Reference Number315
TitleRis a’ Bhruthaich: The Criticism and Prose Writings of Sorley MacLean
AuthorMacGill-Eain, Somhairle
EditorGillies, William
Date Of Edition1985
Date Of Languagemid 20c
Date Of Language Ed1950-1999
DateMacroMid 20th c.
Date Of Language Notes
PublisherAcair
Place PublishedStornoway
VolumeN/A
LocationNational, academic, and local libraries
Geographical OriginsRaasay
Geographical Origins EdRaasay
GeoMacroSkye, Raasay and Small Isles
GeoX-6.1032
GeoY57.4175
Geographical Origins Notes
RegisterLiterature, Prose and Verse (Criticism)
Register EdLiterature, Prose and Verse
GenreInformation
MediumProse & Verse
RatingB (TBC)
Important writer in a global context.
An anthology of essays by one of Gaeldom’s leading poets and intellectuals.
These essays cover a range of subjects including reassessments of Gaelic poetry from the 17th to the 20th century, covering some major and minor poets.
There are 11 essays in Scottish Gaelic, as well as Gaelic quotations (with accompanying translations) included in the essays written in English.
Alternative Author NameSorley Maclean
Manuscript Or EditionEd.
Size And Condition22cm x 14.2cm
Short TitleRis a’ Bhruthaich
Reference DetailsNLS: HP2.87.771
Number Of Pagesviii, 312
Gaelic Text ByN/A
IllustratorN/A
Social ContextFor more information about the author Somhairle MacGill-Eain, see Text 1. MacGill-Eain contributed many essays over his writing career, concerning Gaelic literature, to various publications, which for full details, see Further Reading. These essays were edited by William Gillies (for more information about the editor and his various publications, also see Further Reading) and this volume represents the bringing together of many of MacGill-Eain’s prose writings for the very first time. The main thrust of the collection is MacGill-Eain’s critical writings about Gaelic literature, focussing mainly upon poetry and song, from the 17th century until the 20th century. Prominent Gaelic poets included are Uilleam MacDhùn-lèibhe (William Livingston), Màiri Mhòr nan Òran (Mary MacPherson) and Sìlis na Ceapaich (Cicely MacDonald). Also included are essays concerning sea-imagery, realism, short-stories, and material concerning oral tradition as well as the then current state of the Gaelic language.
ContentsAfter the title-page (p. i) there then appear acknowledgements (p. iii-iv), detailing the sources  where the various essays originally appeared, then a dedication (p. v) and then the contents list (pp. vii- viii). There then appears the foreword (pp. 1-2) by the editor and an introduction (pp. 3-5) by Somhairle MacGill-Eain. The main text then appears, divided into 27 chapters as follows: ‘My relationship with the Muse’ (pp. 6-14), ‘Realism in Gaelic poetry’ (pp. 15-47), ‘The poetry of the Clearances’ (pp. 48-74), ‘Aspects of Gaelic poetry’ (pp. 75-82), ‘Notes on sea-imagery in seventeenth Gaelic poetry’ (pp. 83-105), ‘Old songs and new poetry’ (pp. 106-19), ‘Some thoughts about Gaelic poetry’ (pp. 120-33), ‘The poetry of William Livingston’ (pp. 134-55), ‘Clach air a’ Chàrn — Uilleam Mac Dhùn-Léibhe’ (pp. 156-61), ‘Mairearad Nighean Lachlainn’ (pp. 162-76), ‘Margaret, daughter of Lachlan’ (pp. 177-90), ‘Alasdair Mac Mhurchaidh’ (pp. 191-210), ‘Dòmhnall Donn of Bohuntin’ (pp. 211-34), ‘Sìlis of Keppoch’ (pp. 235-49), ‘Màiri Mhór nan Oran’ (pp. 250-57), ‘Am Misgear agus an Cluaran’ (pp. 258-63), ‘Lament for the Makar’ (pp. 264-66), ‘Beul na h-oidhche’ (pp. 267-75), ‘Cha do sheas an Cuil-lodair’ (pp. 276-75), ‘Dh’fhuirich Clann Dòmhnaill’ (pp. 276-78), ‘An Tìr bu mhiann leam’ (pp. 279-82), ‘A bheil dòchas ann airson na Gàidhlig?’ (pp. 283-84), ‘Is there hope for Gaelic?’ (pp. 285-86), ‘Ceit NicLeòid’ (pp. 287-88), ‘An t-Ollamh Aonghas MacMhathain’ (pp. 289-90), ‘A’ Bhaidhearn’ (pp. 291-95), ‘Some Raasay traditions’ (pp. 296-312). There is no index.
SourcesThis volume contains an anthology of selected essays contributed by Somhairle MacGill-Eain to various publications such as Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, Scottish Art and Letters, Gairm, Ossian, Memoirs of a Modern Scotland, Student, Calgacus and Chapman. See Further Reading for full bibliographic details.
LanguageThe various Gaelic (and for that matter English) essays are written in engaging style, and are somewhat laconic, which tends to make the text relatively easy to follow and comprehend. Those in which MacGill-Eain focuses upon criticism eschew literary theory and are based upon his profound knowledge of Gaelic poetry and song, and thus give his critical judgements an authoritative voice.
 
