Description
Scottish Gaelic Texts Society, 2018. 232 pages. Hardback
Original Gaelic poems and translations by John Maclean.
John Maclean (1909-70), brother of the well-known Gaelic poet, Sorley Maclean, was a member of the distinguished Maclean family from Oscaig, Raasay. Educated at Portree Secondary School and the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, he was one of the most distinguished Classical scholars to have come out of the Highlands.
He began his teaching career in 1937 in Edinburgh, moving to Inverness in 1942, and taking up an appointment as an Inspector of Schools in 1944, before becoming Rector of Oban High School in 1950 and retiring in 1966. He is still remembered with great affection by his former pupils, who of whom have had the privilege of editing this book, and providing introductory essays explaining his background, achievements and techniques.
As the contents of Iasad Rann demonstrate, John Maclean was not only an outstanding scholar, he was also a fine poet, whose output embraced original Gaelic verse and a large body of translations from Latin and Greek, and also English, as well as compositions in these languages. Maclean’s original Gaelic poems extend from laments and elegies for family friends and world figures (notably President John F. Kennedy) to humorous verse, salutations and satires. His translations of Classical verse are rooted in his characteristically deep familiarity with Latin and Greek poets, but are presented in Gaelic metrical forms and styles which are immediately recognisable to those familiar with Gaelic conventions. Maclean’s equally deep awareness of Gaelic music and song – he was himself a fine piper and singer – is ever-present, shaping his creativity, and providing a unique fusion of Gaelic and Classical perspectives at different levels.
This volume adds an important further dimension to our understanding of the compositional skills of the multi-talented Maclean family.
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