The Duan Albanach (Song of the Scots) is a

Middle Gaelic Middle Irish, sometimes called Middle Gaelic ( ga, An Mheán-Ghaeilge, gd, Meadhan-Ghàidhlig), is the Goidelic languages, Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contempora ...

poem. Written during the reign of Mael Coluim III, who ruled between 1058 and 1093, it is found in a variety of Irish sources, and the usual version comes from the '' Book of Lecan'' and '' Book of Ui Maine''. It follows on from the ''Duan Eireannach'', which covers the earlier mythological history of the Gael. It is a praise poem of 27 stanzas, probably sung at court to a musical accompaniment by the

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orc ...

. If performed in a public context, it is possible that the audience would have participated in the performance. The ''Duan'' recounts the kings of the Scots since the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous Albanus came to

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kin ...

. The poem begins with the following stanzas.

In the final stanzas it is seen that the poem dates from the time of Malcolm III, in the second half of the 11th century.

External links

''Duan Albanach'' - English Trans. by William F. Skene
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Duan Albanach Medieval Scottish literature Texts of medieval Ireland Irish literature 11th century in Scotland Irish-language literature Scottish Gaelic poems

See also

External links