Gaelic has been connected to Scotland’s culture for centuries.
The language’s origins are thought to be around 2,000 years old and its traditions remain inherent to many Gaelic communities today.
Gaelic music is similarly woven into the fabric of Scotland.
But one man could be about to give the art form a completely new transformation.
“What I really want to do is to prove that Gaelic cultures can be contemporary as well as traditional,” says Marcas Mac an Tuairneir, a Gaelic poet and singer-songwriter who has just released his debut album, Speactram (which translates as spectrum in English).
“I would love to see myself as a pioneer of the new genre of GaelPop.”
Gaelic roots
Originally from Yorkshire and a descendant of Irish Gaelic grandparents, Marcas honed in on his Gaelic roots while studying at the University of Aberdeen.
With his mother having fond memories of studying Scottish literature at the University of Dundee, she pushed Marcas to also head to Scotland when it came time for him to leave school.
Years before then, she had been guiding Marcas towards the creative path he finds himself on now by displaying his childhood poems around the family home.
“My mum really encouraged me with poetry and she’s kept pieces that I’ve written from being a kid, which is so nice,” says Marcas.
“I grew up with a lot of Scottish and Irish music in the house. The first time I heard Gaelic was through Runrig on the school run!
“Then when I came to Aberdeen, I was made to feel that we were the next generation of Gaelic speakers and be the ones to take it forward in modern society.
“There was a strong Gaelic community in the city, there was lots going on and it was really welcoming.”
Musical dreams
After finishing his studies, Marcas quickly earned himself a reputation as an acclaimed Gaelic poet and writer.
But deep down, there was another creative pursuit he felt he had to pursue: music.
“Music was very much a hobby growing up which my parents supported, but I wasn’t encouraged for it to be my core focus,” Marcas explains.
“I remember singing and dancing along to so many things as a kid thinking I was a pop singer.
“But it wasn’t until I started to have a professional foot-in with my poetry that I started to look back on it.
“It was always a dream of mine to make my own album and I thought this would be my last chance – so I went for it.”
GaelPop sensation
It was while Marcas was working on a writing commission that he discovered a gap in Gaelic popular music that he felt he could bridge.
“There were Gaelic-speaking bands and musicians such as 101 Band and Na Soluis Dhuibh that were playing around with the sounds of pop music in the early ’80s,” says Marcas.
“But towards the end of the decade, they just stopped doing it.
“That made me think that there was a point of contact for my own project – to bring through this pop music element in Gaelic that never really got off the ground.”
With his new album Speactram, Marcas is pioneering a new wave for Gaelic popular music which is being branded as GaelPop.
He fuses contemporary pop songwriting and production with Gaelic language across Speactram’s 14 tracks, harnessing a wide range of personal and social narratives in the lyrics from relationships to social media.
Bruidhinn (which translates as speak in English) is one the album’s key tracks.
Marcas wrote it in response to abuse that he often sees Gaelic speakers receiving online and the song aims to fight back against tropes that Gaelic doesn’t have a place in contemporary society by its simple call to action: speak.
Breaking boundaries
As a gay, genderqueer man, Marcas is also breaking boundaries by introducing an LGBTQI+ lens to Gaelic popular music.
“I still feel that there’s a lot of silence around LGBTQI+ issues – particularly in Gaelic communities,” says Marcas.
“But I’ve felt that I have the potential to add my own voice to that through my poetry and my music.”
Beyond this, Marcas hopes his work can go on to inspire new generations of both Gaelic and LGBTQI+ creatives.
“If this music can connect with young Gaelic creators, then it’s doing its job,” says Marcas.
“I want to challenge the dominance of the English language on radio in particular – that’s why I’ve made music that is absolutely chart-friendly.
“There’s a new generation of Gaelic creators coming through and it’s really inspiring to see.”
Speactram by Marcas Mac an Tuairneir is available to listen to on all major streaming platforms and was recently featured on BBC Radio 6 Music.
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