[Dòmhnall] ’S chaidh thu, rinn thu cùrsa san t-Sabhal Mhòr ’s chaidh thu an uair sin, far an do thachair mi fhìn riut an toiseach, a dh’Oilthigh Obar Dheathain. Sin am fear a tha mi a’ creid, uill, sin am fear a thaobh inntinn co-dhiù, ’s ann a fhuair thu cas a-steach, nach ann, air farsaingeachd saoghal na Gàidhlig, tha mi a’ creid?
[Meg] ’S ann. ’S ann. Às dèidh dhomh dà bhliadhna a dhèanamh an sin chaidh mi a-mach a dh’Uibhist a Deas agus bha mi ag obair na mo nurs, nam nurs cuideachaidh gun trèanaigeadh ann an Ospadal Dalabroig, agus a’ fuireach còmhla ri teaghlach mòr. Bha seachdnar san teaghlach agus bha iad a’ gabhail riumsa mar tè eile.
[Dòmhnall] An do chòrd na làithean anns an oilthigh riut?
[Meg] Anns an oilthigh? Chòrd, chòrd ’s rinn mi iomadh deagh charaid.
[Dòmhnall] An e àm a bha sin na do bheatha far an robh thu ... Tha sinn an-còmhnaidh ag iarraidh a bhith a’ feuchainn ri faighinn a-steach am broinn a’ bhàird, mar gum biodh. An e àm a bha sin na do bheatha far an robh thu air do dhùsgadh às ùr a thaobh diofar rudan? Rudan a th’ air an dàrna cuid air rudan a bha tlachdmhor no rudan a bha mì-thlachdmhor? Glè thric ’s ann aig an àm sin dhe am beatha a tha daoine a’ tighinn gu faireachdainn, nach ann? An robh sin fìor dha do thaobh-sa?
[Meg] Tha mi cinnteach gun robh mi air tighinn gu faireachdainn fada ron sin ach rinn mi deagh charaidean an sin agus ’s e ceum ann an Ceiltis a rinn mi ’s bha sinn a’ leughadh bàrdachd. Nua-bhàrdachd agus ’s ann an sin a chuir mi eòlas air bàrdachd Shomhairle ’s bha buaidh mhòr aig sin orm ’s bha caraid agam a bha na Bhudach’s bhiodh esan a bruidhinn tòrr mu dheidhinn Bhudastachd.
[Dòmhnall] Ach a dh’aindeoin sin ’s a’ bhuaidh a bh’ aig Somhairle ort ’s an nua-bhàrdachd, nuair a thàinig e gu PhD ’s e bàrdachd chràbhach chlasaigeach na Gàidhlig a roghnaich thu sgrùdadh ’s tha sin a’ dol air ais, dè, cha mhòr mìle bliadhna air ais, suas gun t-siathamh linn deug. ’S dòcha gu bheil na deitichean agam rudeigin ceàrr ach tha sinn a’ bruidhinn air a bhith a’ dol fada air ais co-dhiù. Chanadh gu leòr gu bheil sin gu math tioram. Carson a roghnaich thu sin a sgrùdadh?
[Meg] Bha ùidh agam ann an samhlachas ’s bha ùidh agam ann a bhith a’ cur faireachdainn làidir an cèill ann an ìomhaighean seach buileach tro fhaclan, ach bha e tioram agus saoilidh mi gum bi PhD sam bith a’ fàs tioram às dèidh dhut a bhith ag obair trì bliadhna air.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2011.
[Donald] And you went, you did a course at Sabhal Mòr and you then went, where I first met you, to Aberdeen University. That is the place I believe, well that is the place with regards mentally at least, is where you got a dipped your toe into the breadth of the Gaelic world, isn’t it, I think?
[Meg] It is. It is. After I did two years there I went out to South Uist and I was working as a nurse, an auxiliary nurse in Daliburgh Hospital, and staying with a big family. There were seven in the family and they accepted me as another one of their own.
[Donald] Did you enjoy the university days?
[Meg] In university? Yes, I did and I made many good friends.
[Donald] Was that a time in your life where you were ... We always want to try and get inside the poet, as it were. Was that a time in your life where you were awoken as new to different things? Things that are both, things that were pleasant and things that were unpleasant? Very often it is at that time of their life that people realise their feelings, isn’t it? Was that true in your case?
[Meg] I am sure that I had arrived at my feelings long before that but I made good friends there andI did a Celtic Studies degree and we read poetry. Modern poetry and it was there that I discovered Sorley (MacLean)’s poetry and that had a great impact on me and I had a friend who was a Buddhist and he would talk about Buddhism a lot
[Donald] But despite that and the impact that Sorley and the modern poetry had on you, when it came to a PhD you chose to research Gaelic’s classical religious poetry and that goes back, what, nearly a thousand years back, up to the sixteenth century. Perhaps my dates are somewhat incorrect but we are talking about going way back anyway. Many would say that that is quite boring. Why did you choose to research that?
[Meg] I was interested in symbolism and I was interested in expressing strong feelings through imagery rather than purely through words, but it was boring and I imagine that any PhD will become boring after you have been working on it for three years.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2011.
