Ignite Gaelic Fellowship 2022

Posted on 14 December 2021 in Latest News

The Scottish Book Trust’s Ignite Fellowship offers tailored practical and financial support to professional authors.  This year’s 2022 Ignite Fellows are Meghan Flaherty and Michael Lee Richardson. There is also a Gaelic fellowship, funded by The Gaelic Books Council, which has been awarded to Màrtainn Mac an t-Saoir / Martin MacIntyre.

Meet this year’s Gaelic Fellow

Martin MacIntyre is an acclaimed author, bard and storyteller, who has worked across these genres for over twenty years; he has written eight works of fiction and one collection of poems.

In 2003, his short-stories in Gaelic and English, Ath-Aithne (Re-acquaintance), won The Saltire Society First Book Award. His novels Gymnippers Diciadain (Wednesday Gymnippers) and An Latha As Fhaide (The Longest Day) were in contention for Saltire’s Book of The Year awards in 2005 and 2008. His second story collection Cala Bendita ‘s a Bheannachdan (Cala Bendita and its Blessings) was shortlisted for both The Donald Meek Award and The Saltire Literary Book of The Year in 2014.

Martin’s project:

‘Le taic Ignite, bidh mi a’ leasachadh làmh-sgrìobhainn de bhàrdachd, a chaidh a bhrosnachadh an Catalonia is sa Chuimrigh, los gum bi i cho math is a ghahas is gun ruig an cruinneachadh leughadairean ann an suas ri ceithir cànanan: Gàidhlig, Catalanais, Cuimris is Beurla.’

‘With Ignite support of various kinds, I will be honing a new award-winning manuscript of Gaelic poems, inspired by Catalonia and Wales, to maximise their potential reach in up to four languages: Gaelic, Catalan, Welsh and English.’

Martin says:

‘Tha mi air mo dhòigh glan; ‘s e cothrom glè fheumail a tha sa phrogram aig an ìre seo nam dhreuchd mar bhàrd agus gu h-àraid a thaobh a’ chruinneachaidh ùir amasaich seo.’

‘I am delighted; this is a very useful opportunity at this point in my career as a poet and specifically regarding this current ambitious collection.’