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Paraig MacNeil
Since 1988, Paraig MacNeil has been telling traditional tales professionally and has an oral repertoire of about 500 tales and songs, both traditional and original, composing verse in all of Scotland's languages and more.
He has travelled festivals and schools for over three decades. Paraig is the author of six books. These include his modern Scots epic Scotland the Brain (formerly Brainheart), extolling Scotland's heroes of innovation (SAC funded - introducing his innovative metrical-mirror rhyming system), to the epic in English about Stirling Castle's makars and monarchs, The Broach the Yarn and the Unicorn, and the epic rendering in Scots and English De Moray (introducing the innovative companion poem). His work can also be found in The Bards o' Allan Water anthology, The Brig And Rock Declaimers (The BARDs) anthology, and the Gaelic Bard to Clan Gregor Society.
As well as being joint-winner of the Burnsong song writing competition 2007, Paraig has composed well over 11,000 lines of original verse and song, fired with a passion to seek out Scotland's heroes of virtue and extol them. He was also shortlisted for the first Scots scriever post.
Besides his epic works, Paraig's other original verse has been published in periodicals such as Chapman, Poetry Scotland, Clan Gregor Newsletter.