Aonghas Macneacail: Land, Language, Memory

Home , Derick Thomson, Iain Crichton Smith, Sorley Maclean

Aonghas Macneacail is regarded as the most eminent Gaelic-language poet in the generation following that of Derick Thomson and Sorley MacLean. Here he talks about the place of Gaelic poetry in modern Scottish writing, but extends the horizon of sources and influences into a European perspective with Gaelic as one of the many minority languages currently spoken in the EU. Following the aims and procedures of the Glasgow Group as established by Philip Hobsbaum, he identifies his main objec- tive as lucidity in poetry, while defending poetry’s right of free crossing between all languages – not only between English and Gaelic. Keywords: Gaelic poetry; poetry in translation; minority languages; the Glasgow Group.

Macneacail has been nicknamed Aonghas Dubh, which means “Black Angus”, probably because he has the commanding look of a Celtic bard – whatever Celtic bards might have looked like. He was born as Angus Nicholson in 1942 on the Isle of Skye, but uses the Gaelic equivalent of his name to reflect his Celtic origins. As Gaelic culture is becoming a curiosity in its own country and its survival gives rise to anxiety across Europe, it is no wonder that Trevor Royle’s Main- stream Companion to Scottish Literature dubs him as “a tireless worker in the cause of promoting Gaelic”. Macneacail’s career as a poet, editor, dramatist, script writer, researcher, lecturer and journalist is a prime example that, by definition, a modern Gaelic poet has to invest at least as much energy in documenting, preserving and cam- paigning for Gaelic culture as in creative writing. He has toured Europe and North America, giving lectures and poetry readings, and has been associated with The Gaelic College on Skye since 1995. He was educated at Glasgow University between 1968 and 1971, where he attended the meetings of Philip Hobsbaum’s Glasgow Group. Beside the influence from his younger contemporaries, his poetic development has been shaped by the legacy of the great generation of Gaelic-language poets: Sorley MacLean, Derick Thomson (whose Introduction to Gaelic Poetry remains the best review of the subject to date), George Campbell Hay and Iain Crichton Smith. The following interview was conducted during the early spring of 2005 by correspondence. Responding to my provocative questions about the habit of printing parallel English and Gaelic texts, Macneacail speaks about the free choice between the languages available for him as a bilingual writer, and defends the right of self- translation when the need arises. But when I invite him to speak about

282 Aonghas Macneacail his links and relationships within Gaelic writing in more detail (because in my experience modern Gaelic poetry remains a novelty even among readers of verse), he gives what might seem surprising choices for a Celtic poet – William Carlos Williams, Thomas Hardy and Pablo Neruda – and goes on describing an international treasure- house of mutual impact and stimulus with contemporary Irish Gaelic and Continental writers. Does it suggest a future strategy for Gaels? Is it possible that the key to survival might not be via English, as is gen- erally supposed? The EU has launched a new policy on lesser used languages, including Scottish Gaelic, which is a necessary step in preserving a culture and a speech form which is about to disappear from everyday reality. But it is more important that general interest in Celtic languages should be made more informed. Macneacail draws attention to the importance of communication – not as a mere slogan but as real and imminent exchange of ideas between writers who work in different fields and in different countries and yet have something in common. Poets and translators must work together on giving access to Gaelic poetry not only through the English language but in a variety of other languages also. Macneacail’s own career illustrates the ways in which the Gaelic tradition can be given a new life in contemporary dialogues with readers from Belgium, Switzerland, Poland or Liechtenstein. His poetic work includes: Poetry Quintet (1976); Imaginary Wounds (1980); Sireadh Bradain Sicir/Seeking Wise Salmon (1983); Cathadh Mor/The Great Snowbattle (1984); An Seachnadh/The Avoiding (1986); Rock and Water (1990); Dol Dhachaidh/Going Home (1990), illustrated by Simon Fraser; and Oideachadh Ceart/A Proper Schooling (1996); and Laoidh an Donais Òig/Hymn to a Young Demon (2007). Some of his Gaelic collections contain parallel English translation. He is editor of A Writers’ Ceilidh: An Anthology of Highland Writing (1991), and co-authored, with Iseabail MacLeod, Scotland: A Linguistic Double Helix (1995) for the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages. He has written plays for the 7:84 Theatre Company and the Eden Court Theatre, and television scripts for BBC Scotland.