Maoilios Caimbeul (''Myles Campbell''; born 23 March 1944) is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

writer of

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

and

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

. He writes in

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 ...

. Caimbeul, whose forename 'Maoilios' means "servant of Jesus" in Scottish Gaelic,Meaning, origin and history of the name Maoilios
/ref> was born in

Staffin Staffin () is a township with the Gaelic name ''An Taobh Sear'', which translates as "the East Side", on the northeast coast of the Trotternish peninsula on the Isle of Skye. It is located on the A855 road about north of Portree and is over ...

on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

to a

Free Church of Scotland In contemporary usage, the Free Church of Scotland usually refers to: * Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), that portion of the original Free Church which remained outside the 1900 merger; extant It may also refer to: * Free Church of Scotland (1 ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

father and spent much of his childhood travelling between the isles of

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...

and

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

. He joined the Merchant Navy at the age of sixteen and consequently experienced a wide variety of nations and cultures. It was not until he was 26 that he became fully literate in

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

(though he had always been a fluent speaker and capable of reading) and at 30 he graduated from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and

Jordanhill College Jordanhill College of Education was a higher education college in Jordanhill, Glasgow, Scotland. It opened as a teacher training college in 1921. The college merged with the University of Strathclyde in 1993, becoming its Faculty of Educati ...

before embarking upon a career teaching

. He spent time teaching in Tobermory,

Mull Mull may refer to: Places *Isle of Mull, a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides ** Sound of Mull, between the Isle of Mull and the rest of Scotland * Mount Mull, Antarctica * Mull Hill, Isle of Man * Mull, Arkansas, a place along Arkansas Highwa ...

and

Gairloch Gairloch ( ; , meaning "Short Loch") is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. A tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a ...

. As well as being a prominent poet, Maoilios is also noted as a writer of

and

. He has won numerous prizes for his writing and is known for his writing both within Scotland and internationally. He was crowned the Bard at the

Royal National Mòd The Royal National Mòd () is an Eisteddfod-inspired international Celtic festival focusing upon Scottish Gaelic literature, traditional music, and culture which is held annually in Scotland. It is the largest of several major Scottish Mòd ...

in 2002 and he was the

writer in residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (; ) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, Scotland with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay. Sabhal Mòr is an independent Academic Part ...

for 2008.

Bibliography

Poetry * ''Eileanan'' (1980) * ''Bailtean'' (1987) * ''A’ Càradh an Rathaid'' (1988) * ''A’ Gabhail Ris'' (1994) * ''Saoghal Ùr'' (2002) * ''Breac a’ Mhuiltein'' (2007) *'' Dà Thaobh a' Bhealaich'' (2009) *'' Tro Chloich na Sùla'' (2014) *'' An Dà Anam'' (2016) *'' Gràs/Grace'' (2019) Fiction * ''TEAS'' (2010) * ''Dòrlach Sil'' (2021) *'' Clann a' Phrofeasair'' (1988) *'' Talfasg'' (1990) *'' Mèirlich nam Bradan'' (1991) *'' À Ulbha gu Geelong'' (1992) *'' Iain agus na Drogaichean'' (1993) *'' Murt ann an Diùrainis'' (1993) *'' Caisteal nan Sgràgan'' (2002) *'' An Triùir agus Lùbag'' (2016) Biography *'' Island Conversion'' (2011)

References

External links

BBC Bio - Làrach nam Bàrd

Personal Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caimbeul, Maoilios 1944 births Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Strathclyde People from the Isle of Skye Sabhal Mòr Ostaig 21st-century Scottish Gaelic poets Living people Scottish Gaelic dramatists and playwrights Scottish Gaelic novelists 20th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish writers 20th-century Scottish Gaelic poets