As others don’t see us – re-telling history in Scottish Gaelic theatre

Since the first plays were staged in Gaelic at the start of the twentieth century, one of the most common themes or subjects has been the retelling of historical events pertaining to the lives of the Gaelic people. These representations have often challenged the established portrayal of events or brought to light overlooked incidents. This paper will discuss a selection of ‘historical plays’1 and will consider how they challenge the received portrayal of historic events with a version which brings forward a Gaelic perspective. The plays under discussion are: Dòmhnall Mac na Ceàrdaich’s “Fearann a Shinnsir” (‘The Land of his Forebears’, 1913); Tormod Calum Dòmhnallach’s “Aimhreit Aignis” (‘The Aignish Riots’, 1988) and An Ceistear, Am Bàrd ’s na Boirionnaich (‘The Catechist, The Bard and the Women’, 1974), and two historical plays from the last decade: Màiri Nic’IlleMhoire’s “Bana-Ghaisgich” (‘Heroines’, 2018) and Muireann Kelly with Frances Poet’s “Scotties” (2018).