Gaelic Wigtown Poetry Prize 2025

Posted on 7 October 2025 in Latest News

The winners of Wigtown’s Poetry Prizes were announced at an award ceremony on Friday 3rd of October.

Mairi Macleod from Carbost, Skye, won the Gaelic Prize for Cuairt Sgudail. The runner up was 2024 winner, Rody Gorman, also from Skye, for Glìtheag nam Faoileag air Alman.

Here is the winning poem:

Cuairt Sgudail

Tiona, buidhe, leth-fhalaichte sa bhoglach,
ri taobh an rathaid a ghabh sinn chun a’ mhonaidh,
far an do gheàrr m’ athair na mòine, gach bliadhna.
Gleans air an tiona fhathast, mar tarasgair m’ athair,
a chas trom air, gearradh tron fhòid, nas doimhne,
air ais tro na bliadhnaichean gu cuimhneachain nam òige.

Pòca biadhaidh plastaige, glaiste san fheansa,
sracte leis a’ ghaoith. Coltas air ribeanan a’ dannsa,
a’ fighe dealbhan còmhla nam inntinn air làithean geamhradail.
Triùir charaidean, a’ cluich còmhla anns an t-sneachda,
am pòcannan ar toirt sìos gu bonn a’ chnuic aig astar.
Buidheach am bonn a ruigsinn gun bhuail.

Pàipear gorm rìoghail, Fry’s – air a reubadh, air a chràdh.
5 Centres a fhuair sinne – tiodhlac ’o bhean a’ Mhinisteir,
nuair a chuimhnich sinn Leabhar Aithghearr nan Ceist, gu slàn.
‘A bheil thu ’g èisteachd?’ ghlaodh am Ministear bhon chùbaid.
Cha d’ fhuair mi teisteanas, cha do ruig mi ach ceist 97 –
inntinn mar-tha air an teòclaid, neon na bhroinn.

Toitean, dìreach an deireadh, san dìg mu choinneamh taigh,
a-nis na h-Airbnb. A bh’ aig Iain Thoitean, ged nach do smoc e.
Bhiodh stòiridhean aige, air a thiodhlacadh maille ris.
Ginealach eile, an taighean falamh, gun solais tron gheamhradh.
Clachan ’o thobhtaichean eile a’ roinn an stòiridhean,
a’ cagar gu socair air a’ ghaoith nuair a thogas mi an toit.

Iomadach pìosan sgudal, leabaichte ann am boglaich,
freumhaichte ann am feansa, domhainn sa dìg,
air a ghlacadh leis a’ ghaoth – cuimhneachan pròiseil air àm eile.
An sgudal seo toirt dùsgadh nam inntinn.
Togaidh mi iad às na dìgean, às na boglaich, far an rathaid.
Cruinnichidh mi iad ann am pòca, ach cha sad mi air falbh iad.

Lughdaich an call le bhith
ath-chleachdadh na cuimhneachain,
’s ath-chuairteachadh na sgeulachdan.

By Mairi Macleod.

This year’s judge for the Gaelic Prize, Elissa Hunter-Dorans, said:

“It was an honour for me to be a judge at the Wigtown Poetry Competition this, and the poems we received did well to display the colour and variety of the Gaelic world today. I saw strong images of the Islands and of the cities too – with personal glimpses from both the present and the past. It is crucial that Gaelic voices be represented from different environments, both urban and rural.

“The intimacy of the poems felt as if the writers were telling me personally of first love at cèilidhs, the reality of the Gaelic link between memory and the sea, and reflections on ghosts, alcohol and loss – all taking place between Glasgow, Inverness, Lewis… Others explored the elusive parts of our culture through the peatlands, birds and children, beauty standards and decay, and even fear, trauma and Dante himself. What a year, mealaibh ur naidheachd uile!”

The Gaelic Books Council supports the Gaelic Wigtown Poetry Prize. Our congratulations to Mairi Macleod and Rody Gorman.

For more information about the winners of this year’s Wigtown Poetry Prizes, visit: https://www.wigtownpoetryprize.com/poetry-competition/2025-winners