Diaordaoin 11 an Dùbhlachd 2025, 5.30f, Leabharlann Mitchell / air-loidhne
Màiri Challan: ‘Slighe Fonn na bàrdachd: Bho Bhalbhachd nan duilleag gu Binn-ghuthan an t-Sluaigh’
Fàilte bhlàth air a h-uile duine!
Cuiribh fios gun rùnaire (a_maccoinnich@hotmail.com) a dh’ iarraidh ceangal-lìn. Tha sinn a’ sireadh £5 o aoighean. Tha seo saor an asgaidh do bhuill – is faodar ballrachd-bhliadhnail a ghabhail – £25. Saor an asgaidh do dh’oileanaich.
With the official coming into force of the Scottish Languages Act on St Andrew’s Day, it may be worth noting that Island Voices has been steadily gathering collections of recordings in Gaelic communities over past months and years. Not all of these have been separately publicised on the blog before now, so we’re pleased to announce that both the Stòras Beò and Shortcuts pages have been recently updated to incorporate newer recordings that had not yet been made when these collections were first placed online.
And in addition to Scottish languages, those with a “pan-Gaelic” interest should note in particular that the Irish content from Donegal, and particularly Galway, has been growing steadily of late, after making a slower start over Zoom during the pandemic, with engaging stories and songs in cosy domestic settings coming to the fore. These, plus additional Hebridean recordings in Scottish Gaelic can all be found now through added links on the Stòras Beò page, taking the current total number of recordings in this collection up to 68, all accompanied by wordlinked transcriptions.
Similarly, links to the recent conversation with Cathie Laing have also been added to the Shortcuts collection, so the total number of separate video clips on this page is now 52, each complemented with both YouTube subtitling and a Clilstore transcript.
No doubt debate will continue over whether or not “Gaeltacht” or “Area of Linguistic Significance” official designations can or will have effective impact on actual language practice in either Scotland or Ireland. In any event these recordings provide model resources for anyone seeking samples of grounded authentic speech in real-life action.
Anns an Dàmhair choilean mi bruadar is chaidh mi a dh’Alba Nuadh mu dheireadh thall airson Celtic Colours. ‘S e sin fèis ciùil Cheiltich thairis air 10 làithean, caran coltach ris an fhèis Blas an seo, le cuirmean-ciùil ann an tallaichean baile, eaglaisean, ionadan spòrs amsaa air feadh Ceap Breatainn, eilean mòr a tha na phàirt an ear den mhòr-roinn. Agus “Colours” air sgàth ‘s gu bheil an t-eilean coillteach seo dìreach iongantach dathach aig an àm seo den bhliadhna, is craobhan-malpais sgàrlaid am measg nam beithean, nan craobhan-caorainn, learagan is giuthas. Chì thu seo aig fheabhas air an Cabot Trail, cuairt-rathad a’ chladaich brèagha – seòrsa NC200.
Tha Alba Nuadh moiteil às a dualchas Ghàidhealach, a tha sònraichte làidir ann an Ceap Breatainn, far a bheil a’ Ghàidhlig bho thùs ga bruidhinn fhathast le cuid de na daoine as aosda, agus ga h-ionnsachadh is ga teagasg le àireamh mhath de dhaoine òga. Tha cuid mhòr de na soidhneachan-ainmean-àite dà-chànanach, agus a’ Gàidhlig ri faicinn mar iomradh co-dhiù ann an co-theacsan turasachd no dualchais. Mar Albannach, agus comas Gàidhlig agam, bha fàilte bhlàth orm.
Ach o chionn beagan bhliadhnaichean, tha barrachd aire air a toirt cuideachd do mhuinntir thùsanach na mòr-roinn, na Mi’kmaq, agus dhan chànan is dualchas aca. Aig gach cuirm-chiùil far an robh mi chaidh aithneachadh gu h-oifigeil gu bheil am fearann seo “… located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people”, agus gu tric bhiodh riochdairean na coimhearsnachd sin an làthair. Bha an aon teachdaireachd ri faicinn ann an togalaich phòblach, leithid taighean-tasgaidh.
