25
DERICK THOMSON AND IRELAND
Pe a Johana Ponca o á
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.14712/2571452X.2023.65.3
Abs ac : This essay examines he di e se mani es a ions o a li elong in e es in I eland
in he wo k o he Sco ish Gaelic poe , schola , and ac i is Rua aidh MacThòmais
(De ick Thomson, 1921-2012). I ouches upon Thomson’s academic engagemen wi h
I ish- ela ed opics and ollows his commen s on he si ua ion o he I ish language and
e i alisa ion e o s in his “mani es o” essay “The Role o he W i e in a Mino i y
Cul u e” (1966) and o he a icles, whe e i se es as a sou ce o inspi a ion and a poin
o con as . De ailed a en ion is paid o he gene ous space which was de o ed o I ish
a ai s and li e a u e in he Gaelic qua e ly magazine Gai m which Thomson co-
ounded and s ee ed o i y yea s (1952-2002), including his e iews o I ish- ela ed
publica ions. D awing on e e ences in Gai m and in Thomson’s poe y collec ions, he
essay also b ings oge he e idence o his pe sonal con ac s wi h I ish w i e s and in el-
lec uals, including Mái ín Ó Di eáin, and o his sus ained engagemen wi h W.B. Yea s.
Keywo ds: Rua aidh MacThòmais (De ick Thomson), I eland, e i al, Gai m, Mái ín Ó
Di eáin, William Bu le Yea s
The link be ween I eland and Gaelic-speaking Sco land has been a i al and
complex one o cen u ies, and ac oss he sea, Bel as om Kin y e and Co. An im
om Islay seem close and mo e accessible han Edinbu gh. F om he hi een h
up o he eigh een h cen u y, he coun ies sha ed a high li e a y ba dic cul u e
and a language in which i was p oduced. The e is e idence o “ba dic ci cui s”
ha b ough I ish poe s o Sco land and ice e sa om he i een h cen u y,1
including Giolla C íos B úilingeach, and compa able cul u al exchanges ha e
con inued, bo h in an in o mal and o icial manne , in he wen ie h and wen y-
i s cen u y.
1 De ick Thomson, An In oduc ion o Gaelic Poe y (Edinbu gh: Edinbu gh Uni e si y
P ess, 1989) 21.
Pe a Johana Ponca o á
26
The closeness o he languages and cul u es coincides wi h some no able
di e ences in eligion and poli ics. The s ong links wi h Ca holic I eland we e o
an ex en se e ed by he Sco ish Re o ma ion and by he E angelical mo emen
in he Highlands and Islands in he nine een h cen u y,2 bu we e e ained in
p e alen ly Ca holic islands in he Heb ides and also in Glasgow. The I ish
s uggle o de olu ion and independence, he es ablishmen o he Republic o
I eland, and he new possibili ies o language and cul u al e i al i b ough
abou ha e se ed as a sou ce o inspi a ion o Sco land, a close model o look up
o bu also o lea n om unsuccess ul s eps.
Many wen ie h-cen u y Sco ish Gaelic in ellec uals and au ho s kep an eye
on he de elopmen s in I eland. Au ho and ac i is Rua aidh E skine o Ma
(1869-1960) had pe sonal con ac s wi h I ish adicals, mos no ably Pa ick Pea se,
and closely ollowed cul u al ends, including he ac i i ies a ound he Abbey
Thea e. Poe Somhai le MacGill-Eain (So ley MacLean, 1911-1996), who had a
keen in e es in I ish adical poli ics, mani es ed in poems such as “Seamus Ó
Conghaile” (James Connolly) and “À d-mhusaeum na h-Èi eann” (The Na ional
Museum o I eland) which celeb a e Connolly,3 he Edinbu gh-bo n socialis and
one o he leade s o he Eas e Rising, and also in he wo ks o W.B. Yea s, whose
poe y add essing un ul illed lo e and poli ical commi men cons i u es one o he
mos impo an in e ex s o MacLean’s Dàin do Eimhi (Poems o Eme , 1943).
Howe e , he connec ions o I eland in he di e se wo k o Rua aidh
MacThòmais (De ick Thomson, 1921-2012), al hough less gene ally known, we e
jus as impo an and ook on e en mo e o ms. Thomson was one o he
pe sonali ies who shaped Gaelic Sco land in he second hal o he wen ie h
cen u y as a poe , schola , edi o , and o ganise , and he combined commi men o
Gaelic e i alisa ion e o s and Sco ish poli ical independence wi h consis en
p o-Eu opean o ien a ion and ocus on high s anda ds and cosmopoli an
impulses. This essay ou lines he main a eas in which Thomson’s in e es in
I eland mani es ed i sel , including his academic wo k, jou nalism, ansla ions,
and his own poe y.
