The Famous Faces of Clan MacLean

The military might of Clan MacLean has earned them a place in Scotland’s illustrious history, but what of the modern-day members of the clan? Scattered across the globe from Scotland to North America, descendants of the clan have made their mark in music, literature, sport, and politics. Here is our roundup of some of the famous faces that share a name with Clan MacLean.

Does this quote sound familiar? James Bond might be Britain’s most iconic fictional spy, but who would have guessed that Clan MacLean would share their name with a real-life spy!

Born in 1913 to Scottish parents, Donald MacLean used his Cambridge education and left-wing ideologies to foster a career in the civil service, but his fiercely communist beliefs led to his covert involvement with the USSR. He was recruited during his studies into the infamous ring of spies “The Cambridge Five.” Donald Maclean and several other men took high-profile jobs in MI5 and MI6, allowing them unlimited access to British Intelligence information.

Donald MacLean has been described as Stalin’s “right hand man” spilling countless secrets to him about Britain and America’s policies, including information about America’s nuclear weaponry. This aided Russia in greatly improving the strength of their own nuclear armaments.

Donald MacLean and Guy Burgess, another notable member of The Cambridge 5 were advised by their Russian overseers to flee Britain and take refuge in their beloved Russia as political refugees, as their cover had been blown. Donald MacLean left behind his family who were hounded by the press, his wife Melinda choosing to play ignorant although she was aware of her husband’s involvement with Russia.

For his own safety, Donald MacLean had to change his name to Mark Petrovich Frazer. Although he left both his family and his Scottish heritage behind him in pursuit of his political beliefs, he is a shining example of the MacLean resilience and conviction.

Sorley MacLean, or Somhairle MacGillEain, was a prominent Scottish poet who wrote in Scottish Gaelic. Like a small number of Scots, Gaelic was Sorley MacLean’s mother tongue, and his efforts to keep include Gaelic poetry in the Scottish literary tradition are unrivalled by any other poet.

Born in 1911 on Raasay to a family greatly involved in the Scottish musical tradition, Sorley MacLean was one of seven siblings. He developed an interest in politics and chose to study English at the University of Edinburgh, having encountered very little literature that wasn’t written in Gaelic.

MacLean worked a plethora of jobs, from teaching to serving in the Signal Corps in 1940. An injury saw him sent home from the battleground in Egypt, allowing him to pursue writing as a career. Sorley MacLean was a subversive poet, introducing a strong political message into Gaelic poetry.

Gaelic is not a widely spoken language, therefore many of Sorley MacLean’s works have been made accessible in English through their translations by Iain Crichton Smith, another prominent Scottish and Gaelic writer.

Sorley MacLean won many awards for his writing. His poetry collection “O Choille gu Bearradh” published by Carcanet Press won the McVitie Prize and the Saltire Society’s Scottish Book of the Year Prize. MacLean’s finest achievement that earns him a spot in the ranks of famous MacLeans is his Queen’s gold medal for poetry.

A small selection of his poems in both their original form and translation are available here: Hallaig by Sorley MacLean / Somhairle MacGillEain | Scottish Poetry Library

Descendants of Clan MacLean have well-stamped passports and can be found interspersed across the globe. Many have stayed close to home in Scotland, but MacLean’s can be found in places as far away as South Africa and Thailand. However, one MacLean has boldly gone where no MacLean has gone before…Outer space!

In 2006, Steve MacLean was the second Canadian to complete a spacewalk, and the first to use the Canadarm 2, a 57.5-foot-long robotic arm used to assemble the Space Station. Steve MacLean was then appointed as the president of the Canadian Space Agency in 2008, and contributed innumerable amounts of valuable research based on his expedition and years of study. He has received three honorary doctorates, two medals, and has had a school in Ottawa named after him.

Steve MacLean’s spacewalk truly was one small step for man, and one giant leap for MacLean-kind!

The MacLean affinity with the extra-terrestrial did not begin with Steve MacLean.

Born in New Jersey in 1925, US author Katherine MacLean rose to prominence in the literary world for her science fiction novels and short fiction penned in the 1950’s. Katherine MacLean demonstrated a keen interest in the sciences and mathematics during her school years, and after achieving a BA in Economics, pursued postgraduate study in psychology.

