It's Gaelic
'S i a' Ghàidhlig
We're going to look at a piece of poetry that Duncan MacQuarrie wrote now, called 'S i a' Ghàidhlig (It's Gaelic).
As you'll understand, this poem is about Gaelic!
This is a short poem and MacQuarrie repeats every line of the phrase 'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam …
Read the poem first.
You may wish to read it two or three times.
Think about the language, the style, and the subject.
How does MacQuarrie use his language to make his point as strongly as possible?
'S i a' Ghàidhlig
Donnchadh MacGuaire
'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam cruas na spiorad
'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam cruas na h-èiginn
'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam mo thoil inntinn
'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam mo thoil gàire
'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam mo theaghlach àlainn
'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam mo shliabh beatha
'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam luaidh mo chridhe
'S i a' Ghàidhlig leam gach nì rim bheò
Mura b' e i cha bu mhi.
Try and do this on your own, but with a dictionary if necessary. 😊
A translation is available at:
https://booksfromscotland.com/2021/01/favourite-gaelic-poems/
In this recording, Duncan's daughter, Gwen MacQuarrie, talks about this poem written by her father: