Scottish Highlands poet to be commemorated in new artwork

Mairi Mhor nan Oran (Great Mary of the Songs), was a 19th century Gaelic poet who highlighted the Highland Clearances and the crofters’ response through land agitation.

The Inverness Gaelic centre, Cultarlann Inbhir Nis, has commissioned a new artwork to celebrate Mhairi Mhor (below), and has called on artists to submit their creations.

(Image: Am Baile) Although she was born in Skye in 1821, Mairi Mhor spent many years working in Inverness and she is buried next to her husband in a cemetery close to the Cultarlann centre.

She wrote defiant poems in Gaelic but was – for a long time – under-appreciated outside of Gaelic circles.

READ MORE: IDF-linked firm to receive millions from Rosebank oil field in North Sea

The anger and defiance seen in her poetry was fuelled by her imprisonment for alleged theft.

“It was the injustice I suffered that brought my poetry to life”, she once wrote.

At the age of 50 she was accused of stealing clothes from her employer and was sentenced to 40 days imprisonment.

She protested her innocence for the rest of her life and many supporters believe she was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Mairi Mhor became well-known for her songs about injustice, and her uncompromising support for the crofters cause at the time of the Highland Land League and the Crofters Wars.

Cultarlann Inbhir Nis is a community-based charity which recently purchased the former East Church building in Inverness to convert into a community-owned Gaelic Cultural Centre.

Commenting, Cultarlann Inbhir Nis chair Maggie Mullholland said: “Cultarlann Inbhir Nis are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity for the creation of an artistic tribute to Mairi Mhor nan Oran.

“Having one of the great 19th century Gaelic bards buried in the Chapel yard and within a stone’s throw of our new Gaelic Cultural Centre, we seek to have her and the significant contribution she made to Gaelic literature, recognised within the town of Inverness and the wider Highlands.

READ MORE: Islanders hit out at ferry fares increase

“She was a passionate and defiant bard who condemned the Highland Clearances and was very much involved in the struggle for land reform, a cause still as relevant today as it was then.”

The project is in partnership with the Gaelic Society of Inverness, as well as receiving support from the William Syson Charitable Foundation.

The Gaelic Society of Inverness chairman Murdo Campbell said: “We are delighted to be involved with the Mairi Mhor project.

“Mairi Mhor though originally from Skye has strong connections with Inverness having married and brought up her family there.

“Her poems relate to the Clearances and persecution of crofters. It is fitting that she has something to remember her by in Inverness.”

The artwork could be a painting, a tapestry, a sculpture or any visual art that celebrates Mairi Mhor’s great contribution to song and culture.

The £5000 commission is open to experienced artists and the winning piece will be displayed in Cultarlann Inbhir Nis.