And so I draw this project to a close with a sense of optimism and pessimism — that there could be great things ahead or it could just as easily go arse over tail! I do have a plan and between now and the spring equinox — Friday 20th March 2026 at 2.46pm — I’ll have to make my mind up what I’ll do with it. But as I’ve been writing an auld poyam has come to mind — yin fae 13th century Germany. For want of a nail the shoe was lost, For want of a shoe the horse was lost, For want of a horse the rider was lost, For want of a rider the battle was lost, For want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. So what is my closing thought — individuals cannot do it on their own — there must be collaboration. Creativity takes time and funding buys time. There is hope. Big things actually happen. Failure is as possible as success. So maybe I need tae gae thon nail yin last rattle!
Irish
The Auld Yew Tree is Hewn Down
It was heartbreaking. I’m not sure why. Maybe it was because it had been there so long — hundreds and hundreds of years — maybe a thousand — maybe more. But it was gone — lying dead beside the place it had lived. Not a storm. Not the excess of years. Not disease. But a … Continue reading The Auld Yew Tree is Hewn Down
Can you make a difference? Even a wee bit?
Has this been worth it? To be honest I don’t know. Maybe it has, maybe it hasn’t. Have I made a difference — even a wee bit? You decide. But right through January and February I've written these weekly posts — eight of them so far! Through March I want to think about the future … Continue reading Can you make a difference? Even a wee bit?
Unfended: Thran survival isn’t enough! From finding our feet to finding our future.
"Ulster Scots is a linguistic paradox. It is undefended, having been abandoned by the halls of power for prestige; it is undefeated, surviving in the mouths of the folk and the rhythms of the Ards; and until now, it has been undefined, lacking the very vocabulary—like diglossia or translanguaging—needed to explain its own existence."
My mother wanted to be a writer…but she died.
I know she wanted to write because I have the creative writing course she bought for herself. I don’t remember my mum being grand or self indulgent — hatefully she knew her place — curse knowing your place — so if she splashed out on anything it must have been something she really wanted. So I can only conclude she really wanted to write. I can’t actually remember when this was, it could have been before she was sick or it could have been afterwards, but I’ve got the books and I’m going to stop writing and go and see if I can find a date.
Lost Words and Losing Words
If you’ve ever found something — it’s because someone lost it — quite possibly yourself! That twenty pound note blowing down the street — it didn’t magically appear — someone else is twenty quid down! Other things stay lost a long time before being found — normally when your looking for something else! While at … Continue reading Lost Words and Losing Words
A Bearna fae the Leid: Bridging the Linguistic Gap
In Irish, Barnish means a gap—a place you can travel along. When a local family collated their unique vocabulary into a small book thirty years ago, they unknowingly created a bearna for the Ulster Scots Leid. Exploring the link between land, language, and the "seismic" impact of seeing one's mother tongue in print, this article reflects on how a niche publication became a vital act of cultural preservation.
Owning the Words We Speak: Language as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
So what does a win look like? I don’t mean a fantasy win — six numbers on the lottery or a huge inheritance from an unknown relation. So again — what does a win look like in the context of language? A win is an improved understanding and acceptance of language, accompanied by a sympathetic … Continue reading Owning the Words We Speak: Language as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
A Shared Urgency: What Manchán Magan Taught Me About Preserving Ulster Scots
A while back I came across Manchán Magan — but I’d no idea who he was. I’d no notion about his books, RTÉ documentaries, lectures, environmentalism or public speaking — it was just the odd short video clip here and there on social media — but he seemed like a pretty nice fella. But … Continue reading A Shared Urgency: What Manchán Magan Taught Me About Preserving Ulster Scots
The Week after Leid Week
I hate the week after Ulster Scots Leid week. It is so depressing. But it isn’t the low after the high. It’s the week that optimism and opportunity evaporates. Every year you get the feeling this could go somewhere quare and positive — but it never does. It’s like after Christmas — the decorations are … Continue reading The Week after Leid Week
Pictish Art
Here’s a few illustrations to whet your appetite from a project I’m working on!
RobertCampbell.me 