacobite secret agent, Neil MacEachen who was born in Howbeg South Uist in 1719. He had left Scotland to train as a priest in Paris but instead enlisted as a Jacobite agent and French army officer. He fought at Culloden and was with Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald when they fled ‘Over the Sea to Skye’ and was instrumental in securing the Prince’s escape from Scotland. He died a pauper in France in 1788 but left behind a remarkable son.

The young Jacques MacDonald joined the French and quickly rose to become a General. He was a key supporter of Napoleon and became a Marshall and Duke of Tarentum. He remained loyal to Napoleon and negotiated his exile to Elba. It was MacDonald who, in the name of the French army, accepted Napoleon’s abdication at Fontainebleau in 1814.

In 1825, Marshal MacDonald decided to visit the land of his ancestors where he was feted by the establishment and by the people alike. He died in 1840 and is buried in Paris.

The BBC ALBA programme, produced by Caledonia TV and previously broadcast on BBC Scotland, coincides with a series of events which are set to take place in Howbeg, South Uist on Friday 30 April and which aim to celebrate the French MacDonalds and their links with the Western Isles. Events are planned to commemorate the birth-place of Neil MacEachen at Howbeg, South Uist, to coincide with launch of new edition of ‘The French MacDonald’ with Jean-Didier Hache, as well as the unveiling of a plaque attended by representatives of the French General Consul in Scotland, and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.