The Heart of the Run

There is a rich seam of folklore running through Maggie Mackay’s first pamphlet which is watched over by the presiding spirit of her mother. Mackay’s delight in the bounty of language is palpable so when she invites you to ‘pour a dram of uisge beatha’ sit down at her table by the fire for a spell and warm yourself. - Helen Ivory Just as we are lulled by a fine malt whisky we are summoned to where ‘the heart of the run is now’. With a touch of alchemy we are transported to a land of ‘midnight and saffron’ where ‘dream castles float’ through deserts of sand never forsaking the world of Gaelic mythology – of mermaids and lullabies the hues of a Hebridean sunset. Lush with precious moments these poems are a cornucopia of vibrant images all the way to the closing ghazal. - Alison Lock