Giolla Coluim mac an Ollaimh

Scottish bard

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June 29, 2026

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Giolla Coluim mac an Ollaimh was a Scottish bard and a professional poet at the court of the Lord of the Isles. He was likely a member of the MacMhuirich bardic family, a renowned lineage of hereditary poets whose work spanned nearly 500 years, from the 13th to the 18th century.1

His poems are featured in The Book of the Dean of Lismore, an anthology compiled between 1512 and 1526. This manuscript contains poems by both Scottish and Irish authors, as well as ballads about the mythical warrior and bard Ossian. Giolla Coluim mac an Ollaimh is represented by three poems in this collection. Other notable poets featured in the anthology include Giolla Críost Bráilingeach, Aithbhreac Inghean Coirceadail, and Isabella, countess of Argyll.1

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Celtic literature
Writings of the medieval period
There are three poems by Giolla Coluim mac an Ollaimh, a professional poet at the court of the Lord of the Isles and almost certainly a member of the MacMhuirich bardic family, the famous line of hereditary bards whose work spans nearly 500 years from the 13th to the 18th…
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There are three poems by Giolla Coluim mac an Ollaimh, a professional poet at the court of the Lord of the Isles and almost certainly a member of the MacMhuirich bardic family, the famous line of hereditary bards whose work spans nearly 500 years from the 13th to the 18th…
Read More