Join An Comunn Gàidhealach and book publisher, CLÀR, to launch the new book 100 Bliadhna de Bhàird a’ Chomuinn Ghàidhealaich / 100 Years of An Comunn Gàidhealach’s Bards
Edited by Gillebride MacMillan, the book celebrates the 100-year history of An Comunn Gàidhealach’s Bardic Crown. The first bàrd was crowned in 1923 and to date 58 bards have received this prestigious honour. Gillebride will be in the company of some of the previous bards.
Le taic bho/With support from Comhairle nan Leabhraichean
Literature & Arts Prizes Royal National Mòd 2022, Perth
Join an Comunn Gàidhealach at this year’s Literature prize giving ceremony at the Royal National Mòd in Paisley, as they celebrate some of the winning competitors in writing, art and media categories.
Join us in celebrating the best books and unpublished manuscripts of the past year, with Angela MacEachen and other special guests. Full information about the shortlists is available at here.
We are grateful to the Highland Society of London, the Scottish Poetry Library, Donald Meek, Acair, and the family of the late Professor Derick Thomson for supporting the Gaelic Literature Awards 2023, and to Creative Scotland and Bòrd na Gàidhlig for their on-going support for the Gaelic Books Council’s work.
Simultaneous interpretation from Gaelic to English will be available.
Dress code: smart/casual
7.30pm: drinks
8.00pm: awards ceremony
Please note, filming and photography will take place at this event.
Catriona Murray was born in Glasgow, brought up in Lewis, and has lived in the city since her Celtic Studies student days at the University of Glasgow. She is a freelance Gaelic broadcaster, having previously worked at the BBC for 30 years – primarily as a radio producer with BBC Radio nan Gàidheal. In 2022 Catriona edited Doras gun Chlàimhean, a collection of the works of the Gaelic poet, Murdo MacFarlane, the Melbost Bàrd from Lewis, which was longlisted for The Highland Book Prize 2022. Catriona is a former Chair of the Gaelic Books Council. Catriona will be talking to Alison Lang.
Dr Alasdair C. Whyte is a writer, singer and performer from the island of Mull. He currently lives in Glasgow where he holds a Research Fellowship at the University of Glasgow. He was named Gaelic Ambassador of the Year by the Scottish Government in 2019 and 2020.
Alasdair has composed and published writing in various forms including prose, poetry and song. His first book, Maim-slè (‘Torrent’), is a book of new writing in Gaelic and English exploring language shift, sustainability and identity with original artwork by Alice Louise Watson. It was shortlisted for the Donald Meek Award for Best Non-Fiction Book at the 2022 Gaelic Literature Awards. Alasdair’s latest book, Glasgow’s Gaelic Place-Names, is due to be published in 2023.
As part of Byres Road Book Festival, Beth Frieden will entertain children as Pippi Longstocking and read from the Gaelic version of Astrid Lindgren’s story, Pippi Fhad-stocainneach.
Beth Frieden is an American actor and poet who lives in Glasgow. She works in English and in Scottish Gaelic.
Join Ruairidh MacIlleathain (Roddy Maclean) at the Nairn Book & Arts Festival as he discusses his latest novel,Tàcharan Mhealbhaigh, with a bilingual Q&A session about the challenges and joys of writing fictional narratives for adults in Gaelic.
Ruairidh is a broadcaster, writer, educator and storyteller, based in Inverness, and working mostly in Gaelic. This year he launched his second Gaelic novel for adults Tàcharan Mhealbhaigh (‘The Changeling of Melvay’). Set on a fictional island off the West Highland coast, the story is one of intrigue and political extremism in which a Gaelic speaking island community is forced to confront the evils of Nazism following the island’s purchase in the 1930s. The ‘tàcharan’ of the title is a child born on Melvay of uncertain parenthood who becomes a pawn in an international and deadly chess-game that haunts the island during the Second World War and its aftermath. Ruairidh’s first full-length novel – Còig Duilleagan na Seamraig ‘The Five Leaves of the Shamrock’ won the Donald Meek Award and was short-listed for the Saltire Society Awards (2019).
Sradagan na Sràide is a five-year collaboration between Ceòl is Craic and the Gaelic Books Council to provide a platform for the best musical and literary talents in Scottish/Gaelic arts to create a new collection of Gaelic songs for today’s urban Gael.
Maighea Eòghainn MacGriogair is an author, singer, and artist based in Glasgow.
Broken Chanter is the stage name of singer songwriter David MacGregor, formerly of Scottish Post-Pop band Kid Canaveral.
Special guests include Man of the Minch and Josie Duncan.
In 1940, in Barra in the Outer Hebrides, an 18-year-old woman, Flòraidh, is persuaded to leave her island home when she learns that her stepmother intends to marry her off to the local shopkeeper. She follows her enigmatic friend Lavinia to the city and changes her identity to Laura, like a butterfly, leaving her chrysalis behind, as they join the war effort.
Join An Comunn Gàidhealach and book publisher, CLÀR, to launch the new book 100 Bliadhna de Bhàird a’ Chomuinn Ghàidhealaich / 100 Years of An Comunn Gàidhealach’s Bards
