Born in the 17th century in Uig on the Isle of Lewis, the Seer or ‘Dark Kenneth’ as he was known by some (Gaelic: Coinneach Odhar) reportedly belonged to the MacKenzie Clan. He worked as a farm labourer at the Brahan estate, seat of the Seaforth chieftains, but both the Seer and the Seaforths would meet their intertwined fates at the hand of his ‘dark’ powers.
Legend has it that he gained clairvoyance after napping on a fairy hill and finding a small stone with a hole carved through its centre in his coat when he woke up, peering through this object bestowed the ‘second sight’ upon him but cost him his vision in that eye. While some sceptics doubt his existence it is known that there are records of a man who lived in the 16th century called ‘Coinneach Odhar’ who stood accused of witchcraft.
Many of the Brahan Seer’s prophetic visions did come true in the years following his death, while others still loom over us… Here are thirteen of his prophecies with two yet to pass.
1. The Battle of Culloden, 1746
Almost 100 years prior to the event, Dark Kenneth reportedly fell to his knees in the moorlands and said: “Oh! Drumossie, thy bleak moor shall, ere many generations have passed away, be stained with the best blood of the Highlands. Glad am I that I will not see the day, for it will be a fearful period; heads will be lopped off by the score, and no mercy shall be shown or quarter given on either side.” This was thought to relate to the Battle of Culloden where 1250 Jacobite soldiers were slain. Photo: David Morier via WikiCommons
2. The Highland Clearances, 1750 - 1860
The Seer predicted the land reforms put in place by the Duke of Sutherland, where people were forcibly removed from their homes to make way for sheep. This became known as the ‘Highland Clearances’. Deprived of their homeland and ways to support their families, thousands of Highlanders were forced to emigrate. His words allegedly were: "That the day will come when there will be a road through the hills of Ross-shire from sea to sea, and a bridge upon every stream. That the people will degenerate as their country improves. That the clans will become so effeminate as to flee from their native country before an army of sheep." Photo: Submitted
3. The creation of the Channel Tunnel, 1994
Dark Kenneth also announced that when men ‘could walk dry shod from England to France’, Scotland would once more have a Parliament, which was proven accurate when the the Channel Tunnel was opened in 1994 was followed a few years afterwards by the opening of the first Scottish Parliament since 1707. Photo: Submitted
4. Aberdeen's Oil Industry
"A black rain will bring riches to Aberdeen." Indeed, during the mid-20th century many significant oil deposits scattered across the North Sea were discovered which saw the creation of the petroleum industry in Aberdeen. Photo: Colin Smith via WikiCommons