2 Ian G imble, “In oduc ion,” The Fu u e o he Highlands, ed. De ick Thomson and Ian
G imble (London: Rou ledge and Kegan Paul, 1968) 12.
3 See Niall O’Gallaghe , “MacLean in he Museum: James Connolly and ‘À d-mhusaeum
na h-Èi eann,’” in Sco land and he Eas e Rising: F esh Pe spec i es on 1916, ed. Ki s y Lusk
and Willy Maley (Edinbu gh: Lua h, 2016) 149-52.
De ick Thomson and I eland
27
Essays and Academic Wo k
In he essay “The Role o he W i e in a Mino i y Cul u e” (1966), Thomson
consis en ly e e s o examples om o he coun ies and egions.4 He de o es mos
space o Wales, whe e he li ed and augh a he beginning o his academic ca ee ,
and his engagemen wi h Welsh li e a u e, cul u e, and e i alisa ion e o s
would be a i ing subjec o a de ailed sepa a e discussion, bu I eland comes
nex in equency. When commen ing on he deg ee o which a mino i y cul u e
comes o e ms wi h i s majo i y neighbou (s) and wi h con empo a y wo ld, he
b ings oge he he A an Islands and he Heb ides: “I he mino i y cul u e is
conse a i e and backwa d-looking i may conse e i s e hos in isola ion o a
ime – as, le us say, in he A an Isles (o he wes coas o I eland) un il he 1930s,
o pa s o he Sco ish Heb ides un il he las wa .”5
Thomson is well-awa e o he impac o poli ical independence on cul u al and
linguis ic e i alisa ion e o s, and a gues ha in he si ua ion when in o ma ion
and ins uc ion is dissemina ed in a language o he han ha o he mino i ized
cul u e,
pa o he b ead and bu e may be aken ou o he w i e ’s mou h in a
coun y which gi es no o icial ecogni ion o i s mino i y language o
languages. This si ua ion is no closely linked o he numbe o speake s o
hese languages, o we see ha I eland employs many people o ansla e
he p oceedings o i s legisla u e, and he edic s o Ci il Se ice, in o I ish,
and some o hese a e also c ea i e w i e s o no e […].6
He does no men ion any speci ic examples, bu since a numbe o no able w i e s
pu sued a ca ee in he I ish ci il se ice, he could ha e easily had in mind B ian
Ó Nualláin (Flann O’B ien), Séamus Ó G ianna, and Mái ín Ó Cadhain, bu mos
likely he e e ence is o Mái ín Ó Di eáin, whom Thomson knew pe sonally, as
discussed la e in his essay.
In his delibe a ions abou he w i e ’s ole, Thomson conside s no only hose
who choose o pa icipa e in e i alisa ion e o s and adop he mino i ized
language, bu also he si ua ion o au ho s whose wo k is in luenced by he close
coexis ence o wo cul u es, no ing examples whe e his pull has en iched English-
4 De ick Thomson, “The Role o he W i e in a Mino i y Cul u e,” T ansac ions o he Gaelic
Socie y o In e ness XLIV (1964-1966): 256-71.
5 Thomson, “The Role o he W i e ” 261.
6 Thomson, “The Role o he W i e ” 260.
Pe a Johana Ponca o á
28
language li e a u e in I eland and B i ain, including W.B. Yea s. He men ions Seán
Ó Faoláin (1900-1991), he acclaimed sho s o y w i e and co- ounde o The Bell
as one o hose who e lec he bilingualism o hei li es in using wo languages
in hei wo k,7 and chooses Seán O’Casey, o “ en ing his spleen on Mo he
I eland,”8 o illus a e he endency in which he ie ces a acks on he mino i ized
cul u e occu in he bo de zones. The English-bo n poe , schola , and ansla o
om I ish Robin Flowe (1881-1946) is singled ou by Thomson as an example o
a w i e “a ac ed o a cul u e no hei own” who made a p oduc i e con ibu ion
o i .9 Thomson hus showed app ecia ion o he ole o second-language use s in
he p omo ion o mino i ized languages, which also cha ac e ised he ou look o
he magazine Gai m. In pa allel o he e m Anglo-I ish, Thomson conside s he
use ulness o employing he e m Anglo-Sco ish o di e en ia e be ween he
Sco ish cul u e p oduced in English and he adi ions o Gaelic and Sco s.