[Dòmhnall] ’S chaidh thu, rinn thu cùrsa san t-Sabhal Mhòr ’s chaidh thu an uair sin, far an do thachair mi fhìn riut an toiseach, a dh’Oilthigh Obar Dheathain. Sin am fear a tha mi a’ creid, uill, sin am fear a thaobh inntinn co-dhiù, ’s ann a fhuair thu cas a-steach, nach ann, air farsaingeachd saoghal na Gàidhlig, tha mi a’ creid?
[Meg] ’S ann. ’S ann. Às dèidh dhomh dà bhliadhna a dhèanamh an sin chaidh mi a-mach a dh’Uibhist a Deas agus bha mi ag obair na mo nurs, nam nurs cuideachaidh gun trèanaigeadh ann an Ospadal Dalabroig, agus a’ fuireach còmhla ri teaghlach mòr. Bha seachdnar san teaghlach agus bha iad a’ gabhail riumsa mar tè eile.
[Dòmhnall] An do chòrd na làithean anns an oilthigh riut?
[Meg] Anns an oilthigh? Chòrd, chòrd ’s rinn mi iomadh deagh charaid.
[Dòmhnall] An e àm a bha sin na do bheatha far an robh thu ... Tha sinn an-còmhnaidh ag iarraidh a bhith a’ feuchainn ri faighinn a-steach am broinn a’ bhàird, mar gum biodh. An e àm a bha sin na do bheatha far an robh thu air do dhùsgadh às ùr a thaobh diofar rudan? Rudan a th’ air an dàrna cuid air rudan a bha tlachdmhor no rudan a bha mì-thlachdmhor? Glè thric ’s ann aig an àm sin dhe am beatha a tha daoine a’ tighinn gu faireachdainn, nach ann? An robh sin fìor dha do thaobh-sa?
[Meg] Tha mi cinnteach gun robh mi air tighinn gu faireachdainn fada ron sin ach rinn mi deagh charaidean an sin agus ’s e ceum ann an Ceiltis a rinn mi ’s bha sinn a’ leughadh bàrdachd. Nua-bhàrdachd agus ’s ann an sin a chuir mi eòlas air bàrdachd Shomhairle ’s bha buaidh mhòr aig sin orm ’s bha caraid agam a bha na Bhudach’s bhiodh esan a bruidhinn tòrr mu dheidhinn Bhudastachd.
[Dòmhnall] Ach a dh’aindeoin sin ’s a’ bhuaidh a bh’ aig Somhairle ort ’s an nua-bhàrdachd, nuair a thàinig e gu PhD ’s e bàrdachd chràbhach chlasaigeach na Gàidhlig a roghnaich thu sgrùdadh ’s tha sin a’ dol air ais, dè, cha mhòr mìle bliadhna air ais, suas gun t-siathamh linn deug. ’S dòcha gu bheil na deitichean agam rudeigin ceàrr ach tha sinn a’ bruidhinn air a bhith a’ dol fada air ais co-dhiù. Chanadh gu leòr gu bheil sin gu math tioram. Carson a roghnaich thu sin a sgrùdadh?
[Meg] Bha ùidh agam ann an samhlachas ’s bha ùidh agam ann a bhith a’ cur faireachdainn làidir an cèill ann an ìomhaighean seach buileach tro fhaclan, ach bha e tioram agus saoilidh mi gum bi PhD sam bith a’ fàs tioram às dèidh dhut a bhith ag obair trì bliadhna air.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2011.
[Donald] And you went, you did a course at Sabhal Mòr and you then went, where I first met you, to Aberdeen University. That is the place I believe, well that is the place with regards mentally at least, is where you got a dipped your toe into the breadth of the Gaelic world, isn’t it, I think?
[Meg] It is. It is. After I did two years there I went out to South Uist and I was working as a nurse, an auxiliary nurse in Daliburgh Hospital, and staying with a big family. There were seven in the family and they accepted me as another one of their own.
[Donald] Did you enjoy the university days?
[Meg] In university? Yes, I did and I made many good friends.
[Donald] Was that a time in your life where you were ... We always want to try and get inside the poet, as it were. Was that a time in your life where you were awoken as new to different things? Things that are both, things that were pleasant and things that were unpleasant? Very often it is at that time of their life that people realise their feelings, isn’t it? Was that true in your case?
[Meg] I am sure that I had arrived at my feelings long before that but I made good friends there andI did a Celtic Studies degree and we read poetry. Modern poetry and it was there that I discovered Sorley (MacLean)’s poetry and that had a great impact on me and I had a friend who was a Buddhist and he would talk about Buddhism a lot
[Donald] But despite that and the impact that Sorley and the modern poetry had on you, when it came to a PhD you chose to research Gaelic’s classical religious poetry and that goes back, what, nearly a thousand years back, up to the sixteenth century. Perhaps my dates are somewhat incorrect but we are talking about going way back anyway. Many would say that that is quite boring. Why did you choose to research that?
[Meg] I was interested in symbolism and I was interested in expressing strong feelings through imagery rather than purely through words, but it was boring and I imagine that any PhD will become boring after you have been working on it for three years.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2011.