Mi’kma’ki
Bha mi aig sìa cuirmean-ciùil agus gach aon air leth – rionnagan ceòl Ceilteach Ceap Breatainn ann, agus luchd-ciùil cliùiteach à Alba cuideachd, m.e. Maighread Stiùbhart, seinneadair Gàidhlig, agus Ingrid NicEanraig, cluicheadair clàrsaich, còmhla ri pìobairean is fìdhlearan – tha Ceap Breatainn ainmeil airson am fidhlearan. Bha dannsa-ceum riamh làidir an sin cuideachd, seach mar a bha ann an Alba ach o chionn ghoirid. Bha daonnan faireachdainn sunndach, spòrsail aig na tachartasan, agus gu leòr de encores, gun guth air seiseanan agus partaidhean after-show…
Ach thug mi ùine gu leòr cuideachd gus dràibheadh mun cuairt, àitichean inntinneach fhaicinn agus gus coinneachadh ri daoine – tha caraidean is luchd-eòlais agam an sin tro iomairtean Gàidhlig. Tha seallaidhean brèagha ann, ge be càite an coimhead thu – coilltean dealrach, cladach is beanntan, le eaglaisean is taighean geala fiodha sgapte air feadh na dùthcha, sabhalan àrda, agus tòrr uisge – lochan, aibhneachan agus linneachan-mara, gu tric le taigh-solais beag orra – a’ mhòr-chuid geal, is gu tric fiodha cuideachd. Bha mi toilichte leis cho furasda, taitneach a bha an dràibheadh, gun cus traffaig, agus gun chafag. Is coltach gu bheil e fada nas trainge as t-samhradh. Bha mi fortanach leis an t-sìde cuideachd – grìanach gu leòr, gu ìre mhòr tioram, agus gu math tlàth.
Baile nan Gàidheal
Innsidh mi dhuibh mu chuid de na bàrr-phuingean den turas a-nis, aon dhiubh Baile nan Gàidheal, ann am baile beag Iona. ‘S e cruinneachadh de thogalaich eachdraidheil a th’ ann, dachaighean, bùthan-obrach, tuathanas (agus beathaichean) agus fiù ‘s eaglais, bho air feadh Ceap Breatainn, a’ sealladh dòigh-beatha nan tuinichean Gàidhealach thar nan linntean. Àite eile far an robh mi gu mòr airson dol ann, b’ e sin Pictou, gus ath-chruthachadh (agus i fhèin dìreach ga càradh) an luing eilthirich, an Hector, fhaicinn, a thàinig à Ulapul ann an 1773, agus an taigh-tasgaidh mìorbhaileach ri thaobh, le sgeul nan tuinichean agus nam Mi’kmaq a chuidich iad. Tha linne agus sgìre faisg air air a bheil Loch Broom, le eaglais-logaichean shimplidh mar a bha cumanta aig an àm sin. Sin cuideachd far an robh an t-Urr. Tormod Macleòid agus a threud an tòiseach (- a thuinich às dèidh sin ann an Waipu, NZ – sgrìobh mi mu dheidhinn an seo sa Mhàrt ‘s sa Ghibean am bliadhna).
‘S e daighneach na Gàidhlig a th’ ann am Mabou, baile beag air costa an iar Ceap Breatainn, le colaiste airson cultar is cànan na Gàidhlig, bun-sgoil bheag gu tur ùr tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig, taigh-tasgaidh tarraingeach, agus an taigh-seinnse le ceòl beo, A’ Bhròg Dhearg, air a stèidheachdh leis an teaghlach Rankin, seinneadairean anmeil. Bha cothrom agam ann am Mabou Gàidhlig a bhruidhinn ri daoine an sàs anns na h-iomairtean sin.
