An Leabhar Mòr

Great Book of Gaelic

Following a successful tour of Ireland, The Great Book is about to embark on a tour of North America in June 2008. Watch this space for more details.

An ambitious vision that was 7 years in the making and has surpassed everyone’s expectations. Often referred to as the Modern Day Book of Kells, The Great Book of Gaelic brought together more than 150 poets, visual artists, calligraphers and typographers from Ireland and Scotland. Between them they have left an enduring legacy that will captivate generation after generation.

Perhaps the most enduring element of the project has been the collaboration of hundreds of people spanning political, geographical and technological boundaries brought together with a common aim. The Great Book of Gaelic tells, through written and visual Arts, the story of a culture in a format that itself transcends normal boundaries.

The Book contains 100 poems in Scots and Irish Gaelic together with their English translation. Fifty visual artists in both countries have created new artworks inspired by a single poem chosen from the one hundred. The original artwork was made to a specified scale on hand-made paper that offer a variety of surfaces, including light sensitive, and be sensitive to a range of media. Then a small team of calligraphers and typographers worked in collaboration with the artists and poets to integrate the selected lines of poetry and the artists’ images.

Launched at the start of the new Millennium this book gives the Gaelic language a bridge between its roots, recent history and future. Capturing, forever, the rich and diverse creativity within Gaelic Culture whilst looking to a bright and buoyant future.