Mary MacKay was born in Finsbay, Isle of Harris, in 1859. Her father John MacKay had arrived there a few years previously when Borve in Berneray was cleared to make a sheep farm. There were eight sons in the family, but all could not live on a small croft in the Bays of Harris.

Mary married Dougal MacKenzie of Finsbay in 1880. The Crofter Colonization Scheme was offering free transport to new lands in Canada, and in 1888 Dougal and Mary, along with his brother Donald and parents all decided to take the chance to emigrate. They sailed on the Buenos Ayrean from Glasgow to Quebec, then by rail to Winnipeg, then by land to Killarney.

Although it took time getting used to the vast distances, they were in a group of family all together which helped with any homesickness. Dougal got work on building the railroad to the West, his wages were needed as the crops were poor in the first year or two. Eventually as they got used to the new land and new ways of working, they began to prosper and paid all debt off to own the farm.