something to say

New Gaelic radio drama

the writers

Iain MacRae

Iain began writing in 2013 and Panolof is Panalaf is his sixth drama to date. Fantom enjoyed a well received run at Citizens theatre 2014. He was granted New Gaelic Playwright 2015 by Playwrights Studio Scotland. Briseadh na Cloiche was performed and recorded live at Webster's theatre in 2016, and featured at the Glasgow Short Film Festival, Stornoway’s Faclan festiva and Babel international Film Festival in Sardinia. It was also broadcast on BBC Alba on New Year’s Day 2017. Tir is Tuil was performed as a rehearsed reading at the Citizens theatre, 2017. Taigh Sheonachain won the Donald Meek Award 2017. Dirlo – Am Fear Maireann was selected for Scenes for Survival (National Theatre of Scotland/ BBC) and broadcast BBC Alba, 2020. He won the Scottish Book Trust 50-word Story Award with Turas Baidhseagail in 2018 and with Speuclairean in 2020. The short story Mach an Geata won the 2019 Morton Writing Prize.    

Iain's poetry has been published in Poet’s Republic issues 3, 6 and 8 ; New Writing Scotland 36 and selected for A’ Chrannag podcast (2019).

Iain has worked as an actor in both English and Gaelic for television, stage, radio and film for over 35 years, appearing in the BBC’s Gruth is Uachdar, Ran Dan and Bannan, and in Machair (STV).

Martin MacIntyre

Martin Mac an t-Saoir has earned acclaim and awards over more than twenty years for his fiction and poetry, and has now published nine books. Màrtainn is also renowned as a storyteller in both Gaelic and English.

Rùintean Màiri Iain Mhòir – which was inspired by the strange world of lockdown – is his first radio play.

Elspeth Turner

Elspeth Turner is originally from Fife. An actor and writer, she creates contemporary theatre and film in English and Gaelic. After studying dance in London and theatre at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, she began her career in America before returning to Scotland in 2011. Since then, she has worked with a variety of companies acorss the UK, including the Nationa Theatre of Scotland, Theatre Gu Leòr, sruth-mara, Eastern Angles, The Traverse and Òran Mòr.

Elspeth can currently be seen in new feature film Riptide – a schizophrenia love story from Lyre Productions. Elspeth’s plays include The Idiot at the Wall (2012), SpectreTown (2015), and Savage Nation (2021) – which deals with the legacy of the Gaels in North America. She recently wrote and directed short film Marram, which was shot in Berneray, Harris and in Edinburgh.

Elspeth is the recipient of playwriting awards from The Peggy Ramsay Foundation, Playwrights Studio Scotland, and the Tom McGrath Trust.

Martin O’Connor

Martin O’Connor is a performer, poet and theatre maker from Glasgow. He works primarily in verbatim and biographical writing, participation and spoken word, and explores themes of the Scottish voice and identity. He is interested in Scots language and is a Gaelic learner.

Martin is the current Writer in Residence with National Theatre of Scotland, and the Creative Writer at Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice.

Èirigh explores the possible impact of climate change on the environment of a small Scottish island, and on one man’s life as he tries to make a difference, and save his family as the sea levels continue to rise. It contains many of his thematic interests – masculinity, religion, monologue, comedy – and is his first full piece in the Gaelic language.

In partnership with BBC Radio nan Gàidheal. Supported by Creative Scotland and Bòrd na Gàidhlig.