100 Dàn as Fheàrr Leinn
Chuir sinn beagan cheistean air Jo NicDhòmhnaill agus Pàdraig MacAoidh, a dheasaich an leabhar iongantach ùr ‘100 Dàn as Fheàrr Leinn’!
We asked Jo MacDonald and Peter Mackay, who edited the new book ‘100 Favourite Gaelic Poems’ some questions!
An innis thu dhuinn beagan mu do dheidhinn fhèin airson toiseach tòiseachaidh?
JO: ’S ann à Leòdhas a tha mi ged a tha mi an-diugh a’ fuireach san Eilean Sgitheanach. Thug mi iomadh bliadhna ag obair do Roinn na Gàidhlig aig a’ BhBC far an robh ùidh shònraichte agam ann am prògraman aithriseach, litreachas, dualchas agus foghlam. Tha mi nise ag obair air mo cheann fhèin mar rannsaiche, sgrìobhaiche, deasaiche, eadar-theangair agus craoladair.
PÀDRAIG: ’S ann à Leòdhas a tha mi fhìn cuideachd, ach tha mi air a bhith a’ fuireach far an eilean airson a’ mhòr-chuid dem bheatha. Bha mi a’ fuireach greis ann an Eireann, agus b’ àbhaist dhomh a bhith ag obair mar neach-naidheachd aig a’ BhBC; tha mi a-nis a’ fuirech ann an Dùn Èideann agus mi nam oraidiche ann an litreachas aig Oilthigh Chill Rìmhinn. Tha mi air dà leabhar bhàrdachd a’ sgrìobhadh – Gu Leòr (2015) agus Nàdur De (2020) – agus bha mi cuideachd nam cho-dheasaiche air An Leabhar Liath (2016) agus Modern Irish and Scottish Poetry (2011).
Dè thug ort an leabhar a sgrìobhadh?
JO: Fhuair mi cuireadh bho Phàdraig obrachadh còmhla ris air an leabhar agus cha b’e ruith ach leum a rinn mi!
PÀDRAIG: An dèidh mar a dh’fhoillsich Luath An Leabhar Liath, thàinig Gavin MacDougall – stiùiriche Luath – rium, a’ faighneachd an dùil am biodh e freagarrach duanaire de bhàrdachd sa Ghàidhlig a chur air dòigh mar phàirt dhen sreath aca 100 Favourite Scottish… Deagh bheachd! Ach abair dùbhlan cuideachd – a bhith a’ taghadh dìreach 100 dàn à beartas dualchas na Gàidhlig. Agus le sin, bha mi airson gum biodh Jo an sàs ann cuideachd, leis an sàr-eolàs agus toinisg a th’ aice – agus gum biodh sinn a’ sìreadh beachdan fada ’s farsaing…
Cò ris a bha am pròiseas sgrìobhaidh coltach? An do ghabh e ùine mhòr / ciamar a thagh thu na dàin?
JO: Bha am pròiseas taghaidh gu math inntinneach, gu h-àraidh ann a bhith a’ feuchainn ri dàin a thaghadh bho iomadh linn, bho iomadh ceàrnaidh, de dh’ iomadh seòrsa agus air iomadh cuspair. Thàinig molaidhean a bha cuideachail bhon mhòr-shluagh agus bha am panail de dh’ eòlaichean a bh’ againn (Iain Dòmhnallach, Mòrag NicNèill, Dòmhnall U Moireasdan agus Eilidh NicCarmaig) air leth taiceil agus cuideachail. Ach aig a’ cheann thall bha aig Pàdraig agus agam fhìn ris an taghadh a dhèanamh. Chaidh againn air tighinn gu aonta gun sabaid ’s gun a dhol a-mach air a chèile!
PÀDRAIG: Bha e cho feumail molaidhean fhaighinn on mhòr-shluagh, gus ar cuimhne a chur air dàin agus òrain an robh sinn air diochuimhnicheadh air neo a bha ùr dhuinn - dhomh fhìn co-dhiù! – agus gu h-àraidh daoine a mhol dàin aca fhèin air neo a bha san teaghlach aca. Tuilleadh air sin, thug sinn seachad ùine mhòr a’ tilleadh gu leabhraichean agus irisean on latha an diugh agus o na linntean air fhalbh, gus blas fhaighinn a-rithist air iomadachd guthan agus stoidhlean. Cothrom iongantach a bha sin, a’ lorg às ùr corra sheud, corra adhbhar iongnaidh.
An robh duilgheadas sam bith agaibh le eadar-theangachadh?
JO: Tha mi a’ smaoineachadh gur e ceist dha Pàdraig a tha seo oir ’s esan a rinn an obair mhòr ag eadar-theangachadh.
PÀDRAIG: Mar thoiseach-thoiseachaidh, chur mi romham gum bi na eadar-theangachaidhean faisg air brìth a’ Ghàidhlig – faisg gu leòr, co-dhiù, gum b’ urrainn dha leughadair a bhith a’ leantainn an dà dhreach aig an aon àm, gun a dhol air chall ro thric, agus gum bi am Beurla a bha mi a’ cleachdadh faisg air Beurla là an-diugh (gun a bhith a’ cleachdadh Beurla an 18mh linn deug airson ‘Birlinn Clann Raghnaill’, can). Ach tha sin a’ ciallachadh nach b’ urrainn dhuinn a bhith a’ leantainn meatarachd agus comhardadh ann an dòigh cunbhalach – tha feum an còmhnaidh a bhith taghadh eadar an dà shlighe. Airson cuid de na eadar-theangaidhean, bha mi ag obair còmhla ri sean charaid, Iain S. Mac a’ Phearsain, a tha cho ealanta air Gàidhlig tro na linntean, agus thug Jo seachad beachdan a bhith cho feumail sa ghabhas. Ach fhathast tha dàn neo dhà ann far an robh a’ Ghàidhlig cho brìoghmhor nach b’ urrainn dhomh tighinn faisg orra ann an cùmhachd agus neart.
