Trusaiche blogaichean
Le Gordon Wells
Kenny Murdo (Rev Ferguson) and his sister Christine are in conversation with Coinneach MacÌomhair in this video from Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre a’ Bhac, with memories of Sràid a’ Bhac, Bùth Bellann and their careers. This “Clilstore treatment” provides an online wordlinked transcript with the video embedded. You can get a translation of any word you don’t know by clicking on it: https://clilstore.eu/cs/11883
Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean
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Tha mi gu math dèidheil air a’ chòmhlan roc Big Audio Dynamite a stèidhich Mick Jones ann am meadhan nan 1980an às dèidh dha an Clash fhàgail. Ged a tha mi air leth dèidheil air a’ Chlash, bha mi ro òg a bhith ag èisteachd riutha fhad ’s a bha iad fhathast còmhla.
Ach nuair a bha mi nam dheugaire aig deireadh nan 1980an bha B.A.D còmhla agus a’ cur a-mach deagh cheòl. Bha na clàran singilte mòra agam – E=MC2 agus V13 agus C’ Mon every Beatbox. Cheannaich mi an treas LP aca Tighten Up Vol 88 nuair a thàinig e a-mach agus abair gur e clasaig a bh’ ann. Chòrd e rium mar a bhiodh iad a’ measgachadh diofar ghnèithean ciùil – reggae, punc is roc is eile le giotàr binn brèagha Mick Jones. B’ iad a’ chiad chòmhlan a chleachd sampailean cuideachd. Bhiodh iad a’ seinn mu rudan cudromach cuideachd – a’ moladh ioma-chultarachd is a’ cur an aghaidh gràin-cinnidh is mar sin air adhart. Agus sgrìobh Joe Strummer cuid de na h-òrain còmhla ri Mick – is mar sin, ’s e òrain a’ Chlash a bh’ annta gu ìre!
B.A.D ann an 2011: clì-deas: Greg Roberts, Don Letts, Mick Jones, Leo E-zee Kill Williams, Dan Donovan
Ged is e meatailt, punc agus prog as motha a tha a’ còrdadh rium, tha mi air leth deidheil air Big Audio Dynamite agus fhuair mi cothrom am faicinn beò ann an 2011 nuair a thàinig iad air ais còmhla airson turas. B’ e an t-aon gearan a bh’ agam air ais sna 1980an gun robh an ceòl aca air a chlàradh ann an dòigh caran ro 1980s – ach ann an 2011 chluich iad a h-uile rud le giotàr trom agus bha an ceòl dìreach mar a bu choir dhaibh a bhith air a chlàradh sa chiad dol a-mach!
Ach ‘s e an rud mu Big Audio Dynamite gu bheil iad underrated. Chan eil gu leòr daoine air an cluinntinn no a’ tuigsinn dè cho cudromach ‘s a tha iad. Agus bho chunnaic mi beò iad ann an 2011, tha e air a bhith na mhisean dhomh daoine iompachadh gu ceòl B.A.D.
Seo iad a’ cluich Beyond the Pale ann an Glaschu – sàr òran mu ioma-chultarachd agus eilthireachd!
Bha mi ag èisteachd ri B.A.D air an turas agam air Loidhne a’ Chinn a Tuath bho chionn ghoirid agus smaoinich aig an àm gur bheil an loidhne agus an còmhlan gu math coltach ri chèile.
Tha mi den bheachd gum bu choir a h-uile duine èisteachd ri Big Audio Dynamite co-dhiù aon turas nam beatha agus tha mi fada den bheachd cuideachd gum bu choir a h-uile duine an Alba a dhol air loidhne na Gàidhealtachd a Tuath co-dhiù aon turas nam beatha. Coltach ri B.A.D cuideachd, cha d’ fhuair an loidhne riamh an cliù air a bheil e airidh.
Tha a h-uile duine eòlach air Loidhne na Gàidhealtachd an Iar eadar Glaschu, an t-Òban, an Gearasdan is Malaig, loidhne a tha daonnan a’ buannachadh dhuaisean leis cho brèagha sa tha e le beanntan, lochan, mòinteach agus drochaid Harry Potter. Tha Loidhne a’ Chaol gu math ainmeil cuideachd. Ma chumas mi orm leis a’ mheatafor, is e an Clash a th’ anns an Loidhne na Gàidhealtachd an Iar agus stuth solo aig Joe Strummer a th’ ann an Loidhne a’ Chaoil!
Le Loidhne a’ Chinn a Tuath, ‘s e coimiutairean gu Inbhir Nis as motha a tha a’ cleachdadh taobh deas na loidhne, agus chan eil gu leòr daoine a’ cleachdadh taobh tuath na loidhne idir. Chan eil fhios aig a’ mhòr-chuid de luchd-turais gu bheil e fiù’ s ann agus ‘s e glè bheag de dh’Albannaich a tha air cluinntinn mun loidhne nas motha.
