Coinneach Chaluim Dhòmhnaill

Born on December 31, 1907, in Jubilee, Victoria County, Kenneth Dan Matheson, known as “Kenny Chaluim Sketch” or simply “Kenny Sketch,” earned his nickname from his time sketching lumber at a mill. A proud descendant of Lewis emigrants, Kenny was deeply connected to his Gaelic heritage. He was a fluent Gaelic speaker, a talented singer, and literate in the language, often sharing his voice in both church services and at home, where he was admired for his impeccable timing. Interestingly, Gaelic was not Kenny's first language. When he was ten years old, his mother died and his father married later that year to a widow, who had a young daughter. Kenny's six year old step-sister spoke only Gaelic, while Kenny had no Gaelic at all. By the following spring, the two children had each begun to gain fluency in the other's language. Kenny later attended Gaelic classes offered by Reverend A.D. MacKinnon in Little Narrows. The only child of Malcolm and Annie Mae (Waters) Matheson, Kenny married Mary Dolena Cameron of River Denys, with whom he raised a family of nine. He was a hardworking man, working at the Little Narrows Gypsum Mine, farming, and logging in the woods.

Recollections of Kenny's upbringing and life in Jubilee can be found in the Beaton Institute Recording T-367.Kenny passed away on November 4, 1994, and rests in Cain’s Mountain Cemetery alongside his parents, his daughter Anne, and other members of the Matheson clan. His legacy lives on through his family and the vibrant Gaelic traditions he shared.