Bo h majo esea ch conce ns which un h ough Thomson’s academic ca ee
ha e an I ish dimension: one is he wo k o he eigh een h-cen u y poe Alasdai
mac Mhaighs i Alasdai (Alexande Macdonald), whose mos amous poem
“Bi linn Chlann Raghnaill” (The Bi linn o Clan anald) ollows a sea jou ney om
Sou h Uis o Ca ick e gus. Macdonald was also pe sonally in ol ed in he 1745
Jacobi e ising, which ecei ed suppo om I eland and s ongly in luenced I ish
his o y and poli ics. Thomson’s o he majo academic in e es a e he Ossianic
publica ions by Seumas Mac a’ Phea sain (James Macphe son), which d aw on he
sha ed lo e and ballads o Sco land and I eland.10 The awa eness o his sha ed
adi ion also comes o wa d in Thomson’s poe ic ibu es o wo I ish colleagues,
which a e discussed below in mo e de ail.
Ano he opic Thomson ollowed in his schola ly capaci y was Gaelic poe y
up o he eigh een h cen u y, he manusc ip s in which i su i ed, such as he
Books o Clan anald and he Book o he Dean o Lismo e, and he poe s
ep esen ed in hese collec ions, in pa icula he MacMhui ich ba ds. He
con ibu ed en ies on hese opics o The Companion o Gaelic Sco land, which he
edi ed, and w o e a numbe o subs an ial essays on hem, including “The
MacMhui ich Ba dic Family” (T ansac ions o he Gaelic Socie y o In e ness XLIII:
1966), “The Poe y o Niall MacMhui ich” (TGSI XLV: 1971), and “Niall Mò
7 The choice o Ó Faoláin is cu ious, as he is no known o wo king ex ensi ely in bo h
languages, and his main ou pu in ic ion is in English only.
8 Thomson, “The Role o he W i e ” 269.
9 Thomson, “The Role o he W i e ” 269.
10 Fo an o e iew o Thomson’s publica ions, see he bibliog aphy in James Gleasu e and
Colm Ó Baoill, ed., Fèill-sg ìbhinn do Rua aidh MacThòmais – Fes sch i o P o esso De ick
S. Thomson, Sco ish Gaelic S udies XVII (Abe deen: Uni e si y o Abe deen, 1996).
De ick Thomson and I eland
29
MacMhui ich” (TGSI XLIX: 1977).11 Niall MacMhui ich, who died in 1722, was he
las poe o w i e in Classical Gaelic in Sco land, and his passing epi omizes he
end o his pa icula chap e o cul u al links be ween he wo coun ies.
I ish In luences and Con en in Gai m
I is likely ha I ish ini ia i es, such as he small independen publishing house
Sái séal agus Dill ( ounded in 1947), which signi ican ly con ibu ed o he
de elopmen o mode n I ish-language li e a u e, and he magazine Comha
(es ablished in 1942), which published new w i ing in I ish alongside cul u al and
social commen a y and also b ough ou se e al books each yea , could ha e
inspi ed he all-Gaelic qua e ly Gai m (1952-2002). Thomson co- ounded he
magazine wi h p oduce and au ho Fionnlagh I. Mac Dhòmhnaill (Finlay J.
MacDonald, 1925-1987) and con inued o s ee and edi o he i y yea s o i s
exis ence. Gai m played a undamen al ole in p omo ing mode n poe y and sho
s o y in Gaelic, and i also p o ided space o li e a y c i icism, discussions o
cu en a ai s, bo h Sco ish and in e na ional, and ansla ions om o he
languages in o Gaelic, as pa o he e o o s eng hen he links be ween Gaelic
Sco land and he wo ld. Gi en his commi men o a b oad cosmopoli an
pe spec i e and he s ong impac o Thomson’s own in e es s on he magazine, i
is no su p ise ha h oughou he decades, Gai m ea u ed a subs an ial amoun
o I ish- ela ed con en .
