Teanga

Publication Instance Details #2209

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
Yes	No	No	No	No	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	War HR & Colonisation/Colonial Legacies Displacement/Forced Migration Indigenous Rights (incl. culture & language)
War / Genocide Referenced	War: First World War
Languages	Irish
Original Language	Gaelic (Scots)
Original Poem	An t-Eilean agus an Cànan
Original Author	Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn
Genre	Lyric Sequence
Medium	Print Collection
Notes	This is an extended lyrics sequence, in twenty short numbered sections. The poem celebrates the Isle of Lewis and different aspects of the island and its language, culture, and changing ways of life. There are historical mentions of the betrayal of the Scots and the failure of Bonny Prince Charlie, as well as more contemporary references to the Somme, Mons, and Scots soldiers in World War I. The speaker of the poem describes the displacement of Scottish people over the years, who were well travelled, returned home, and have since become alcoholics. Tourists and language-learners, the modernisation of the island and its inhabitants, are all described in the poem. The speaker's hope for the Scottish Gaelic language and its future is noted in the poem. There are also some international references, such as mentions of conversions of Native peoples to Christianity in Canada through the medium of Scots Gaelic. The poem is a detailed and extended meditation on his home place, and its place in the wider world.