Although his poetry had a profound impact on the Gaelic-speaking world, it was not until the 1970s and 1980s that MacLean's work became accessible in English translation. His poetry was not very accessible to Gaelic speakers either, since "Dàin do Eimhir" was not reprinted. To English-speakers, MacLean remained virtually unknown until 1970, when issue 34 of "Lines Review" was dedicated to his work and some of his poems were reproduced in the anthology "Four Points of the Saltire." In the preface to the collection, Tom Scott forcefully argued for the merit of MacLean's poetry. Iain Crichton Smith published an English translation of "Dàin do Eimhir" in 1971. MacLean was part of the delegation that represented Scotland at the first Cambridge Poetry Festival in 1975, establishing his reputation in England. He was one of five Gaelic poets to be anthologized in the influential 1976 collection "Nua-Bhàrdachd Ghàidhlig / Modern Scottish Gaelic Poems" with verse translations by the authors. MacLean's verse translations were also included in later publications.