In he a icle “Blà h Ù ai an -Seann S oc (A’ Ghàidhlig an Èi inn)” [New
Blossom on he Old S ump (Gaelic in I eland)], which appea ed in Gai m 29 (1959),
Thomson discusses language e i alisa ion e o s in I eland in some de ail. He
poin s ou how di icul i is o assess he success o hese ini ia i es: acco ding o
some es ima es, only 35,000 people in I eland used I ish na u ally in hei daily
li e, and in ha case, I ish as he language o amily communica ion would be in
g a e pe il, and in much wo se a s a e han Gaelic in Sco land, wi h almos 90,000
use s. Howe e , Thomson no es ha hund eds o housands o people in I eland
ha e some command o I ish, be i basic o ad anced, which hey acqui ed hanks
o he di e se lea ning oppo uni ies, wi h many o hem equally compe en in
bo h languages. He also men ions he impo ance o he ecen ly published
English-I ish dic iona y, edi ed by Tomás de Bhald ai he and b ough ou by he
I ish S a ione y O ice, and singles i ou as one o he mos impo an books o ha e
appea ed o yea s, in he sense o p ac ical impac on he u u e o he language.
11 “Bibliog aphy,” Fèill-sg ìbhinn do Rua aidh MacThòmais 4-23.

Pe a Johana Ponca o á
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Thomson also uses I eland as a poin o con as in he essay “Tì na Gàidhlig
ann a Linn na h-Ola” [The Land o Gaelic in he Age o Oil] om Gai m 87 (1974),
which p oposes p ac ical s eps and policies ha would help Gaelic in he
ans o med condi ions a e he disco e y o No h Sea oil in he 1970s:
Tha sinn ann a suidheachadh annasach an d às a a haobh s aid na
Gàidhlig ann an Albainn. Tha a’ Ghàidhlig, ma gum b’ eadh, a’ às ’s a’
c ìonadh aig an aon àm, agus a èi ’s dè an -sùil a bhei sinn oi e gheibh
sinn dà shealladh dhi a ha glè aocol ach i chèile. Gheibh duine an dà
shealladh sin ann an Èi inn cuideachd, a a bheil Gaeilge a’ c ìonadh ai
aobh an ia na dù hcha agus nas ice ai beul an -sluaigh na shaoileadh
u an iomadh ài e, oi hug na h-Èi eannaich ud ma h de dh’u am dhi
’nan obai iaghlaidh, anns na pàipea an ’s ma sin. Cha obh iad ga cumail
a dh’aon ghno haich ai son Là an Naoimh Pàd aig, ach ga cu i d’ aghaidh
gach uai a hadhladh u Oi is Puis no bus-à os.
[We a e in a s ange si ua ion ega ding he s a e o Gaelic in Sco land a
he momen . I is as i Gaelic was g owing and wi he ing a he same ime,
and depending on ou pe spec i e, we will ge wo e y dissimila iews.
The same wo iews can be obse ed in I eland oo, whe e I ish is
wi he ing in he wes pa o he coun y, bu mo e han one would expec ,
i is spoken by people in a numbe o o he places, o he I ish ha e gi en
he language a good deal o ecogni ion in legisla ion, in he pape s, and in
o he ields. They we e no keeping he language o S Pa ick’s Day, bu
a he pu i in people’s ace e e y ime hey isi he pos o ice o he bus
s a ion.]12
The edi o ials o Gai m, in mos cases ei he co-au ho ed by Thomson o
w i en by him and om 1977 onwa ds basically his opinion column, o en
discussed he si ua ion o Gaelic in Sco land and made equen e e ences o I ish
e i alisa ion policies and ini ia i es, such as he eme gence o I ish-language
ilms, book clubs ha help o inc ease he numbe o olumes published e e y
yea , and p o isions o I ish in he media, especially in ela ion o b oadcas ing
and ele ision. In he edi o ials, I eland is p esen ed as a commendable example
and a sou ce o eadily adop able s eps and policies.
12 Rua aidh MacThòmais, “Tì na Gàidhlig ann a Linn na h-Ola,” Gai m 87 (1974): 209. All
ansla ions om Gai m in his essay a e my own.
De ick Thomson and I eland
31
In he edi o ial o Gai m 76 (1971), Thomson commen ed on he con inua ion
o ba dic ci cui s in Sco land and I eland, and no es ha h ee I ish poe s, namely
Mái ín Ó Di eáin, Cai lín Maude, and Seán Ó Tuama, and likely also Eoghan Ó
Néill, will be coming o Sco land in Oc obe , hanks o he suppo o he Sco ish
A s Council, in o de o ead alongside Sco ish colleagues in se e al ci ies, and
ha his isi ollows on a p eceding ou o Sco ish poe s in I eland. The edi o ial
men ions he wa m welcome hey ecei ed in I eland, especially he in ol emen
o young people wi h he I ish language and he su p ising bu encou aging ac
ha hey we e “a’ gabhail i bà dachd ma gum b’ e T.V. no pop a bh’ ann” [ aking
o poe y as i i we e TV o pop music].13 The isi o he Sco ish poe s o I eland
was epo ed on in mo e de ail in he a icle “Bài d Ghàidhealach ann an Èi inn”
[Sco ish Gaelic Poe s in I eland] by Eoghan Ó Néill, which appea ed in he same
issue.
