Songs of the Isles

Many people know of the Carmina Gadelica, the collection of Gaelic songs, prayers and blessings from the Hebrides, yet few have access to its five volumes published in Scotland between 1900 and 1952. Here, an attractive selection is made for the contemporary reader and freshly translated to reflect the particular Christian experience of the people who composed them: Celtic Christians in the 7th to 9th centuries who worshipped the Trinitarian God, had a devotion to the Virgin Mary, the Archangels and the Saints, and a love of the Bible, especially the Psalms. Some 130 poems and prayers are included, arranged in eleven sections including The Power of Heaven, Home and Family and Soul Journey. An extended introduction opens up the world that produced these extraordinary and beautiful prayers and blessings. KATHLEEN JONES was Emeritus Professor of Social Policy in the University of York, and has served on the General Synod of the Church of England and on two Archbishops' Commissions. The author of Who Are the Celtic Saints? The Saints of the Anglican Calendar and A Basic Dictionary of Saints and editor of two volumes in the Butler's Lives of the Saints series, she lives in York.