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Gaelic Literature
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The pages on
this site are mobile-friendly, but will be best viewed on a desktop PC or a
laptop ___________________ This work is based upon my thesis presented for the
degree of M.Litt. at the Here the bibliographical citations are presented as they
were in the original work, but with the annotations abbreviated in a number
of cases. I have also modified the way
in which some of the sections are arranged. The present work was updated in 2006 with the
addition of new material and with updating continuing for a few years after
that. I should point out that this new
material has not been as comprehensively researched and listed as was the
material in the original work. This
has led to certain inconsistencies, but I felt it better to update the work
to some extent rather than not at all. Sources Although the title of this bibliography refers to
the literature of Skye, it also encompasses the literature of the islands
immediately adjacent to Skye: Raasay, The main categories of my source materials were
periodicals, anthologies, individual collections and miscellaneous books and
articles in the libraries of As this is a bibliography of printed works, there
are no main entries for manuscript or other non-print material, although
references may be made to such material in the annotations, along with
listings in the ‘References and Sources’ section. Criticisms :
Translations Critical material is normally referred to in the
annotation, rather than being cited as a main entry. Exceptions are made in two cases. Subsequent to the first publication of J.C. Watson’s edition of the
poems of Màiri Nighean Alasdair Ruaidh
(1934) there has been some significant published research concerning this
work which is cited in this bibliography in the form of main entries. A selection of critical material on the
poetry of Somhairle
MacGill-Eain is also cited in the form of main entries. Translations are not normally noted unless they have
been published alongside works cited.
An exception has been made in the case of Somhairle MacGill-Eain, with
translations of some of his works made by other poets being cited. Language Use Where an author’s name is used as a main heading, I
normally use the Gaelic form if this occurs in any of that author’s works
which are cited. However, there are
certain exceptions. For instance, the
greater part of the work of Coinneach MacLeòid has been published under the
anglicised form of his name, Kenneth MacLeod ( 1, 2, 3, ) and this is
the form which I use as the main heading.
In all cases, appropriate cross-references are made. Where any item cited is exclusively in Gaelic,
Gaelic descriptive terms are usually used within the citation, e.g. fear-deasachaidh, etc. Individuals: Poets, Songwriters, Traditional Singers,
Authors, Collectors etc. I generally include material by persons who belong
to the area through birth or long residence. Bibliographical
Form Citations are made in the form of the Anglo-American
Cataloguing Code, with modifications to accommodate the nature and form of
this work. Traditional
Poetry and Song: Known Authorship Included are the works of those poets who have
belonged to Skye and its adjacent islands, either through birth or long
residence. The exact criteria may
vary, depending upon circumstances.
For instance, William Ross (1762-1790) was born and spent his
childhood years in Skye, but his active poetic life was spent on the mainland
Gaidhealtachd. With the exception of
one poem, ‘Còmhradh eadar
am Bàrd agus Blàth-bheinn’ I do not feel that he
can be called a Skye poet, although I recognise that there are those who will
disagree with me on this point. Where a recognised collected edition of a poet’s
work exists, separate publication of an individual item included in such an
edition is not cited here unless there are significant textual variations
between the two versions and the variant version is not noted in the
collected edition. Where the published title of a poem is descriptive,
rather than derived from the text, the first line is quoted in the
annotation. Where recorded versions of a poet’s work have been
issued in conjunction with the printed text these are noted and wherever
possible, printed versions of tunes for poems or songs published separately
from the texts cited are noted. Traditional
Poetry and Song: Anonymous Included in this category is any anonymous poem or
song which, according to internal or external evidence, may have originated
in Skye or one of its adjacent islands.
The strength of this evidence may vary from the strong to the tenuous.
Also included in this category are versions from
within the area of songs which may have originated elsewhere or whose origins
are indeterminate. Within an oral
tradition it is not uncommon for a song which has originated in one place to
travel over a wide geographical area with different versions becoming
embedded in the oral tradition of many different districts. Modern social conditions and modern media
have of course affected the oral tradition and a traditional singer’s
repertoire may now include items which do not have any clear link with his or
her home district. Traditional
Poetry and Song: Collections ‘Collections’ includes collections of material from
the repertoire of individual tradition-bearers as well as collections made by
both professional and amateur collectors.
Such collections may include both material of known authorship and
anonymous material. Modern Poetry
and Song Raasay-born Somhairle MacGill-Eain (Sorley MacLean)
has been described by Domhnall MacAmhlaigh as being the “vital and incomparable link”
between the older, traditional poetry and the new, modern poetry (MacAmhlaigh 1976:54). There is a substantial section in this
bibliography devoted to the work of Somhairle MacGill-Eain. There is a selective listing of the work of new modern poets who
have worked and are working in Skye today. Traditional
Prose: Single Items Material listed in this section ranges from
transcriptions of full length tales taken from oral recitation, through
literary versions of traditional tales, to descriptive and anecdotal
material. All the items have been
collected from, or written by men and women from the area. Each item is listed under the name of the
reciter, collector or author within a single alphabetical sequence. As far as this section is concerned, my definition
of ‘traditional’ has a certain flexibility. Generally, material composed for
publication is included if the matter is traditional and the style does not
vary too much from the traditional.
For instance, the subject matter of Niall MacLeòid’s ‘Gaol Gaidhealach’ in
his Clàrsach an Doire is certainly
traditional, but his style varies so much from the traditional that ‘Gaol
Gaidhealach’ is listed in the section for non-traditional creative prose. Traditional
Prose: Collections As well as single items, there are several
collections. For example; tales and
lore collected by Calum
I. MacLean, tales and lore collected from Hugh MacKinnon and
collections of the published compositions of individual authors, most notably
the Rev. Tormod
Domhnallach. Non-traditional
Creative Prose The short story is well represented in this section
in a wide range of styles from writers like Màrtainn Domhnallach, Ailean Caimbeul, Eilidh
Watt etc. Included too, is one of
the few full length novels ever to be published in Gaelic, Angus Robertson’s An t-Ogha Mór. There is evidence of the persistent influence of the
Rev. Norman MacLeod, ‘Caraid nan Gaidheal’, in the
use of the dialogue form first popularised by him in An Teachdaire Gaelach.
This may be seen in items by John Lorne Campbell and T. M. MacCalmain. A number of sketches and short plays are listed,
most of them the work of Domhnall
Grannd. Journalism
and Miscellaneous Prose Material in this section is listed on a fairly
selective basis. Material written by
people belonging to Skye and its adjacent islands is usually only included if
it has specific reference to the area.
This means that what is listed for writers like T. M. MacCalmain and Màrtainn Domhnallach does
not represent anything like their total output. However, in such cases I try to include in
the notes some discussion of the nature and scope of their literary
activities. Anne Loughran October 2016
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© Sabhal Mòr Ostaig 2018