A bheil dàn as fheàrr agad fhèin bhon leabhar?
JO: Tha iomadh dàn san leabhar air a bheil mi air leth measail – cuid air a bheil cuimhne agam bho bha mi beag, cuid a dh’ ionnsaich mi san sgoil ’s san oilthigh, cuid a chuala mi an toiseach air an leughadh le na bàird a rinn iad, cuid air a bheil mi dèidheil mar òrain. An-diugh tha am pìos goirid aig a’ Phuilean (Aonghas Caimbeul) a th’ anns an leabhar a’ ruith air m’ inntinn. Sgrìobh esan e is e a’ smaoineachadh air cò ris a bhiodh saorsa coltach nuair a gheibheadh e mach à campa prìosanaich tìd’ a’ chogaidh agus ann an linn Covid-19 bidh mi uaireannan a’ smaoineachadh air rudan a bu mhath leam a dhèanamh mur a bithinn glaiste aig an taigh. Ach … a-màireach ’s dòcha gur e dàn eile a bhios nam cheann.
PÀDRAIG: ’S e rud cho pearsanta a th’ ann am bàrdachd agus a bhith gan leughadh, gu h-àraidh nuair a tha e agad air bàrr do theanga, agus tha cuid de na dàin san leabhar a-nis gam thathadh (mar bu chòir): ‘An Claigeann’ le Dùghall Bòchanan, nach robh mi air leughadh airson corra bhliadhna, air neo an dàn gun urra ‘Bruadair Deirdre’. Agus tha meas mòr orm airson an duanag le Flòraidh NicPhàil aig deireadh an leabhair, ‘Duan an Dannsair’ – dàn cho aotrom ach tomadach aig an aon àm. Och, tha iad uile a-nis a’ bualadh orm ann an dòighean eadar-dhealaichte, a’ taomadh a-steach orm!
TRANSLATION
To start, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
JO: I am from Lewis although I currently live in the Isle of Skye. I spent many years working for the BBC’s Gaelic Department where I had particular interest in documentaries and programmes about literacy, tradition and education. I now work as a freelance researcher, writer, editor, translator and broadcaster.
PÀDRAIG: I am also from Lewis, but I have lived away from the island for most of my life. I lived in Ireland for a while and used to work as a journalist at the BBC; I now live in Edinburgh and am a lecturer of literature at the University of St Andrews. I have written two poetry books – Gu Leòr (2015) and Nàdur De (2020). I also co-edited An Leabhar Liath (2016) and Modern Irish and Scottish Poetry (2011)
What made you want to write the book?
JO: I got an invitation from Pàdraig to work with him on the book and I jumped at the opportunity.
PÀDRAIG: Following the publication of An Leabhar Liath, Gavin MacDougall – the Director of Luath – approached me and asked if it would be possible to compile an anthology of Gaelic poetry as part of their ‘100 Favourite Scottish…’ series. Great idea! But what a challenge too – to only choose 100 poems from the wealth of Gaelic tradition. With that, I wanted Jo to be a part of it too, with her expertise and intelligence.
What was the writing process like? Did it take a long time / how did you choose the poems?
JO: The selection process was very interesting, especially trying to select poems from many centuries, from all regions, of many kinds and on many subjects. The public gave helpful suggestions and the panel of experts (John MacDonald, Mòrag MacNeil, Donald W. Morrison and Eilidh Cormack) were very supportive and helpful. But in the end, Peter and I had to make the choice. We managed to reach an agreement without fighting or falling out with each other!
PÀDRAIG: It was very useful to get suggestions from the public, to remind us of poems and songs that we had forgotten or were new to us – at least for me! – and especially people who suggested their own poems or those of their family. In addition, we spent a great deal of time returning to books and magazines from today and from the past, to get a taste for the many different voices and styles. It was a wonderful opportunity, rediscovering some gems and some surprises.
Did you have any problems with translating?
JO: I think this is a question for Peter since he did the big job of translating.
PÀDRAIG: To start, I decided that the translations would be close to the Gaelic language – close enough, at least, so that a reader could follow both versions at the same time without getting lost too often, and that the English I used will be close to modern English (without using 18th century English for, say, ‘Birlinn Clann Raghnaill’). However, that means that we can’t follow metrics and rhyme consistently - there is always a choice to be made. For some of the translations, I worked with an old friend, Iain S. MacPherson, who has been an expert of Gaelic through the ages, and Jo provided very useful ideas. But there are still a couple of poems where the Gaelic was so substantial that I could not approach them in power and strength.
Do you have a favourite poem from the book?
JO: There are many poems in the book that I really like – some that I remember from my childhood, some that I learned in school and university, some that I first heard read by the poets who wrote them, some I am fond of as songs. Today, the short piece from Angus Peter Campbell, which is in the book, runs through my mind. He wrote it thinking what freedom would be like when he got out of a prison-of-war camp and in the Covid-19 era I sometimes think of things I wish to do if I wasn’t stuck at home. But… tomorrow it may be another poem stuck in my head.
PÀDRAIG: Poetry is such a personal thing, especially when you have it on the tip of your tongue, and some of the poems in the book are now welded to me (as they should): ‘An Claigeann’ by Dugald. Bòchanan, which I had not read for a few years, or the poem ‘Bruadair Deirdre’ without an author. I am very fond of the poem by Flòra MacPhail at the end of the book, ‘Duan an Dannsair’ – a poem so light yet bulky at the same time. Och, they all affect me differently, pouring into me!