An extraordinary collaborative project combining the work of leading Irish and Scottish artists, poets, calligraphers and typographers will be displayed in county Clare throughout September. The Great Book of Gaelic - or Leabhar Mór na Gaeilge - is regarded as a modern day ‘Book of Kells’ and highlights the vibrancy of contemporary Celtic culture whilst showcasing its distinguished history.

At the outset of The Leabhar Mór project, 100 artists were asked to respond to 100 poems chosen by leading contemporary Gaelic poets. Four years in the making, the book’s eventual release coincided with a lead exhibition at The Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, which ran until March 2003. It has since spawned a five-year touring international artworks exhibition, a website, a TV documentary, a series of BBC radio programmes, a music CD, and a schools pack. Following the world tour, the artworks will be bound and placed on permanent exhibition in Dublin and Edinburgh. One notable Clare link with the book is Deirdre O’Mahony, an artist living and working in the county for over 10 years, who was selected to participate in the project.

The project has been developed by the Gaelic Arts Agency ‘Proiseact Nan Ealan’. Describing the project, its Director Malcolm MacLean said, “The Leabhar Mór celebrates the richness of the Gaelic language and how it is perceived by contemporary artists. It is about process as well as product.” According to Siobhán Mulcahy, Arts Officer with Clare County Council, “It is these relationships that are of particular interest in this visit of the Leabhar Mór to Clare”. Ms. Mulcahy continued, “Twinned with the Scottish Western Isles, Clare seemed a logical place for the artworks to visit.”

Both regions share a mythology, history, a rich music tradition and languages - a fact of which most people are only vaguely aware. A great deal of what has been an enduring connection, however, has been glossed over or deliberately obscured. It was the Irish Gaels known as Scoti, who invaded Scotland in the 5th century and gave it their name. The most famous artefact from Ireland’s golden age, the Book of Kells, almost certainly has its origins on the Scottish island of Iona. It was the Gaels who united Scotland in the 9th century and made Gaelic the language of the medieval court. The ‘Irish’ Gaelic culture of the Scottish Highlands survived that of Ireland itself by a century and a half. We know that the Scots ‘planted’ Northern Ireland from the 17th century but it is not so widely known that hundreds of thousands of Irish people migrated to Scotland between 1850 and 1950. The interwoven pattern of their histories continues with the parallel emergence of the new Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Amidst the ebb and flow of history the Book of Kells has become a fixed symbol of the complexity and sophistication of the shared culture that produced it. The Gaelic language remains their most potent living link. Dubbed a 21st century Book of Kells, The Great Book of Gaelic brings together 15 centuries of Scottish and Irish culture to celebrate the mythologies, traditions and language that bind them together. The Great Book of Gaelic, through the Gaelic community aims to create another great work of art that renews the connection between Gaelic Scotland and Ireland and celebrates the diverse strands of contemporary Celtic culture.

“The artworks resonated deeply with me when I first saw them on show in Cork’s Glucksman Gallery. I was determined to bring them to Clare. Such a move has been made possible with the support of the Arts Council of Ireland and Clare County Council. A month-long exhibition will be divided between Glór Irish Music Centre and the De Valera Library in Ennis, and the new Gallery at Ennistymon Courthouse”, she concluded.

The project is funded by the Scottish Arts Council, An Chomhairle Ealaoin, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Columba Initiative, the Millennium Festival, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Comataidh Craolaidh Gaidhlig and the British Council. Artists whose work is included in the exhibition include Deirdre O’Mahony, Tom Fitzgerald, Ronnie Hughes, Brian Maguire, Remco De Fouw and Robert Ballagh.

For further information contact the Arts Office of Clare County Council on 065 6846267 or email arts@clarelibrary.ie.

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Notes to Editors:
- Siobhán Mulcahy, Arts Officer, Clare County Council is available for interview. Call 0656846267 or email siobhan.mulcahy@clarelibrary.ie.