Martin MacIntyre

Martin MacIntyre is an acclaimed author, bard and storyteller, who has worked across these genres for over twenty years; he has written eight works of fiction and three collections of poems. In 2003 his short-stories in Gaelic and English, Ath-Aithne (Re-acquaintance), won The Saltire Society First Book Award. His novels Gymnippers Diciadain (Wednesday Gymnippers) and An Latha As Fhaide (The Longest Day) were in contention for their Book of The Year awards in 2005 and 2008, while his second story collection Cala Bendita ’s a Bheannachdan (Cala Bendita and its Blessings) was shortlisted for both The Donald Meek Award and The Saltire Literary Book of The Year in 2014. In 2018 his novel Samhradh ’78 (The Summer of ’78) was long-listed for the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year and Ath-Aithne was published in French as Un passe-temps pour l’été (A Summer Past-time) - a first for Gaelic fiction! Martin’s poetry collection Dannsam Led Fhaileas / Let Me Dance With Your Shadow was published in 2006 and in 2007 he was crowned ‘Bàrd’ by An Comunn Gàidhealach. Martin was a Poetry Ambassador at The Scottish Poetry Library 2021-23. A new collection of poems - A’ Ruith Eadar Dà Dhràgon / Running Between Two Dragons - inspired by Catalonia and Wales, which won The Gaelic Literature Award 2021 for an unpublished manuscript, was published in April 2024 by Francis Boutle Publications in Gaelic, Catalan, Welsh and English - a first for Scottish poetry. Another new collection, Poems, Chiefly in The English Dialect was published in July 2024 by Drunk Muse Press and launched at The Belladrum Music Festival. Martin has been a guest at Stanza and The Edinburgh International Book Festival. He appeared at Scotland Week in New York, IFOA Toronto and was a regular contributor to The Ullapool Book Festival. He often performs at The Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Martin was The University of Edinburgh’s first Gaelic Writer in Residence 2022-24.