Mabou
Tha Halifax, port mòr agus am baile as motha sa mhòr-roinn, cuideachd làn àitichean tarraingeach, leithid Taigh-tasgaidh na h-In-imrich, àite drùidhteach aig Pier 21 far an tàinig a-steach ginealaich de longan eilthireach, agus an Seann Chladh eachdraidheil, làn chlachan-uaighe le mementi mori. Chaidh agam cuideachd air sgrìob a thoirt thairis air Eilean a’ Phrionnsa, nach ann na phàirt de dh’Alba Nuadh ach gu math faisg oirre leis a’ bhàta-aiseig. An sin thadhail mi air Green Gables*, an taigh-tuathanais geal air cùl an nobhail Anne of Green Gables, agus an t-ionad-tadhail aige. Agus aon rud sgoinneil eile, Taigh-tasgaidh a’ Ghnìomhachais ann an Stellarton, faisg air New Glasgow.
Mar a chì sibh, tha Alba Nuadh làn àitichean air an ainmeachadh air dachaighean nan tuinichean Albannach; chaidh mi fiù ‘s a dh’aon-ghnothaich a dh’Arisaig, Inverness agus Dingwall – nach eil idir mar na bailtean tùsail, ach gach uile tlachdmhor co-dhiù. Faodaidh mi turas thall an sin a mholadh gu mòr – fiù ‘s nach eil an aon ùidh agad san eachdraidh, tha barrachd is gu leòr ann ri dhèanamh, air tir ‘s air mhuir, agus ‘s e àite breagha, fàilteachail a th’ ann, làn ciùil is bidh mhaith!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nova Scotia
In October I fulfilled a dream and finally made it to Nova Scotia for Celtic Colours. That’s a 10-day music festival a bit like our Highland Blas one, with Celtic music concerts in village halls, churches etc across the large island of Cape Breton, the eastern part of the province. The “Colours” part is because the heavily wooded island is absolutely gorgeous at this time of year, with scarlet maples among the birch, rowans, larch and evergreens. The Cabot Trail, a circular coastal route – like a NC200, shows this at its best.
Meat Cove
Nova Scotia is proud of its Highland heritage, which is especially strong in Cape Breton, with native Gaelic still spoken in places by the oldest folk, and a fair number of young people continuing to learn and teach it. Place-name signs are often bilingual, and Gaelic makes at least a token appearance in many tourist and heritage materials and events. As a Scot, and a Gaelic-speaker, I got a great welcome.
But in recent years much is also made of the once-neglected indigenous people who still live there, the Mi’kmaq, and their language and heritage. At every concert I went to there was an official acknowledgement that this land ”….is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people”, and representatives of that communuty were often present. The same message was in public buildings like museums.
I went to six concerts and all were excellent – the musicians were the crème de la crème of the Nova Scotia Celtic scene, and also included top-level guests from Scotland, eg the Gaelic singer Margaret Stewart and harpist Ingrid Henderson, as well as pipers and fiddlers – the latter being what Cape Breton is best known for. Step-dancing has also always been strong there, unlike in Scotland until more recently. There was always a great atmosphere and plenty of encores, not to mention after-show sessions and parties…
But I also took plenty of time to drive around and visit places and people – I have various friends and contacts there through my Gaelic activities. The scenery is beautiful, whether vivid woodlands, coast or mountains, and is scattered with white wooden churches and homes, big barns, and lots of water – lakes and rivers and sea inlets, many with small lighthouses – also white and often wooden. Driving proved pleasantly easy, not a lot of traffic and usually fairly leisurely. It’s much busier in the summer, it seems. I was also lucky with the weather – plenty of sunshine, mainly dry, and quite mild.
I’ll just mention a few highlights now. One was the “Highland Village”, Baile nan Gàidheal, in the village of Iona – an open-air museum with historic homes, workshops, school, farm buildings (and animals) and even a church from all around Cape Breton, exemplifying the different eras of settlers’ experiences. I also just had to go to Pictou to visit the reconstruction of the immigrant ship Hector (itself being restored, so no masts just now), which arrived from Ullapool in 1773, and its Interpretive Centre, a wonderful museum to both the settlers and the Mi’kmaq people who helped them. The nearby inlet and rural area is called Loch Broom, and there’s a log church reconstruction from that time. It’s also where the Rev. Norman Macleod, of Waipu (NZ) fame, landed with his Highland flock (see my articles on him last March/April).
