Rooted in the Scots word for a bard skilled in the craft of writing, the national poet of Scotland is termed the “Makar.” Makars have a fundamental role in promoting the country’s culture and engaging younger generations with poetry.
The Edinburgh Makar was established as a publicly funded post in 2002, followed two years later by the Scottish Parliament founding the Scots Makar. However, the position has a long history predating the twenty-first century. Though many manuscripts from earlier periods have been lost, the works of a few fifteenth century writers have survived. These poets, such as Richard Holland and Walter Kennedy, wrote in vernacular Scots and are considered among the first Makars. Their poems were a distinct departure from earlier writers of romance, chronicles, and alliterative verse; and the influence of these medieval traditions can still be seen in the later Makars’ works.
Today, there is a distinction between the Makars, plural—meaning the specific Middle Scots poets mentioned above—and the Makar, singular, which is used to relate to a publicly appointed poet. A Makar serves as literary ambassador, crafting poems inspired by their city and the people within it, working alongside literary organisations to encourage engagement with literature, and choosing the poetry displayed on council websites and across the city.
As of July 2024, Edinburgh’s Makar is Michael Pedersen. His literary career began with his high school magazine, The Porty Blethers, where he first realised the magic of the Scottish language. From there, Pedersen began publishing e-zines and chapbooks as well as writing for journals and anthologies. He released his first full-length collection, Play With Me, in 2013, followed by Oyster (2017) and The Cat Prince & Other Poems (2023).
Pedersen has developed a unique style by combining grandiose and artificial vocabulary with the everyday, mixing Scots and English into a mellifluous, kinetic whirlpool it is impossible to not be entranced by. Recently, as Edinburgh’s Makar, Pederson wrote the poem ‘Ceud Mìle Fàilte,’ titled after a traditional Gaelic greeting meaning “a hundred thousand welcomes.” The poem was created during the Fringe, and celebrates festival culture and the extraordinary shared experience of producing art. In an interview with the Forward Arts Foundation, Pedersen offered the following advice for amateur poets: “Always be grateful to the poems when they come, and kind to yourself when they don’t.”
Whereas Michael Pedersen focusses on the literary scene in the capital, Scotland’s Makar has a broader role as national laureate. In December 2024, Pàdraig MacAoidh was selected for the three-year post by First Minister John Swinney, on the recommendation of a panel of literary experts. MacAoidh is a passionate and dynamic poet whose 2015 debut collection, Gu Leor/Galore, received high praises for its playful, daring language. This followed the 2010 publication of his pamphlet From Another Island, and preceded his 2020 collection of poems, Acair: Nàdur De. Additionally, MacAoidh co-edited an anthology on love and transgressive poems in Scottish Gaelic, which won the Saltire Scottish Research Book of the Year in 2016.
As a native-Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Lewis, MacAoidh has a keen attentiveness to the importance of language to identity. He is the first Gaelic poet to be appointed to the role of Scottish Makar. He sees his role as “encourag[ing] people to make things in all the different languages of Scotland.” As Makar, he has participated in literary events, including the Islay Book Festival, and visited schools across the country. MacAoidh is currently working on a larger project, with the working title Our Many-Voiced Country, celebrating Scotland’s multiculturalism.
Being appointed to the role of Makar, whether for Edinburgh or for Scotland, is one of the highest honours a Scottish poet can receive. Both Michael Pedersen and Pàdraig MacAoidh proudly represent a long tradition of Scottish poets, and are influential in shaping the future of the country’s poetry.
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