Linne Dhomhain

The Gaelic Literature Awards 2020 Best Unpublished Manuscript for Adults - Linne Dhomhain by Alistair Paul. Ordinary people. Everyday situations. Extraordinary outcomes. One small twist of fate and the normal turns to the fantastic. And so, the book's characters are propelled into the world of the marvellous, the supernatural and the surreal; not to mention the ridiculous; where they wrestle with their demons, their desires and their failings. Sometimes they triumph. Sometimes life triumphs. Their stories take us from the familiar shores of the Highlands through the smoky streets of Glasgow and the industrial heartlands of the North of England to the sun-scorched African Savannah. Taking inspiration from local folklore on the island of Arran, traditional Gaelic storytelling themes and techniques are weaved into modern topics such as relationships, drug use and mental illness. Take a walk up the glen and dive into the deep pool.

From industrial designer to tour guide to gardener, Alistair's life has taken him through many twists and turns from his origins in Glasgow until he settled in Arran 20 years ago. His interest in local history and culture inspired him to take his first steps into learning Gaelic. It was love at first sight and from then on there was no turning back. He has been a regular contributor of essays, reviews, poetry and short stories to the online Gaelic magazine Dàna. In 2018 he was a winner of The New Writers Awards and has worked on a range of materials since then including; fiction, poetry, and play writing. At the Gaelic Literature Awards 2020 he won Best Unpublished Manuscript for Adults for Linne Dhomhainn.