The Hector, and Pictou Heritage Quay
The town of Mabou, on the west coast of Cape Breton, is a Gaelic stronghold, with a college for Gaelic culture, a newly-founded tiny Gaelic-medium elementary school, a quirky museum and the famous Red Shoe pub, founded by the musical Rankin family, and famed for its live music. I had the chance to use my Gaelic there with folk involved in the various places.
The biggest town in Nova Scotia is the port of Halifax, and it too has its attractions, one being the very moving Immigration Museum at Pier 21, the place where generations of later emigrant ships docked, and the historic Old Burying Ground with its mementi mori headstones. I also managed a trip over to Prince Edward Island, not technically Nova Scotia but a ferry-ride away. There I visited Green Gables*, the white farmhouse that inspired Anne of Green Gables, with its visitor centre. And finally I enjoyed the wonderful Museum of Industry at Stellarton, near New Glasgow.
Gàidhlig briste is nas fheàrr na Gàidhlig anns a’ chiste! “Broken Gaelic is better than Gaelic in a chest!” When people hear I speak Scottish Gàidhlig, they usually want to listen to how it sounds; its throaty ch sound found in the word loch that English mostly steers clear of, like clearing a whisper from […]
SRADAGAN SAN IARMAILT / SPARKS IN THE FIRMAMENT Ginealach Ùr Bhàrd Gàidhealach / A New Generation Of Gaelic Poets Francis Boutle Publishers announces the publication of Sradagan san Iarmailt / Sparks in the Firmament, a major new anthology bringing together the foremost Gaelic poets to have emerged since the turn of the millennium. This wide-ranging […]
Cuiribh fios gun rùnaire (a_maccoinnich@hotmail.com) a dh’ iarraidh ceangal-lìn. Tha sinn a’ sireadh £5 o aoighean. Tha seo saor an asgaidh do bhuill – is faodar ballrachd-bhliadhnail a ghabhail – £25. Saor an asgaidh do dh’oileanaich.
North Uist resident Cathie Laingtalks to Island Voices co-ordinator and fellow Aire air Sunnd participant, Gordon Wells. As with other longer conversations we’ve recorded, we’ve divided this one into two halves initially, which we present first unfiltered and unsubtitled.
For the benefit of learners or non-speakers of Gaelic we’ve also cut these recordings up into smaller chunks, complemented with Clilstore transcripts and optional subtitles (which are auto-translatable into multiple languages), following the same practice adopted for Paul McCallum and James MacLetchie.
In Part 1A Cathie explains how she can trace her ancestors back as far as 1715 through the oral history kept alive in her family tradition. Her great-grandmother had vivid tales of Bonnie Dundee and it was her grandfather who introduced her to historical figures such as Seumas a’ Ghlinne (James Stewart of the Glen) in a home without books. With Perthshire antecedents, Cathie was actually born in Ross-shire into a travelling family. When she started school she was obliged to attend for a minimum of 100 days in the year. As soon as that time was up the family would hit the road, usually around April. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12571)
In Part 1BCathie relates how the family would travel around the Highlands by horse and cart. Her father would break horses in for forestry work, and pony trekking was also popular. But with the advent of tractors horses became less plentiful, so in the mid-fifties the family started coming to Uist, which was known for good horses. She explains the different methods of transporting horses across by boat from Berneray and Eriskay, before walking them to Lochmaddy. Horse boxes came later. To an eight year-old girl it seemed a free and healthy lifestyle. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12572)
In Part 1CCathie starts to talk about her schooldays, which would begin around October when she would have some catching up to do. Over the years the periods of travelling shortened as her father recognised that way of life was passing. Age restrictions meant Cathie couldn’t go into nursing, her preferred option, on leaving school, so she got an office job instead, until marrying Alasdair, whom she met in Uist. She didn’t find Uist Gaelic particularly difficult or different in comparison with her own. In fact she liked to hear the different varieties in each of the islands. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12573)
