''Gairm'' was a

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

quarterly magazine founded in 1951 by

Derick Thomson Derick Smith Thomson (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ruaraidh MacThòmais''; 5 August 1921, Stornoway – 21 March 2012, Glasgow) was a Scottish poet, publisher, lexicographer, academic and writer. He was originally from Lewis, but spent much of his life ...

, and

Finlay J. MacDonald Finlay John Macdonald (; 4 July 1925 – 14 October 1987) was a Scottish journalist and radio and television producer and writer. Career Born and raised on Harris in the Outer Hebrides, and a native Gaelic language speaker, was an important fi ...

(Fionnlagh Domhnallach). Its first issue was published in Autumn 1952. MacDonald served as an editor until 1964; Thomson remained present for decades until it ceased publication in 2004, producing just over 200 issues in total. According to Alan Campbell, the magazine was a "one-man show;" he explained that Thomson "sustained something very valuable for a long period of time." Although it had a relatively low circulation, it was influential on Gaelic literature as it was the longest-running Gaelic literary magazine of the 20th century, in circulation for more than twice as long as its predecessor, '' Guth na Bliadhna''. Gairm attempted to encompass a variety of perspectives and themes, and "disseminated a lot of work that we weren't aware of" in the words of Martin MacDonald. The extent to which Gairm was familiar to the wider literate Scottish Gaelic population is unknown, as information about literacy in the language only became available from 1971. Roger Hutchinson stresses the magazine's influence, attracting influential writers including

Sorley MacLean Sorley MacLean (; 26 October 1911 – 24 November 1996) was a Scottish Gaelic poet, described by the Scottish Poetry Library as "one of the major Scottish poets of the modern era" because of his "mastery of his chosen medium and his engagement ...

Iain Crichton Smith Iain Crichton Smith, (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn''; 1 January 1928 – 15 October 1998) was a Scottish people, Scottish poet and novelist, who wrote in both English and Gaelic. He was born in Glasgow, but moved to the Isl ...

George Campbell Hay George Campbell Hay (1915–1984) was a Scottish Symbolist poet and translator, who wrote in Scottish Gaelic, Scots and English. He used the patronymic Deòrsa Mac Iain Dheòrsa. He also wrote poetry in French, Italian and Norwegian, and tr ...

, and Dòmhnall MacAmhlaigh. Some of the most influential Gaelic poems of the twentieth century were published in the magazine, most notably "

Hallaig ''Hallaig'' is the most recognized poem of Sorley MacLean, an important Scottish poet of the 20th century. After writing it, MacLean rose to fame in the English-speaking world. It was originally written in Scottish Gaelic since the author was born ...

" by Sorley MacLean in 1954. ''Gairm'' also published short stories by Eilidh Watt and Iain Crichton Smith. There were also translations (for example the poetry of Anna Achmatova translated by Crìsdean Whyte, Issue 125, Winter 1983–1984) and other Gaelic literary works (by Dòmhnall Eachann Meek or Dòmhnall MacAmhlaigh) were an important part of ''Gairm''. When ''Gairm'' ceased to publish, a new magazine, ''Gath'' (2003–8), took its place, followed by '' Steall'', whose first issue was published in 2016.

Writers for Gairm

* Crìsdean Whyte * Dòmhnall Eachann Meek * Dòmhnall MacAmhlaigh *

Eilidh Watt Eilidh MacAskill Watt (22 January 1908 – 25 August 1996) was a Gaelic broadcaster, teacher, and writer from the Isle of Skye. She was a campaigner for equality and women's rights, and "almost certainly the most prolific of all the writers of s ...

Iain Moireach Iain Moireach (John Murray) (27 March 1938 – 17 November 2018) was a Scottish Gaelic writer from Barvas, Isle of Lewis. He wrote poetry, screenplays, and short stories. He published many short stories in the Gaelic magazines ''Gairm'' and '' ...

Maoilios Caimbeul Maoilios Caimbeul (''Myles Campbell''; born 23 March 1944) is a Scottish writer of poetry, prose and children's literature. He writes in Scottish Gaelic. Caimbeul, whose forename 'Maoilios' means "servant of Jesus" in Scottish Gaelic, was born ...

Catrìona NicGumaraid Catriona NicGumaraid (22 March 1947 – 5 January 2024) was a Scottish Gaelic poet. Biography Catriona NicGumaraid (Montgomery) was born at Roag near Dunvegan. She was educated on Skye and at the University of Glasgow, where she studied Celtic ...

Ruaraidh MacThòmais Derick Smith Thomson (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ruaraidh MacThòmais''; 5 August 1921, Stornoway – 21 March 2012, Glasgow) was a Scottish poet, publisher, lexicographer, academic and writer. He was originally from Isle of Lewis, Lewis, but spent muc ...

* Iain MacLeòid * Anna Frater

References

External links

Editorial records
* An index of articles in ''Gairm'' can be found on th
Am Baile
website using thei
newspaper index
search. 1951 establishments in Scotland Scottish Gaelic magazines Magazines established in 1951 Magazines published in Scotland Scottish Gaelic literature Literary magazines published in Scotland Defunct literary magazines published in the United Kingdom 2004 disestablishments in Scotland Magazines disestablished in 2004 Quarterly magazines published in the United Kingdom {{UK-mag-stub