Malcolm MacFarlane (Calum MacPhàrlain, 1853-1931). New perspectives on the Gaelic language movement in Scotland at the turn of the twentieth century

Thomson, Eleanor Edith (2025) Malcolm MacFarlane (Calum MacPhàrlain, 1853-1931). New perspectives on the Gaelic language movement in Scotland at the turn of the twentieth century. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The thesis examines Malcolm MacFarlane’s (Calum MacPhàrlain, 1853-1931) substantial contributions to the Gaelic language movement in Scotland at the turn of the twentieth century. It argues that MacFarlane should be recognised as one of the movement’s leading figures, addressing the neglect in our understanding of his prominent position to date. This is the most substantial study and comprehensive investigation of both MacFarlane’s life and the archive of his papers and correspondence, held at the National Library of Scotland. The study provides a detailed analysis of MacFarlane’s involvement with the different social, cultural and political movements that were active within the Gaelic literary networks at the time. It illuminates the relationships he had with several of the movement’s other key figures, both in Scotland and in Ireland. The study reflects on MacFarlane’s ideologies and aspirations for the Gaelic language and its culture, highlighting his criticisms of the language movement’s central organisation, An Comunn Gàidhealach. It investigates the foundation of An Comunn Gàidhealach’s propagandist publication, An Deo-Ghréine, of which MacFarlane was the inaugural editor, and gives much needed critical examination of its contents and the changes it underwent in its earliest years. The study presents a detailed account of the establishment and operations of The Gaelic Academy (Àrd-Chomhairle na Gàidhlig), which emerged to address the perceived deficiencies in the policies of the wider Gaelic movement. An overview is given of MacFarlane’s substantial contributions to Gaelic literature, calling attention in particular to the resources he produced in his lifetime that were intended to stimulate the production of contemporary Gaelic literature and provide tools for future Gaelic writers. A catalogue of MacFarlane’s known printed Gaelic work is given here, underlining the scale of the contribution he made and providing for further scholarly research.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PB Modern European Languages > PB1501 Scottish Gaelic Language; P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0080 Criticism; P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0441 Literary History
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Celtic and Gaelic
• Funder's Name: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
• Supervisor's Name: Innes, Dr. Sim and Kidd, Professor Shelia
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85420
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 27 Aug 2025 09:07
• Last Modified: 27 Aug 2025 09:09
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85420
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85420