Gai m 171 (1995) was some hing o a special I ish issue, ea u ing he a icle
“Na Bài d No manach-Gaeilge an Èi inn” [The No man-I ish Ba ds in I eland] by
Uilleam Néill (William Neill) and ansla ions o hi een poems by Ó Di eáin by
Rody Go man. Bo h Neill and Go man we e p ominen con ibu o s o I ish-
ela ed con en o Gai m, as discussed below in mo e de ail. In he edi o ial o he
issue, Thomson emphasises he longs anding and s ong links and equally
impo an dis inc ions be ween he wo coun ies – “ ha an ceangal eada Albainn
is Èi inn a’ dol ai ais co-dhiù còig ceud bliadhna deug, agus a’ Ghàidhlig agus a’
Ghaeilge a’ nochdadh ceanglaichean is sga aidhean ad na h-ùine sin” [ he link
be ween Sco land and I eland goes back a leas i een hund ed yea s, and
Sco ish Gaelic and I ish Gaelic e eal connec ions and di e ences all his ime],14
no ing in pa icula ha despi e he con en ious iew o some I ish schola s ha
Sco ish Gaelic is a me e dialec o I ish, hey a e in ac wo sepa a e languages
bo h e ol ed om Old I ish, and while one lea ned language was used by poe s
in bo h coun ies o cen u ies, he spoken idiom and olk li e a u e s a ed o
di e ge long be o e he six een h cen u y. The ac ha many I ish use s ead
Gai m is no ed wi h sa is ac ion, and Thomson encou ages use s o Sco ish Gaelic
o pay simila a en ion o I ish pe iodicals, bu inishes wi h he eminde ha
coope a ion and mu ual suppo should no p eclude a s ong hold o Sco land
and I eland on hei own a ai s.
Some discussions o opics ela ed o he e i alisa ion o I ish and
de elopmen s in I ish-language w i ing we e also supplied by I ish con ibu o s,15
13 Rua aidh MacThòmais, “Ai an Spi is,” Gai m 76 (1971): 297.
14 Rua aidh MacThòmais, “Ai an Spi is,” Gai m 171 (1995): 201-202.
15 Also in his sense, Gai m ollowed on he ac i i ies o E skine o Ma , who managed o
in ol e se e al I ish con ibu o s in his qua e ly Gu h na Bliadhna (The Yea ’s Voice),
including Pa ick Pea se and Pád aig Ua Duinnín.
Pe a Johana Ponca o á
32
such as “An Coimisean mu A h-Bheo hachadh na Gàidhlig Èi eannaich” [The
Commission on he Re i alisa ion o I ish] by Donncha Ó Laoi e, “An Éi eannach
in Albain (Ann an Gàidhlig na h-Èi eann)” [An I ishman in Sco land (in I ish
Gaelic)] by B eandán Ó Doibhlin, and “Sg ìobhadh anns an Nòs Ù an Gaeilge na
h-Èi eann” [Mode n W i ing in I ish] by Pád aig Ó Conchúi .16 In he 2000s, Gai m
also an ad e isemen s o I ish-language cou ses in Bel as , p omo ing p ac ical
unde s anding be ween he use s o he wo languages and hus b oadening he
eade ship o publica ions in bo h.
