Derick Thomson and Ireland

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 30 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 . BIBLIOGRAPHY A chi al Sou ces and Da abases (online) Gai m Ai -Loidhne / Gai m Online. DASG: Digi al A chi e o Sco ish Gaelic. Uni e si y o Glasgow. h ps://dasg.ac.uk/gai m. De ick Thomson and I eland 43 O he Sou ces Asche son, Neal. S one Voices: The Sea ch o Sco land. London: G an a, 2003. “Bibliog aphy.” In Fèill-sg ìbhinn do Rua aidh MacThòmais – Fes sch i o P o esso De ick S. Thomson. Sco ish Gaelic S udies XVII, edi ed by James Gleasu e and Colm Ó Baoill, 4-23. Abe deen: Uni e si y o Abe deen, 1996. Fe i e , Dia maid. “G eene, Da id William.” Dic iona y o I ish Biog aphy. Las modi ied Oc obe 2009. h ps://doi.o g/10.3318/dib.003606. 1. G imble, Ian. “In oduc ion.” In The Fu u e o he Highlands, edi ed by De ick Thomson and Ian G imble, 1-26. London: Rou ledge and Kegan Paul, 1968. Mackay, Pe e . So ley MacLean. Abe deen: AHRC Cen e o I ish and Sco ish S udies, 2010. MacThòmais, Rua aidh. “Ai an Spi is.” Gai m 76 (1971): 297. MacThòmais, Rua aidh. “Ai an Spi is.” Gai m 171 (1995): 201-202. MacThòmais, Rua aidh. “An Sgeilp Leabh aichean.” Gai m 13 (1955): 87. MacThòmais, Rua aidh. “An Sgeilp Leabh aichean.” Gai m 71 (1970): 281-83. MacThòmais, Rua aidh. “Tì na Gàidhlig ann a Linn na h-Ola.” Gai m 87 (1974): 209-216. O’Gallaghe , Niall. “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, edi ed by Ki s y Lusk and Willy Maley, 149-52. Edinbu gh: Lua h, 2016. Thomson, De ick. An In oduc ion o Gaelic Poe y. Edinbu gh: Edinbu gh Uni e si y P ess, 1989. Thomson, De ick, ed. Bà dachd na Roinn-Eò pa an Gàidhlig / Eu opean Poe y in Gaelic. Glasgow: Gai m Publica ions, 1990. Thomson, De ick. C eachadh na Clà saich / Plunde ing he Ha p. Edinbu gh: MacDonald, 1982. Thomson, De ick. Smeu an Dòchais / B amble o Hope. Edinbu gh: Canonga e, 1991. Thomson, De ick. “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.