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Writer, poet, and “Edinburgh Gael” Martin MacIntyre (Màrtainn Mac an t-Saoir) is the subject of our latest “Extensions” project, in which we present narrative, conversational, and poetic samples of Gaelic and other languages in previously unexplored contexts. Martin himself is the narrator of both the Gaelic and English versions of the introductory documentary, and we were delighted to engage Ifor ap Glyn, and Noèlia Díaz-Vicedo, Martin’s collaborators on A’ Ruith Eadar Dà Dhràgon, for the Welsh and Catalan versions. Martin’s own recitations of Canaidh, Foghar Dhùn Èideann, and Litearras san Smior give a taste of his wide-ranging poetic output.
In the recorded conversation he talks to Island Voices co-ordinator, Gordon Wells. In the full version, the topics covered include Martin’s island family connections and his Gaelic learning journey, comparing and contrasting island and mainland urban contexts, as well as questions around multilingualism, and discussion of literacy and oral and written literature. In conclusion the possible affordances of new media are also considered.
In an alternative approach that may suit learners or non-speakers of Gaelic, the same conversation is broken down into short extracts, which are optionally supplemented with auto-translatable subtitles and/or wordlinked transcripts:
In Part 1, Martin outlines his island connections to Benbecula, South Uist, and Barra, reeling off a sloinneadh of impressive length that traces his genealogical roots on his father’s side as far back as the late 17th century. He visits when he can, though he has always been mainland-based, having been brought up in Lenzie, a town to the north of Glasgow which itself has a Gaelic-based name.
In Part 2, Martin talks about his Gaelic learning journey, an interest that has been with him since his first visit to South Uist with his father and brother when he was still in primary school, where he first encountered the language in an extended family and community setting. He describes his father’s initial surprise at his son’s interest, and how in time they came to speak Gaelic to each other more and more, and how this also helped when it came to raising his own children with Gaelic.
In Part 3, Martin first develops his thoughts on the affective implications of language choice and use, particularly in relation to emotional bonds, for example between family members. The conversation moves on to consideration of community factors in Gaelic use and maintenance in a context of ongoing language shift to English, and his own family’s notable success in passing the language on to a new generation in the urban context of Edinburgh. He cites close family connection, the importance of habitual use of the language, including listening to Gaelic radio, and involvement in school and community activity as crucial factors.
In Part 4, still discussing Gaelic’s minority status in Edinburgh, Martin suggests the evident multicultural milieu may in some ways and in some situations make it comparatively easy to mount Gaelic events, while also noting that he perceives a move towards more specifically Gaelic activities among Gaelic communities. He goes on to describe the inspiration he has derived from other minority language contexts, particularly Catalan and Welsh, and his collaborative work with poets in those languages in one of his latest books.
In Part 5, moving on from other multilingual contexts the conversation turns to questions of literacy and literature in a Gaelic context, where many of the most fluent speakers of Gaelic do not habitually read or write it. Martin reflects on the lasting legacy of the historically poor treatment of the language in education, while also recording his appreciation of the Gaelic oral tradition, and of songs and stories created by speakers who were not writers.
In Part 6, the conversation moves on to discussion of possible positive steps that may help ameliorate a difficult situation for Gaelic. Martin points out that, irrespective of age, people are capable of learning new skills, for example in the use of computers. Traditional speakers’ knowledge of the cultural and oral tradition should be valued. At the same time, he notices more confident use of Gaelic on social media. Picking up on voice-notes, he also suggests that new technologies could enable easier creation of audio-books that could help bring new literature closer to traditional speakers.
