An Leabhar Mòr to be launched in Dublin
11 September 2008
The new edition of An Leabhar Mòr, The Great Book of Gaelic, was launched by Pròiseact nan Ealan and Colmcille in Edinburgh on 29th August 2008. Published by The O’ Brien Press, the book is a major contemporary artwork that brings together the work of more than 200 visual artists, poets and calligraphers from Scotland and Ireland. Following the successful Scottish launch with MSP Mike Russell, the book will be launched in Dublin by Éamon Ó Cuív, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs at Foras na Gaeilge on 16th September.
Mike Russell, Minister for the Environment, welcomed the new edition: “Over the years there have been many initiatives that have successfully linked Ireland and Scotland, and An Leabhar Mòr exemplifies the rich linguistic and cultural heritage that we share. An Leabhar Mòr has both local and universal appeal. It is derived from a small language community on the edge of Europe and yet its themes are universal, and recognised by people throughout the world. In my opinion, the body of work associated with An Leabhar Mòr work epitomises the best that Gaelic has to offer both users and non-users of the language, at home and overseas.”
The Scottish launch was attended by artists, calligraphers and poets who contributed to the Great Book. Entertainment was provided by bards, musicians and singers, such as Margaret Bennett, poet Aonghas “Dubh” MacNeacail, who read from the book and Cathal McConnell, of the Boys of Lough, on the whistle.
Representing Ireland, Aodán Mac Póilin, Director of the ULTACH Trust, a cross-community Irish language organisation said “It is a project that has brought me a great deal of joy and a great deal of frustration... the frustration was to do with the fact that the hardback edition of the Leabhar Mòr sold out in Scotland within weeks. The hardback copy of the Leabhar Mòr has never been available in shops in Ireland. For the last six years I’ve been running a bootleg service for friends and acquaintances to smuggle hardback copies into Ireland, and I still have a waiting list as long as my arm. I’m therefore both proud and relieved that Colmcille went into partnership with Pròiseact nan Ealan to publish the second edition.
“The Leabhar Mòr makes connections. It makes connections between Ireland and Scotland, between literature and the visual arts, between poetry and song, between Irish and Scottish Gaelic, between one and a half millennia of Gaelic civilization and the English-speaking world. There is more to the Leabhar Mòr than its aesthetic value, or its value as a taster of Gaelic civilization. It is also a Gaelic project without a trace of either cultural cringe or of exaggerated assertiveness. The Leabhar Mòr, powerfully and eloquently, spits in the face of the despotism of fact”.
An Leabhar Mòr has moved from strength to strength since its initial publication in 2002. An international touring exhibition of 100 artworks used in the book is still on the road 6 years later. Having completed a successful tour of Ireland in 2006 -2007 the Great Book Exhibition has recently delighted audiences throughout Canada and is currently working its way round an extensive tour of North America. The tour demonstrates the unique nature of the project, its sustainability and long-term impact on audiences throughout the world. The exhibition has already toured to more than 100 locations in 5 countries, and has been seen by more than 1 million people including visits to over 100 schools.
An Leabhar Mòr has many facets – the touring exhibition, a TV documentary and DVD (Is Mise an Teanga), a CD of songs, a series of BBC radio progammes, and a school’s education pack. In addition to these, the Edinburgh launch also welcomed the new Leabhar Mòr website and online shop, where the book and related merchandise are now available. The website can be found at www.leabharmor.net and contains a host of background information, including blogs and pictures, and copies of all the poetry and imagery used.