I ish Li e a u e in Gai m
O e he yea s, Gai m published a numbe o ansla ions o I ish li e a u e in o
Gaelic. The indi idual ex s we e no commissioned by he edi o s bu a he
e lec he in e es s and inclina ions o he indi idual au ho s, who we e o en
second-language use s o Gaelic. One o he mos ac i e con ibu o s o I ish-
ela ed con en was poe William Neill (1922-2010) whose ansla ions include
some o he mos amous wo ks o eigh een h-cen u y I ish poe y, including
B ian Me iman’s “Cùi a’ Mheadhain-Oidhche” (Midnigh Cou ), “Am Bunnan
Buidhe” (The Yellow Bi e n) by Ca hal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna, he lamen o
Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, and poems by Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin and Seán Ó
Conaill. I ish opics inspi ed Neill’s own poe y, including “Aisling Shuibhne”
(Sweeney’s D eam) which appea ed in Gai m 73 (1970), and he also w o e an
a icle abou “Tu as nam Bà d ann an Èi inn” [The Poe s’ Tou o I eland] o
Gai m 83 (1973). The Dublin-bo n poe and ansla o Rody Go man (1960), who
has been based in Sco land o decades, epo ed on new I ish-language books and
con ibu ed ansla ions, including he al eady-men ioned selec ion o Ó Di eáin’s
poe y and also poems by Michael Da i , Donnchadh Mó Ó Dálaigh, Cole e Ní
Ghallchói , and Alan Ti ley. I ish ic ion was ep esen ed in Gai m hanks o
S eaphan Camhlaigh, who in he 1990s and ea ly 2000s p epa ed Gaelic e sions
o h ee sho s o ies by Pád aic Ó Conai e and also “A’ Bhuille” (The Blow) by
Liam Ó Flai hea a,17 and Dennis King ansla ed an ex ac om An Béal Boch by
Myles na gCopaleen.18
16 The e e ences o he indi idual a icles a e a ailable ia he p ojec Gai m Ai -Loidhne /
Gai m Online, h ps://dasg.ac.uk/gai m.
17 The s o ies by Ó Conai e we e: “Nell,” “Mo Bhà d Caol Dubh” (My Poe Da k and
Slende ), and “A’ Bhean ai an do Leig Dia a Làmh” (The Woman on Whom God Laid
His Hand). Ano he s o y by Ó Conai e, “Anam an Easbaig” (The Bishop’s Soul),
appea ed in a ansla ion by Peada Mo gan in Gai m 163 (1993).
18 The comple e o e iew o he con ibu ions by Camhlaigh, Neill, and Go man,
including e e ences, is a ailable ia h ps://dasg.ac.uk/gai m.
De ick Thomson and I eland
33
Some o hese ansla ions we e la e epublished as pa o he an hology
Bà dachd na Roinn-Eò pa an Gàidhlig / Eu opean Poe y in Gaelic, which Thomson
ins iga ed and edi ed.19 The olume is di ided acco ding o languages. The sec ion
“Gaeilge” includes “Is Mise Rai e i” (I Am Ra e y), a ibu ed o An aine
Rai ea aí, ansla ed by poe and polyglo Deò sa Mac Iain Dheò sa (Geo ge
Campbell Hay), Neill’s Gaelic e sion o he Old I ish poem “Lon-dubh”
(Blackbi d) and an ex ac om Me iman’s Midnigh Cou in his Gaelic endi ion.
Thomson himsel con ibu ed wo ansla ions o anonymous I ish poems,
“Líadan is Cui i hi ” (Líadan and Cui i hi ) and “Aoibhinn, a leabh áin, do
h iall” (Deligh ul, Book, You T ip), and ou poems by W.B. Yea s.20
The e iews sec ion in Gai m also es i ies o he e o o keep up wi h
de elopmen s in I eland, and many con ibu ions ha deal wi h I ish opics we e
w i en by Thomson himsel . Fo Gai m 13 (1955), he e iewed D ámaíoch in Éi inn
(D ama in I eland) by Micheál Mac Liammói (1899-1978),21 and examples o I ish-
ela ed publica ions co e ed in he e iew sec ion o e he yea s include a wide
selec ion o ma e ial, om dic iona ies and educa ional ma e ials o poe y and
ic ion.22 Apa om Gai m e iews, Thomson also w o e abou I ish li e a u e o
19 De ick Thomson, ed., Bà dachd na Roinn-Eò pa an Gàidhlig / Eu opean Poe y in Gaelic
(Glasgow: Gai m Publica ions, 1990).
20 I discuss Thomson’s ansla ion- ela ed ac i i ies in he o hcoming monog aph De ick
Thomson and he Gaelic Re i al (Edinbu gh: Edinbu gh Uni e si y P ess, 2023).
21 Gai m 38 (1961) b ough ou a subs an ial e iew o Mac Liammói ’s memoi Each Ac o
on His Ass by Finlay J. MacDonald, which shows de ailed awa eness o Mac Liammói ’s
ca ee , and applauds his olun a y adop ion o I ish iden i y. I discuss he connec ion o
Mac Liammói in mo e de ail in De ick Thomson and he Gaelic Re i al (Edinbu gh:
Edinbu gh Uni e si y P ess, 2023).
