Niall O'Gallagher (), along with Michael MacNeill, is the political correspondent (neach-naidheachd) for the BBC's ''

An Là ''An Là'' (''The Day'') is a Scottish Gaelic-language news programme broadcast on BBC Alba and produced by BBC Naidheachdan (BBC News) and BBC Scotland. The programme, based at BBC Alba's newsroom in Inverness, began at 8pm on 22 September ...

'' News programme. Before the launch of ''An Là'', O'Gallagher worked on Radio nan Gaidheal's ''Aithris na Maidne'' and ''Aithris an Fheasgair'', also on politics. O'Gallagher was the first correspondent to appear on the first night of ''An Là'', from the Labour Party Conference in Manchester. He writes a political blog for the BBC Alba Naidheachdan website. O'Gallagher is originally from

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and learnt

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

, where he graduated with a first class MA(Hons) degree in English and Scottish Literature, and a PhD in English Literature on the work of the writer Alasdair Gray. He remains an Honorary Research Associate of the Glasgow University Celtic Department. O'Gallagher also made a film for BBC2's ''

Eòrpa ' (''Europe'') is a long-running Scottish Gaelic-language current affairs programme broadcast on BBC Alba. The series has been running since April 1993 and has covered political and social issues affecting Europe and Europeans over that time inc ...

'' on Slovak immigrants to Glasgow, and provides occasional commentary for First Minister's Questions on Holyrood Live. O'Gallagher also writes poetry in Glasgow Gaelic. O'Gallagher's debut collection, ''Beatha Ùr'' (A New Life), containing a group of ten

sonnet A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...

s on various subjects and a longer set of poems about Glasgow, was published by Scottish Gaelic publisher

CLÀR CLÀR is a Scottish Gaelic publisher. Established in 1996, the company is run on a voluntary, independent basis and based in Inverness, Scotland. It was the publisher for the Ùr-sgeul project, specialising in new Gaelic fiction. Publishing pol ...

in 2013. ''Beatha Ùr'', with its Gaelic-only content, contradicts the 'culture of translation' recognised as being dominant within 20th and 21st Century Scottish Gaelic poetry publications. Even though some resent the promotion of a Scottish Gaelic

language revival Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community group ...

in the Lowlands, in 2019 O'Gallagher was appointed ''Bàrd Baile Ghlaschu'', or as the City of Glasgow's first ever Gaelic language Poet Laureate. Edited by Linden Bicket, Emma Dymock, and Alison Jack (2024), ''Scottish Religious Poetry: From the Sixth Century to the Present'', Saint Andrew Press,

. p. 309.

References

20th-century Scottish Gaelic poets 21st-century Scottish Gaelic poets Academics of the University of Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow BBC Scotland newsreaders and journalists Living people Television personalities from Edinburgh Year of birth missing (living people) Sonneteers {{Scotland-bio-stub