In Part 1D Cathie describes how her father worked and saved so they could move from their big winter tent into a house in Beauly, where she attended school. Even after starting work she would still need to go travelling over the summer. She enjoyed her office job, and appreciated that her employer was not concerned about paper qualifications. It was nerve-racking for her to ask for time off to travel, but they came to an amicable agreement. She lived in different worlds and different languages including English, Gaelic, and Scots. Settled in Uist for more than 50 years, she can still remember some words of Beurla Reagaird, the travelling people’s “cover tongue”. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12574)
In Part 2A Cathie recalls having an inspiring teacher at school who took a positive interest in her detailed knowledge of her family tree, and encouraged her to take up reading at home. Cathie notes how she passed this passion on to her own children and grandchildren, and views their success as a legacy from this teacher. In her own reading she came to notice sometimes troubling discrepancies between written histories about travelling people and her knowledge of the oral tradition. She is still an avid reader in both English and Gaelic, particularly of Carmina Gadelica which contains contributions from her great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12575)
In Part 2B Cathie talks about her love of music and songs, which she was able to explore more deeply on retirement when she followed a course in Gaelic language and music at the college in Benbecula. Though not an instrumentalist herself, she appreciated the opportunity to research the stories behind some of her favourite songs. She retells in detail the life-story of Catherine Maclean and her various marriages and children in the time of Mary of Guise, as referred to in the song of Seathan Mac Righ Èireann. She remains enthralled by the stories that are captured in such songs. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12576)
In Part 2C Cathie moves on to talk about her memories of how things were when she first came to live in Uist. Almost without exception, everyone spoke Gaelic, and she felt at home with the way of life, hearing the same language, stories and songs with which she was already familiar. She recalls how her grandfather had used to sing a particular song to her in her childhood, a song which he placed in Iochdar, though to her knowledge he had rarely if ever visited Uist. She was delighted many years later, when doing a home visit in Iochdar, to find out that the lady she was calling on could point her to the exact spot where the tale told in the song took place. “Every stone has a story!” (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12577)
In Part 2D Cathie expands on the placename theme, referring to various key locations near her home which have or had particular names that captured something of their history and significance. Linking this to the common practice of sloinntearachd – identifying community members through their genealogy – Cathie and Gordon conclude their conversation by uncovering some previously unknown mutual acquaintances and family connections, which were often disrupted by the large scale emigration from Uist of earlier generations. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12578)
An Dr Aonghas MacLeòid (Glaschu): ‘Raiders Bhatarsaigh san Iar Mhanachainn: Deasbadan is Connspaid’
Fàilte bhlàth air a h-uile duine!
Cuiribh fios gun rùnaire (a_maccoinnich@hotmail.com) a dh’ iarraidh ceangal-lìn. Tha sinn a’ sireadh £5 o aoighean. Tha seo saor an asgaidh do bhuill – is faodar ballrachd-bhliadhnail a ghabhail – £25. Saor an asgaidh do dh’oileanaich.
Tha mi gu math dèidheil air dùthchannan beaga, eileanan, rathaidean-iarainn agus mion-chànanan.
Mar sin, tha ùidh mhòr agam ann an Deàrrsaidh – Jersey – no mar a chanas iad ann an cànan an àite, Jèrri agus bha ùidh mhòr agam san naidheachd gu bheil iomairt air tòiseachadh gus rathad-iarainn ath-thogail san Eilean.
Bha rathaidean-iarainn san eilean roimhe mar a chithear sa mhapa gu h-ìosal:
Tha plana ann a-nis le iomairt air a bheil Jersey Western Railway gus an loidhne ath-fhosgladh eadar St. Helier agus Corbière le meur-loidhne eile dhan phort-adhair.
Tha mi an dùil is an dòchas gun soirbhich leis na planaichean seo!
The Collaborative Interdisciplinary & Applied Linguistic Links initiative (CIALL) based in the Language Sciences Institute of the University of the Highlands and Islands has been able to support a number of Island Voices small projects, particularly under the Extensions title, with help from the Scottish Funding Council over the past couple of years. You can find a round-up of 2024-25 CIALL activities in this report on the LSI news page.
