Northwords Now

New writing, fresh from Scotland and the wider North
Sgrìobhadh ùr à Alba agus an Àird a Tuath

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Madman of the Glen

by Rody Gorman

Woodman, what’s the story?
Your voice is pitiable,
Tell me what made you lose
Your wits and appearance.

I would tell you my background
And the scale of the deeds I’ve done
If I wasn’t scared of the shaggy crowd
In the king’s inn-house.

I’m Alan
That used to go to many a skirmish
With eagles, everyone calls me
The madmen early and fast in the glens.

I’m the coalman’s son, Sweeney,
I’m from the Bush,
It’s all the easier for us
To have our conversation here, man.


Extract from forthcoming Sweeney: an intertonguing by Rody Gorman

Rody Gorman’s Sweeney, An Intertonguing is published this spring by Francis Boutle Publishers. The work is multilingual version of Buile Shuibhne, in English, Irish, Scottish and Manx Gaelic with lingua gadelica, phonemic pieces and round-trip translations. Pre-publication reactions to the work have been full of praise, with words such as ‘extraordinary’, ‘masterpiece’ and ‘magnificent’ used by more than one eminent commentator. Ed.

Bás Gan SagartPoem by Rody Gorman
Cuckoo!Poem by Rody Gorman
CursePoem by Rody Gorman
Dear to mePoem by Rody Gorman
Fatal ShotPoem by Rody Gorman
Hag of the MillPoem by Rody Gorman
In BattlePoem by Rody Gorman
Madman of the GlenPoem by Rody Gorman
MoylinneyPoem by Rody Gorman
My Night In KildervilaPoem by Rody Gorman
Myself and YourselfPoem by Rody Gorman
TherePoem by Rody Gorman
Young MenPoem by Rody Gorman

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