Eachann Alasdair Dhòmhnaill Eóghainn Duibh Dhòmhnaill Bhàin

Hector Hugh “Hector Hughie” MacDonald was from Creignish, Inverness County, and a descendant of emigrants from Glen Forslan, Loch Moidart, Scotland. Born September 19, 1892, he was the son of Alexander MacDonald of Creignish and Charlotte Cameron of Troy. His grandfather, Donald MacDonald, was said to have been born during the voyage from Scotland to Nova Scotia.

Hector married Mary Catherine “Mary Kate” MacEachern, a schoolteacher also from Creignish, and together they raised seven children. Mary Kate’s sister-in-law was the well-known Gaelic singer Bessie MacEachern.

Gaelic was the language of home for Hector Hughie and Mary Kate. They spoke it with each other and their neighbours, though their children were encouraged to speak English—part of a broader effort at the time “to be Canadian.”

Hector was a hardworking man who made his living through farming and fishing. His home stood beside Stella Maris Catholic Church, overlooking the Creignish shoreline where he fished. Creignish church and hall was built on land donated by Hector's grandparents. After his midday meal, he would pour his tea into a saucer to cool it—slurping it from the saucer—before lying down on the daybed in the kitchen for a short rest, then heading back outside to continue his chores. Community-minded and generous with his time, he was one of the driving forces behind securing a high school for the nearby community of Judique. He also enjoyed social gatherings and loved a good card game.

He was a strong man—broad-framed, with a good sense of humour. His grandchildren remember his playful “head-lock” ritual: he’d grab their heads in one hand and give a gentle rolling knuckle rub with the other, all while reciting a Gaelic verse that ended in a question, "Có meud adharc a th’air a’ bhoc?". If they got the answer wrong, they’d receive a light “snock” on the head—his teasing way of sharing a moment before returning to work. He had affectionate nicknames for the grandchildren and often used Gaelic words when telling stories or speaking to them.

Hector Hughie and Mary Kate were known for their hospitality. Living so close to Stella Maris Church, and with Mary Kate having taught school in Creignish Rear, many families from up the mountain would travel by horse and wagon to attend Sunday mass. After the service—following the long three-hour fast and the Latin mass—these neighbours often stopped in for a good srùbag, and a visit before making the trip home. The family also regularly took in farmhands who helped with the chores and sometimes received a bit of reimbursement during fishing season. Faith and music were deeply rooted in their family life. Each evening, the family knelt together in the kitchen to say the rosary. A piano in the parlour was played by their daughter and by visitors during gatherings.

Education and hard work were core values in their home. Of their four daughters, two became teachers, one a nurse, and one an office administrator. Their three sons followed different paths: two moved to Ontario for work—one to a steel plant in Hamilton, the other as a manager with Imperial Tobacco. That son, an early graduate of St. F.X., credited his love of learning to his childhood bedroom walls, which were covered in newspaper wallpaper—he said he “read the walls.” Their youngest son returned home from the Halifax dockyards to take over the farm and fishing when Hector’s age, hearing loss, and declining health made the work too difficult.

Hector passed away in his 87th year on January 23,1979. His legacy of hard work, hospitality, and cultural pride lives on. His descendants still fish the same waters today, and his family's deep interest in Gaelic music, language, genealogy, and culture continues to honour the traditions he upheld with dedication and heart.