22 O e he decades, Thomson e iewed: S udies in I ish Li e a u e and His o y by James
Ca ney (Gai m 19, 1957), he philosophical dic iona y Foclói Fealsaimh by Colmán Ó
hUallacháin (Gai m 30, 1959), Dónall Óg, Taighde a an Amh án (Dónall Óg, Resea ch o
he Song) by Seosamh Ó Duibhginn (Gai m 34, 1960), he school publica ions A las a hAon
do Scoileanna na hÉi eann and A las a Dó do Scoileanna na hÉi eann (Gai m 98, 1977), he
biology ex book An Domhan Beo (The Li ing Wo ld) by C.N. Ó Ceallacháin (Gai m 106,
1979), he bilingual publica ion Dúl a agus Dúchas / Ou He i age by Mícheál Mac Ginneá
wi h illus a ions by Mai éad Ní Nuadháin, issued o commemo a e he cen ena y o
Pad aig Pea se’s bi h (Gai m 109, 1979), Blind Ra e y: Poems Selec ed and T ansla ed by
C íos ói Ó Floinn (Gai m 184, 1998), a selec ion o Gaelic sho s o ies ansla ed in o
I ish by Colm Ó Baoill Feoil an Gheimh idh agus Scéal a Eile as Albain (Win e Mea and
O he S o ies om Sco land) (Gai m 117, 1981), he sho o e iew o he de elopmen
o I ish-language w i ing Li e a u e in I ish by P oinsias MacCana (Gai m 117, 1981),
Thomas Kinsella’s The Dual T adi ion, which ou lines he de elopmen o I ish poe y in
Pe a Johana Ponca o á
40
ann an uamh gun hosgladh,
do dhò d o ghlais,
gun cheannsachadh do Gholia .
I ha en’ been in Dublin
since you came down o ea h
lea ing you g een sui
behind you, going in o he shade
ha was no you elemen ,
and we mus hang – we ha e no choice –
you pic u e on he wall
since you ea u es a e no o be seen
in pub, o s ee ,
o cool lib a y,
and since you iendship li es
only in sho -li ed hea s.
Su i o s o he Fian,
i is li le wonde we a e sad:
he conund um emains obscu e o us,
he language lacks explica ion;
you hea y laugh aises an echo
in an unopened ca e,
you umpe - oa is locked up unde he g een,
you Golia h is s ill un amed. 31
Al hough i is mos ly a pe sonal a ewell and a ibu e o he man ela able o hose
who knew him, i anscends i s occasional na u e by playing wi h he Ossianic
e e ences and wi h he gi en name and su name o he deceased, and by
employing he powe ul image o laugh e echoing in a sealed ca e.32 In he
o iginal, he appea ance o “An Fhéinne” [Fian] and “dò d” [call, oa ] b ings o
mind “An Do d Féinne,” he igh ing song o he Fianna om he Fenian cycle.
31 Thomson, Smeu an Dòchais 76-77.
32 Thomson also uses he image y o con inemen in a g een ca e in “Ged a Thillinn A-
Nis” (Though I We e o Go Back Now) om An Ra had Cian (The Fa Road, 1970): “A’
chuimhne ga mo bhea hachadh, / a’ oi o m às / anns an uaimh dho ch seo, / a’
ei heamh illeadh ma a, / ’s a’ c ùbadh o m’ eallach / anns an uaimh uaine seo gun
ghealach.” [Fed by memo y / which makes me g ow / in his da k ca e, / awai ing he
u n o he ide, / and c ouching unde my load / in his g een ca e wi hou moon.]
C eachadh na Clà saich 172-73.

De ick Thomson and I eland
41
Thomson and Yea s
In a e iew o he es sch i Memoi s o a Mode n Sco land, a ibu e o he au ho
and poe Eachann MacÌomhai (Hec o MacI e , 1910-1966), which Thomson
w o e o Gai m 71 (1970) and which is mo e o a pe sonal essay abou he deceased
iend han an e alua ion o he olume, he gi es MacI e c edi o in oducing
him o a las ing poe ic in luence: “Tha mi an dùil gu h-e a las ùidh dhomh ann
am bà dachd Yea s nach deach às an -sealladh ha has ” [I hink he kindled in me
an in e es in he poe y o Yea s which has no disappea ed o his day].33 The e
a e indeed a numbe o mani es a ions o his p eoccupa ion.