Her writings cover a breadth of themes, from alien civilisations to the impact of technology on society. Her 1971 novella ‘The Missing Man’ earned her a Nebula Award that recognises the best in US sci-fi writing. Katherine MacLean viewed sci-fi as a way of teaching, saying that children “should be reading science fiction about the future because that’s what they’re going to grow up into.” With the current Covid-19 situation, this quote is more relevant now that it has ever been.

Katherine MacLean passed away in 2019 at the age of 95, but her work lives on as a reminder of the MacLean legacy of literary achievement.

You can listen to a recording of her short story ‘The Carnivore’ courtesy of The Morning Short on YouTube:
Listen To “The Carnivore” By Katherine MacLean - YouTube

The MacLean name has found itself on the winner’s podium at the Olympic Games through Scottish cyclist Craig MacLean. He won a silver medal for Great Britain and Ireland at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and has many other sporting accolades including a gold medal for Scotland in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He truly is a world class sportsman, having returned to the track at the Paralympics as a guide to Neil Frachie, Craig MacLean helped secure a further two gold medals for Scotland.

Having won twenty medals it comes as no surprise that Craig MacLean was awarded an MBE for his cycling achievements. His journey to the 2007 Olympics was featured in a documentary called “Standing Start” and he features alongside Chris Hoy in a book called “Heroes, Villains, and Velodromes.”

This is by no means an exhaustive list of what he has achieved for his sport and his country. Craig MacLean certainly is a cycling hero for us here in Scotland!

Our third and final addition to the MacLean bookshelf we have built in this list is none other than Alastair MacLean. Having achieved worldwide fame, Alastair MacLean is one of the best-selling fiction authors of all time, having sold over a whopping 150 million copies of his books.

Alastair MacLean was born in Shettleston in 1922, but spent more time in Daviot. Although he would go on to publish books in English, Gaelic was his first language. At 19, he was called to serve as part of the Royal Navy in World War II, taking him around the globe from France to Sumatra in defence of his country. After his discharge, he studied English at the University of Glasgow alongside odd-jobs as a postal worker and street-sweeper.

Alastair MacLean began writing to make ends meet as a student and would go on to publish titles including “The Guns of Navarone.” This would later be adapted into a highly successful film, as would several of his other works.

Sadly, he passed away in Munich, Germany at the age of 64. He left behind a bountiful collection of fiction, and a legacy as one of Scotland’s most prolific authors.

It seems fitting to end this article in the same way we would finish off a party here in Scotland, with a song! Played alongside Scottish classics such as Loch Lomond and Auld Lang Syne, Dougie MacLean’s Caledonia is a firm fixture on the playlist at any party. Described by Allmusic as “an unofficial national anthem” Caledonia’s melancholy lyrics have the power to make those with even the smallest amount of Scottish heritage feel homesick for our bonnie wee country.

Dougie MacLean was born in 1954 in Dunblane, where he still resides to this day. He was a member of the Tannahill Weavers from 1976 and began a solo career shortly after in 1981. He skyrocketed to international fame, taking his music from small-town Scotland to the flashing lights of New York City and the Sydney Opera house.

An OBE was awarded to Dougie MacLean in 2011, and 2 years later he received the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Lifetime Achievement. He is a brilliant example of how descendants of Clan MacLean have continued to excel and contribute to Scotland’s history. Loved by young and old alike, Dougie MacLean truly is a special part of Scotland.

Dougie MacLean has had to postpone several concerts due to the current Covid-19 restrictions. However, Dougie and his wife Jenny have kept the Scottish music scene alive and thriving throughout lockdown, with regular Saturday concerts streaming online. Every concert is available on YouTube, and they regularly update the Facebook page Butterstone Broadcasting. This is the perfect way to come together with fans of Scottish music from all over the globe, so why not dance around in your finest tartan with a wee whisky to some fabulous Dougie MacLean!

This piece was written by Katie McGuigan, a student of Stirling University. You can find out more about Katie, her passion for Scottish history and the project she and her fellow students completed here.