Song of the Deer

Song of the Deer reimagines the monumental 18th Century Gaelic poem, Moladh Beinn Dobhrain - In Praise of Beinn Dorain - a celebrated Munro in the Scottish Highlands.

We join Niall Rowantree, a modern-day forester and deer stalker, as he hunts his prey and uncovers the secrets of this revered animal. Kathleen MacInnes voices the perspective of a hind as she moves through the landscape.

The original poem was created by Duncan Ban MacIntyre and it was translated in 2021 by Gary MacKenzie. This documentary explores the relationship between highlanders, their landscape, and the ecology around them.

Producers: Uilleam MacCormaig, Flora Zajicek
Produced in Scotland by The Big Light for BBC Radio 4

Commissioned in association with the Multitrack Audio Producers Fellowship for new talent in feature-making