Copula, somewhat inconsistently, is realised as follows: gur i (p. 164), gur h-i (p. 172), is i (p. 172), ’se (p. 258), gur e (p. 258), gur h-ann (p. 262).
 
Apostrophes are retained for possessive determiner, e.g.: ’na shaor (p. 156), ’na leabhar (p. 162).
 
The passive voice is used fairly regularly, e.g.: rinneadh (p. 156), faodar (p.163), cluinnear (p. 168), chunnacas (p. 258), thatar (p. 280), nach eileas (p. 281).
 
Other spelling of note are among the following: air son (p. 156), tigh (p. 156), aobhar (p. 157), eatorra (p. 161), dànaig (p. 163), dara (p. 163), da-rìreadh (p. 164), ar fichead (p. 169), tre (p. 171), so (p. 258), da-rìreabh (p. 258), siod (p. 268), mur ’eil (p. 270), a rèir choltais (p. 271), timchioll (p. 274), da-rìribh (p. 275), dubhairt (p. 293).

The language reflects the Gaelic dialect of Raasay.
OrthographyIt is stated in the editor’s foreword (p. 2) that the opportunity was taken to correct printers’ errors, and also that a modicum of standardisation of editorial practice was found to be expedient, but it remains unclear whether the orthography had been modernised or not. The spelling conforms generally to the orthography of the mid-twentieth century. Acute and grave accents are retained. No accents appear on capital letters.
EditionFirst edition.
Other Sources
Further ReadingAnon., ‘Publications of William Gillies’, in Wilson McLeod, Abigail Burnyeat, Domhnall Uilleam Stùbhart, Thomas Owen Clancy & Roibeard Ó Maolalaigh (eds.), Bile ós Chrannaibh: A Festschrift for William Gillies (Ceann Drochaid, Perthshire, 2010: Clann Tuirc), pp. xvii-xxiv.
Black, Ronald I. M. (ed.), An Tuil: Anthology of 20th Century Scottish Gaelic Verse (Edinburgh, 2002: Birlinn), pp. 512-15, 792-93.
Mackay, Margaret A., ‘The Oban Professor’, in Wilson McLeod et al., op. cit. (2010), pp. vii-xii.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Realism in Gaelic Poetry’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XXXVII (1934-36), pp. 80-114.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘The Poetry of the Clearances’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XXXVIII (1937-41), pp. 293-324.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘The Poetry of William Livingston’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XXXIX/XL (1942-50), pp. 1-19.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Alasdair MacMhurchaidh’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XLI (1951-52), pp. 132-54.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Mairearad Nighean Lachlainn’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XLII (1953-59), pp. 30-46.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Domhnall Donn of Bohuntin’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XLII (1953-59), pp. 91-110.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Notes of Sea Imagery in Seventeenth Century Gaelic Poetry’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XLIII (1960-63), pp. 132-49.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Silis of Keppoch’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XLV (1967-68), pp. 98-112.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Some Raasay Traditions’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. XLIX (1974-76), pp. 377-97.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Some Thoughts about Gaelic Poetry’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. LII (1980-82), pp. 302-18.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Aspects of Gaelic Poetry’, Scottish Art and Letters, no. 3 (1947), pp. 37-42.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Am Misgear agus an Cluaran’, Gairm, àir. 6 (An Geamhradh, 1952), pp. 148-52.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘A’ Bhaidhearn’, Gairm, àir. 12 (An Samhradh, 1955), pp. 343-48.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Cha do Sheas an Cuil-lodair’, Gairm, àir. 31 (An t-Earrach, 1960), pp. 232-33.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Dh’fhuirich Clann Dòmhnaill’, Gairm, àir. 40 (An Samhradh, 1962), pp. 355-58.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘An t-Ollamh Aonghas MacMhathain’, Ossian (March, 1957), p. 14.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Old Songs and New Poetry’, in Karl Miller (ed.), Memoirs of a Modern Scotland (London: Faber and Faber, 1970), pp. 121-35.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘A bheil dòchas ann airson na Gàidhlig / Is there hope for Gaelic?’, Student (25 January, 1974), p. 10-11.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘Màiri Mhór nan Oran’, Calgacus, vol. 1 (Winter, 1975), pp. 49-52.
MacLean, Sorley, ‘My Relationship with the Muse’, Chapman, no. 16 (1976), pp. 25-32.
Renton, Ronald W. & MacDonald, Ian, Ainmeil Thar Cheudan: Presentations to the 2011 Sorley MacLean Conference (Ostaig, 2016: Clò Ostaig).
Ross, Raymond J. & Hendry, Joy, Sorley MacLean: Critical Essays (Edinburgh, 1986: Scottish Academic Press).
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