Finlay J MacDonald (1926-1987) was a Scottish journalist and radio and television producer and writer.

Born and raised on Harris, Outer Hebrides, and a native Gaelic language speaker, was an important figure in Gaelic radio and television broadcasting

Gaelic broadcasting in Scotland

Gaelic broadcasting in Scotland is a developing area of the media in Scotland which deals with broadcasts given in Scottish Gaelic and has important links with the efforts of Gaelic revival in Scotland. As well as being informative, Gaelic broadcasting in Scotland has acquired some symbolic...

, founding the Gaelic Drama Association. He co-founded the quarterly Gaelic magazine Gairm

Gairm

Gairm was a Scottish Gaelic language quarterly magazine, founded in 1951 by Derick Thomson, and Finlay J. MacDonald . Its first issue was published in Autumn 1952. MacDonald served as an editor until 1964; Thomson remained present for decades until it ceased publication in 2004, producing just over...

in 1951 with Derick Thompson and served as its chief editor until 1964.

He later became a radio and television producer. He wrote three memoirs related to his home town of Harris:

• Crowdie and Cream (1982)
• Crotal and White (1983)
• The Corncrake and the Lysander (1985).

These have been cited as providing a valuable insight into life in the Outer Hebrides in the inter-war years.