Sorley MacLean's Island (clip)
Documentary about the Gaelic poet
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Description
The Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean recites his poetry and discusses his work with fellow writer Iain Crichton Smith. This extract begins with views of Skye looking onto Raasay. Sorley MacLean and Iain Crichton Smith discuss the demise of the Gaelic language. Views of the Cuillin Mountains, Skye. "Nuair Bha Mi Og" sung by Dolina MacLennan. Sorley MacLean and Iain Crichton Smith take a boat ride over to Raasay with a voice-over of MacLean talking about the influence of Raasay and its history on his writing. Shots of a graveyard and sheep shearing on Raasay. The clip finishes with MacLean reading from this poetry.
Questions & Activities
Questions
- How does Sorley MacLean explain why Gaelic is declining?
- Why might children not want to speak Gaelic? Why are people afraid of being different?
- Where is Raasay? What was its original name and what did it mean?
- What is an island culture? What islands traditionally speak Gaelic?
- What are the Highland Clearances?
- Do you think Raasay was over-populated?
Activities
Gaelic: Research what has happen to Gaelic since this film was made and how it was orchestrated.
Gaelic / History: Research the role of the 1883 Napier Commission and the policy changes that came out of it.
History: Sorley MacLean refers to overpopulation as being the excuse used for many of the Highland Clearances. Research who came up with this idea and how this view was propagated. How were the Highland Clearances orchestrated and in what way did the local population defended themselves - culminating in the Battle of the Braes. As an extension, Sorley MacLean mentions that he hopes these experiences will be of help to other groups experiencing clearances and oppression. Discuss who this might be, for example, Amazonian Indians, Somali Fishermen (piracy) etc.
English / Gaelic: Discuss / Debate: Why is language diversity important and what aspects of language are unique to specific languages. What if anything would Scotland lose if Gaelic, Doric and Scots died out completely?
Clip Details
| Record Id | 007-000-004-125-C |
|---|---|
| Resource Rights Holder | National Library of Scotland |
| Project Ref | 3141 |
| Date | 1974 |
| Genre | Documentary, Arts |
| School Subject | Gaelic, English, Geography, History |
| Subject Matter | Literacy, Clearances |
| Who | Douglas Eadie (director), Ogam Films (production company), Scottish Arts Council and Films of Scotland (sponsor) |
| Where | Raasay |
| Attributes | Colour, Sound |
| Clip Length | 11:30 |
| Film Length | 22:21 |