The Historical Plays of Donald Sinclair

The Gaelic poet, playwright and essayist Donald Sinclair ( Domhnall Mac na Ceardaich , 1885-1932) has received renewed attention in recent years, signalled most notably by the publication of a large selection of his writings (Mac na Ceardaich 2014) and a new academic interest in his work. (Mac Leoid 2012; Watson 2011: 29-30) The reassessment of Sinclair’s output stems in part from the role he plays as an innovator in Gaelic writing across a range of genres, developing Gaelic verse, prose and drama. This paper focuses on the latter, but argues that the development visible in his dramatic work reflects the experimental trajectory of his work in other media.