In he o ewo d o his i s collec ion, An Dealbh B is e (The B oken Pic u e,
1951), Thomson acknowledges inspi a ion by So ley MacLean, and hus,
indi ec ly, also by Yea s, in poems dealing wi h un ul illed lo e and he way i
uels poe y, in some cases in a pe cei ed con lic wi h poli ical commi men , such
as “Seann Ò an” (Old Song), “’N e Seo an Dàn Dei eannach Dhu sa?” (Is This he
Final Poem o You?), “Mu B’ E ’n Saoghal Is M’ Eagal” (Bu o he Wo ld and
My Fea ), echoing bo h Yea s’s wo ks ha conce n his un equi ed lo e o Maude
Gonne, and MacLean’s Dàin do Eimhi , which add ess a simila p edicamen .34
“Ghluais an Raoi an T om-laighe Mo Chuimhne” (Las Nigh Nigh ma e Mo ed
My Memo y), included in he same olume, ac ually men ions Yea s’s name:
Chan abai mi nochd – bu bheag a b’ hiach leam –
a hchuinge Yea s ai madainn an ia gain,
e smaoin inn oi e-se agus ag ia aidh
easdal do-gheibh e ai cuan nam bliann an [...]
I shall no say onigh – I li le ca e o –
Yea s’s p aye on he mo ning o longing,
as he hough o he and wished o
a p o idence unob ainable on he sea o he yea s […]35
The da k and oblique poe y om Thomson’s ou h collec ion Sao sa agus an
Iolai e (F eedom and he Eagle, 1977), which uses eligious and poli ical image y
in discussions o Sco ish poli ics and p ospec s o independence, comes especially
33 Rua aidh MacThòmais, “An Sgeilp Leabh aichean,” Gai m 71 (1970): 281-83.
34 Fo a discussion o Yea s and MacLean, see Pe e Mackay, So ley MacLean (Abe deen:
AHRC Cen e o I ish and Sco ish S udies, 2010) 44-45, 47-49.
35 De ick Thomson, “Ghluais an Raoi an T om-laighe Mo Chuimhne” (Las Nigh
Nigh ma e Mo ed My Memo y), C eachadh na Clà saich 56-57.
Pe a Johana Ponca o á
42
close o Yea s. The poem in “S ì Fhada” (A Long Haul) om Thomson’s Smeu an
Dòchais ea u es an epig aph om Yea s’s “Pa nell” om New Poems, and his
ollowing olume Meall Ga bh / Rugged Moun ain (1995) includes he poem “Do
Yea s” (Remembe ing Yea s), which makes e e ences o his mos amous poems,
including “The Lake Isle o Innis ee,” “Sailing o Byzan ium,” and “The Second
Coming,” su eying bo h Yea s’s wo ks and Thomson’s ela ionship o him. The las
men ioned is one o ou poems by Yea s, oge he wi h “The Schola s,” “A P aye
o Old Age,” and “Eas e 1916,” which Thomson ansla ed in o English and
published as pa o he a o emen ioned an hology Bà dachd na Roinn-Eò pa an
Gàidhlig. These show Thomson’s skill as a ansla o o poe y, which comes
o wa d in he accu acy o me e, closeness o meaning, and he exquisi e sound
quali ies, and also his in ima e knowledge o he ex s and ega d o hem.
Conclusion
Thomson’s in ol emen wi h I eland cons i u es ano he pa in he cen u ies-
long close cul u al exchange be ween Gaelic Sco land and i s sou h-wes e n
neighbou . The di e en s ands o Thomson’s engagemen wi h I eland, be i
ansla ions om I ish li e a u e o academic engagemen wi h I ish w i ing, ind
con inua ion in he wo k o con empo a y Sco ish Gaelic poe s and schola s,
including Niall O’Gallaghe , who has ansla ed he wo ks o Biddy Jenkinson and
o he I ish-language poe s in o Gaelic o he magazine STEALL, o in he c ea i e
wo k o Rody Go man, one o he p oli ic Gai m con ibu o s. Thomson’s
engagemen wi h I eland is inspi ing in i s commi men o ollow de elopmen s
in I ish cul u e and poli ics and o lea n om successes and p oduc i e policies,
in balancing close coope a ion be ween he coun ies wi h ega d o hei
dis inc i eness, and in e using o idealise I eland which howe e does no
p eclude wa m h and ega d. Mo e de ailed biog aphical esea ch in o Thomson’s
li e is bound o shed mo e ligh on his pe sonal con ac s wi h I ish au ho s and
in ellec uals men ioned in his essay, and likely e eal many o he s. This essay
sough o p o ide a p elimina y map o he subjec .
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