The forces of decline and renewal have continued to do battle in modern and contemporary Gaelic literature, a contest that still seems much in the balance. Gaelic poets, notably Iain Rothach (John Munro), shared in the profound dislocations of World War I, paving the way for Somhairle MacGill-Eain (Sorley MacLean), in particular, to stake Gaelic’s claim to particpation in the literary “Scottish Renaissance” that began in the 1920s and 30s, reinvigorating its poetic tradition with an array of innovations in theme, structure and metre. Between then and mid-century, other writers emerged to explore this new territory further, including Deòrsa Caimbeul Hay (George Campbell Hay), Ruaraidh MacThòmais (Derick Thomson), Iain Mac a’ Ghobhainn (Iain Crichton Smith) and Dòmhnall MacAmhlaigh (Donald MacAulay). Poetry remained the predominant medium, although the prolific Smith was also acclaimed for his novels and short-story collections.

In 1951, Thomson was also responsible for co-founding, along with Finlay J MacDonald, the quarterly magazine Gairm, which remained the most important outlet for original Gaelic writing until it ceased publication in 2004, its range of style and subject-matter taking in essays, journalism, humour and translation as well as poetry and fiction. Gairm also came to lead the field in Gaelic book publishing, offering a broad spectrum of reprints and original titles, the latter including such ambitious projects as the 1990 anthology European Verse in Scottish Gaelic. Publishing in general received a major fillip with the founding of the Gaelic Books Council (Gaelic Books Council) in 1968, and its evolving programme of production subsidy and author commissions.

Another new wave of poets has emerged in recent years to carry forward Gaelic’s literary evolution into the 21st century, prominent among them being Aonghas MacNeacail, Maoilios Caimbeul, Màire NiGumaraid, Meg Bateman and Anne Frater. The sustained strength of this field was firmly underlined by Polygon’s publication in 1999 of An Tuil (“The Flood”), an anthology of 20th century Gaelic verse extending to 825 pages.