Féach orthu, iad ag cleasaíocht agus – b’fhéidir –
ag leigheas; ina seasamh i soilseacht
ardán ilchineálacha, ag díriiú ar chuanta nua,
ag smaoineamh siar, ag treabhadh leo.
‘Look! They are playing again, they are flitting./Stepping into the spotlights/of all kinds of stages./Setting out to sea. Unforgetting.’ So writes the Scottish Gaelic poet Pàdraig Mac Aoidh in his poem Colmcille. It captures the spirit of the IMRAM Irish-Language Literature festival, evoking the artistic and dramatic voyaging at the heart of our programming.
Pàdraig will read from his work at Gloine na Mara, a multi-media poetry show showcasing the best of modern Scottish Gaelic poetry. His work paints vivid portraits of people within myriad landscapes – from monks sailing stormy seas to a gas canister delivery man in a Barcelona tenement. He’ll be joined by Deborah Moffat, whose poems explore myths and legends from South America, Canada, Scotland and Ireland; Meg Bateman, whose work touches on personal love and loss amidst the brooding presences of the Scottish Islands; and Marcas Mac an Tuairnear, whose collection Polaris was praised by The Scotsman for the ‘remarkable polyphony’ of its ‘retelling of history that prioritises marginalised and overlooked voices; including, movingly, the Jewish community in Scotland’.
These poets will read their original poems in Scottish Gaelic, with Simon Ó Faoláin reading transcreations into Irish by himself and Paddy Bush, to a musical backdrop composed and performed by Colm Ó Snodaigh. The show will also feature on-screen visuals from Margaret Lonergan, using the work of Scottish photographer Cailean MacGill-Ean from the Outer Hebrides.
Colmcille is at the heart of Donegal writer Proinsias Mac an Bhaird’s Flaitheas, praised by Cathal Póirtéir in Books Ireland as ‘a wonderful historical novel, full of the sights, smells and sounds of Ireland 1,500 years ago’. Proinsias is one of three readers at Ó Ghleann go Gleann, a celebration of writing from Ireland’s Gaeltacht areas. Also reading is Jackie Mac Donncha from Connemara, whose novel Oiread na Fríde tells a story of love, guilt and coming of age against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic. Catherine Foley is a poet, memoirist and novelist. In Cúisle an Chósta she explores the landscapes and culture of the Ring Gaeltacht. These readers will be joined by singer Emma Ní Fhíoruisce. From Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal, her singing is influenced by both local traditional sources, as well as soul and pop music.
Sreang Dofheicthe/Invisible String is IMRAM’s flagship musical project this year. It draws on the beautiful autumnal and winter landscapes of Taylor Swift’s albums folklore and evermore, released during the pandemic of 2020. I found myself mesmerised by the gorgeous lyrical worlds of these songs. Swift speaks of how in lockdown, her muse was triggered by images that popped into her mind. These include a cardigan that bears the scent of loss; a tree swing in woods recalled from childhood; sinking battleships; and hands held through plastic. She also talks of the lines between fantasy and reality blurring; and of stories becoming myths, legends – becoming folklore. And at the heart of these songs are also intertwined narratives of life and love in a small American town. This project finds the songs transcreated into Irish by poet Gabriel Rosenstock and singer Róisín Seoighe from Connemara, who will sing them with band IMLÉ in the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire.
Folklore, of course, is at the very heart of Irish language literature. A traditional storyteller known for captivating live performances, Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair is the author of the critically acclaimed An Craiceann agus a Luach, a retelling in verse of the myth of the mermaid who marries a mortal man after he has secretly stolen and hidden the magic cloak she needs to return to her underwater world. IMRAM is delighted to stage her show based on the book, featuring Eithne reading to a score written by composer and guitar genius Steve Cooney, who will be joined by a band that includes Cormac Breatnach, Billy MagFhloinn, Robbie Perry, Dermot Byrne and Odhrán Ó Casaide.
Hailing from the same Donegal Gaeltacht as Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair was the one of the greatest writers in modern Irish language literature, Seosamh Mac Grianna. One of the finest translators of modern English classic into Irish, he produced an acclaimed version of Joseph Conrad’s Alymayer’s Folly, rendered in Irish as Díth Céille Almayer.
At the core of Mac Grianna’s own work is a solitary man entering the heart of darkness. He visits the bleak storm-lashed mining towns of Wales in his strange novel of wandering, Mo Bhealach Féin. His unfinished novel Dá mBíodh Ruball ar an Éan (If the Bird Had a Tail) might have been the definitive novel of modern urban Ireland had it been completed. As it stands, it is a strange work, full of political and moral intrigue. He evokes a demi-monde of corruption, nascent fascism, lies, morally corrupt artists, the dark end of the street of 1930s Dublin writ large. During that period, Mac Grianna himself lived in Dublin, moved restlessly from one address to another, whilst making a living from journalism and translation. In her special IMRAM lecture in the Teachers Club, Léarscail Litríochta, Gearóidín Uí Laighléis takes us on a journey to the heart of Mac Grianna’s Dublin, giving us a new view of Mac Grianna both as a person and as a writer.
This year’s IMRAM also celebrates the life and work of Clíodhna Cussen, who was a force of nature in Irish cultural life – a remarkable sculptor, painter, novelist and poet. In Clochdánta/The poetry of stone, her husband Pádraig Ó Snodaigh, will read from a beautiful suite of poems about their life together. There will also be music from her sons Rossa and Colm, from the band Kíla. Biddy Jenkinson will read selections of Clíodhna’s poetry and prose. Other writers and artists on this year’s eclectic programme include singer Sexy Tadhg, known for their jaw-dropping live shows; poets Rita Kelly, Louis de Paor, and Julie Goo. All in all, we promise another thrilling voyage into the swirling and magical seas of the very best of modern literature in Irish.
Liam Carson is director of IMRAM, which runs from November 7th-16th. Programme details at imram.ie
