Anne Lorne Gillies

Home address:

Hapland House, 33 Stewarton Road, Dunlop, Ayrshire, KA3 4DQ

Email:

anne@annelornegillies.co.uk

Website:

annelornegillies.co.uk

Author type:

Writer

BRAW network:

LL funded:

yes

Associated media and resources: 2

Biography:

I used to be “a singer who writes”. Now I’ve turned into “a writer who sings”. I’m a fluent Gaelic speaker and champion of Scottish culture, both Gaelic and Scots. Am proud to have written / produced / presented TV and radio programmes, concerts, theatre shows, community festivals, school plays and political campaigns that celebrated the full diversity of Scotland’s cultural heritage, both Gaelic and Scots; delighted, over the years, to have passed on my store of knowledge, lore and traditional music at workshops, classes, lectures, summer schools and fèisean; grateful for the eccentric family background that placed my feet upon this path.

I was born in the wilds of Stirlingshire and raised near Oban, in a small croft low on modern conveniences but bursting with music, books, conversation and the poetry of the hills. My mother was a cellist posing as a physiotherapist, my father a philosopher posing as a hospital administrator, and my granny a virtuoso violinist who wore a fur coat to the pictures and read the Reader’s Digest in the outside toilet. We milked cows, made hay, thinned turnips and mucked out byres: the neighbours thought we were quite mad, and so, frequently, did we! At school I was blessed by teachers like Iain Crichton Smith (who made it cool to love English Literature) and John Maclean (Sorley’s brother, sunny-natured Rector of the School, who taught me Gaelic songs when I should have been in Latin). I studied at Edinburgh University (in the Faculties of Arts and Music and the School of Scottish Studies); got my PGCE in Swinging 60s London, taught English, history and music dressed in mini-skirt and white boots, and spent my salary on singing lessons with some of Britain’s most august musicians.

For fifteen years I was a full-time singer enjoying TV exposure of which today’s hopefuls can only dream, before becoming immersed in the urgent campaign to save the Gaelic language from extinction – at first on a purely voluntary level, as Patron, parent, and raiser of funds and/or hell, and then professionally – as educationalist, academic, TV producer, writer and political activist. I gained a PhD from the University of Glasgow along the way, became Gaelic Lecturer in the Education Faculty of the University of Strathclyde, and received honorary awards and prizes from other august bodies. But the best reward was to see children (including my own) learning through the medium of Gaelic in classrooms the length and breadth of Scotland, watching attractive, well-produced Gaelic television programmes, and growing into self-confident, creative, multi-lingual members of modern society.

But I have never stopped singing, or writing, teaching or tutoring – as far afield as Seattle, North Carolina, Barra and St Kilda. I am Director of an independent publishing house / production company (Brìgh) which tenders for commissions to produce Gaelic materials for schools (books, education packs etc from pre-school to secondary) and programmes for BBC Alba. This year I was appointed Gaelic Ambassador by the Scottish Government.

About writer's work:

I write in both English and Gaelic: novels for young people and radio and TV scripts in Gaelic (the novel series Àrd-sgoil / High School won An Comunn Gàidhealach’s prize for teenage fiction); autobiography, short stories and film-scripts in English (my magnum opus, Songs of Gaelic Scotland – now in its 3rd edition – was awarded the Ratcliff Prize for ‘a contribution to the study of Folk Lore and Folk Life in Great Britain and Ireland’).

I have just finished editing an anthology of Gaelic children’s poetry, including many of my own poems. A Gaelic graphic fantasy novel for young people, illustrated by myself (An Tàcharan / The Changeling), is currently at the design stage, and two volumes of songs, rhymes and games for the very young, with accompanying CDs (Tudaileam Tarà! 1 agus 2 / Toodleum Tara! 1 and 2!) are due for publication November 2010. Meanwhile I am compiling a companion volume to Songs of Gaelic Scotland and writing a historical novel in English

About writer's events and projects:

Adult / Teens

The Songs of Gaelic Scotland. Five centuries of social and political history –local, national and international, as seen through the eyes of the Gaelic community; told in their own words; transmitted miraculously down five centuries of oral tradition; borne upon “ineffable melodies, that rise like exhalations from the rhythms and resonances of the words – the songs that alone make the thought that the Gaelic language is going to die so intolerable…” (Sorley Maclean, 1985).

A lively and emotive talk by one of Scotland’s most respected musicians, interlaced with songs and extracts from her seminal book Songs of Gaelic Scotland (Birlinn) now in its 3rd edition. (“Impossible for anyone with an interest in the language to put down. The volume contains texts, tunes, and histories behind each and every one of its 151 Gaelic songs. It is packed with classics, and defies the cliché that Gaels sing nothing other than desperately sad love songs.” Scotland on Sunday). The secrets of the songs are unlocked for non-Gaelic speakers through line-by-line English translations of every lyric – both in the book and in live performances (through on-screen “surtitles”).

Recent performances include Aberdeen Word Festival 2010 and Borders Books Festival 2010.

Adult, young people and children (adapted to suit all ages, 7 upwards) Poetry workshops. Exploring ideas and feelings, dreams and dreads – your own and other people’s – through poetry. Designed to develop skills (a) receptive (listening, reading, interpreting etc) and (b) productive (writing, groupwork, reading aloud, illustrating etc) among children / young people of all ages (Gaelic or English).

For example, primary / secondary Gaelic schools residency in Aberdeen, leading to the publication of Leabhar Beag na Gàidhlig / The Little Book of Gaelic (Wordfirsts, 2005). Also Adult workshops in Sabhal Mòr Ostaig / Gaelic College, Short Courses etc.

Story-telling workshops / “oral literature”. (Gaelic or English. NB: No reading or writing materials allowed!) Exploring ideas and feelings, dreams and dreads – your own and other people’s – through stories. Designed to develop skills (a) receptive (listening, interpreting, guessing etc) and (b) productive (speaking, narration, improvised drama etc).

For example, successful workshop series / two-day “residencies” organised by Pròiseact nan Ealain / National Gaelic Arts Agency (2004, 2005); large mixed-ability groups, 3rd year Secondary – Lewis, Harris, Benbecula, Barra.

I also enjoy talking about my own work as a writer / illustrator, especially fiction for young people.

Pre-school, Lower Primary: 3 – 7

Tudaileam tarà / Toodleum tara

Gaelic songs, rhymes, games, stories and drama for the very young, based . Developing skills musical, linguistic, creative and social. Humorous, lively, highly interactive. Parents welcome, Gaelic-speaking or no.

Links to other websites:

www.annelornegillies.co.uk;
www.brigh.co.uk;
www.songsofgaelicscotland.co.uk

Language:

Gaelic, English

Age groups:

5-8, 9-12, Teens, Adults

Local authorities available to visit:

Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles), North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian, Other