Memorial to Calum MacPh?rlain

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 22 Jul 2013

The Celtic cross, erected in 1939, is set beside the wall that separates the older and newer halves of the Abbey Cemetery. This memorial is in the newer half, which is on the northern side of the wall; see Image for context. Its Gaelic inscription, reproduced below in full, relates (my own translation) that this monument was erected by acquaintances as a memorial to Calum MacPhàrlain, an outstanding Gael, pre-eminent as a poet and as a scholar of literature and folk music; that he worked zealously to promote the interests of the Gaelic language, leaving behind a precious legacy in his books, airs and songs; that his accomplishments and his upright character have earned him devotion and lasting respect in the hearts of the Gaels; and that he was born at Loch-Awe-side in 1853, and passed away at Greenock in 1931. The inscription itself is as follows; for readability, I have changed the text to lower case, and have added some accent marks (the inscription itself has none): "Thogadh an carragh so le luchd-eòlais mar chùimhneachan air Calum MacPhàrlain sar-Ghàidheal a bha barraighte mar bhàrd, is mar sgoilear an litreachas is an ceòl a dhùthcha. Shaothraich e gu dealasach as leth a chànain: agus dh'fhàg e dìleab luachmhor 'na leabhraichean, 'na òrain agus 'na fhuinn. Choisinn a bhuadhan agus a threibhdhireas dha urram is meas a mhaireas buan an cridheachan nan Gàidheal. Rugadh e Taobh Loch-Odha, 1853. Chaochail e an Grianaig, 1931. 1939." An entirely Gaelic inscription like this one provides some welcome variety, as well as serving as a reminder of part of our cultural heritage. As for Calum MacPhàrlain, he is also sometimes referred to as Malcolm MacFarlane, which is the Anglicised form of his name. As well as publishing songs, he wrote scholarly works on the orthography and phonetics of the Gaelic language. As noted in the inscription, he was also active in promoting Gaelic.

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