Poetic People (24): Donald McAulay, Hebridean poet

It is always interesting on holiday to learn about the local poetry scene. We came back from the misty Hebridean isle of Skye a couple of weeks ago.

The photograph above shows a sculpture by Liondsaidh Mairi Chaimbeul of the 'Seobhrach as a' Chlaich' or 'Primrose from the Stone', which is itself the Gaelic title of Donald McAulay's poetry collection of 1967. McAulay has been described as a 'Gaelic modernist par excellence'. McAulay spent his childhood on the island of Lewis, which we saw several times in the distance as waves of light mist came and passed over. The marble on the sculpture comes from Skye and the poem in question is about the possibilities of the rebirth of beauty in - or out of - unfavourable circumstances.

The sculpture graces the path up to Armadale Castle in Sleat.