Georgemas – an ceann-rèile as fhaide a tuath ann an Alba – Inbhir Theòrsa gu tuath agus Inbhir Ùige dhan ear
Chithear an diofar eadar na trì loidhnichean mòra Gàidhealach bho fhigearan an luchd-cleachdaidh:
| Stèisean | Àireamh Luchd-siubhail (2022/23) |
| An t-Òban | 186,000 |
| An Gearasdan | 146,000 |
| Malaig | 71,692 |
| Caol Loch AIllse | 46,634 |
| Inbhir Theòrsa | 31,446 |
| Inbhir Ùige | 14,924 |
Chanadh cuid gu bheil an loidhne a’ toirt ro fhada is gu bheil e a’ toirt nas fhaide na an rathad ma tha thu a’ dol fad na slighe gu Gallaibh, ach cha bhi sin a’ cur bacadh air daoine bho bhith a’ dol air loidhne na Gàidhealtachd an Iar far a bheil an aon rud fìor.
Tha an loidhne fada ceart gu leòr – 161 mìle agus 4.5 uairean a thìde eadar Inbhir Nis agus Inbhir Ùige ach tha an turas eadar Glaschu is Malaig gu math fada cuideachd – 5 uair a thìde agus 162 mìle a dh’fhaid.
‘S e an fhìrinn a th’ ann gur e loidhne anabarrach brèagha a th’ innte agus gum biodh i air gach sanas TBh is catalog aig VisitScotland mur a robh loidhne na Gàidhealtachd an Iar againn mar-thà. Chanainn gu bheil i nas fheàrr na loidhne sam bith ann an Sasainn no sa Chuimrigh mar eisimpleir – ged a tha an Settle and Carlisle agus an Cambrian Coast aca.
Tha a h-uile rud aig Loidhne a’ Chinn a Tuath – bailtean snoga ri taobh na mara, An Caol Catach, na Flobhaichean (the flow country) agus tòrr a bharrachd. Tha na seallaidhean gu math Gàidhealach ach caran eadar-dhealaichte ri taobh siar a Gàidhealtachd oir tha na beanntan agus na seallaidhean eile a chithear nas coltaiche ris a’ Chuimrigh no ri Èirinn. Tha a’ phàirt mu dheireadh den loidhne a-staigh dhan tìr agus air falbh bhon rathad agus tha na Flobhaichean dìreach air leth. Cho còmhnard, cho lom agus cho eadar-dhealaichte ri rathad-iarainn sam bith eile.
Agus nuair a ruigeas tu ceann na loidhne, tha Taigh Iain Ghròt, Rubha Dhunait (an t-àite as fhaide a tuath air tìr mòr na h-Alba), Arcaibh agus tòrr a bharrachd.
Ach na gabh ris an rud a thuirt mi – rach air loidhne a’ Chinn a Tuath! Agus èist ri B.A.D!
San dealachadh, ’s e rud eile mu B.A.D gu bheil iad a’ sìor bhrosnachadh ioma-chultarachd – a’ measgachadh ceòl Shasainn, Ameireagaidh agus Iameuga. Tha Gallaibh caran mar sin – a’ toirt còmhla cultar ioma-chànanach na Gàidhlig, na Lochlannais agus na Scots!
Alasdair
Tadhail air Trèanaichean, tramaichean is tràilidhean
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Na h-uain a’s t-earrach, le Runrig
Seachdain sa chaidh bha mi aig Eden Court gus an fhiolm The Last Dance fhaicinn, clàradh den chuirm-chiùil mu dheireadh a ghabh Runrig, ann an 2018 fo sgàil Caisteal Shruighlea. Tachartas làn faireachdainn a bh’ ann, leis gun robh fios againn uile mar-thà aig àm a’ chonsairt nach biodh iad a’ dèanamh turas eile no fiù’s cuirm-chiùil eile tuilleadh. Agus a-nis, a’ coimhead ‘s a’ cluinntinn a-rithist, thuig sinn gu h-obann is gu soilleir gun robh fios mar-thà aig an àm sin aig Bruce Guthro, prìomh sheinneadair den chòmhlan, fios nach robh againne idir, gun robh aillse air. Cha do sheall e sin, agus bha a ghuth cho brèagha ‘s cho làidir ’s a bha e riamh. Ach san eadar-àm chaochail e, ann an 2023, gun dùil againn ris, is call mòr a bha sin dhan choimearsnachd Riggie, gun ghuth air a theaghlach ‘s air a charaidean sa chòmhlan. Bha sinn uile a’ coimhead le sùilean is cluasan ùra, agus cha mhòr nach robh duine sam bith san taigh-dhealbh gun deur no dhà. Bha ar gaisgich bàsmhor.
Ach chan ann mar sin a chunnaic Ruairidh is Calum Dòmhnallach an saoghal ann an 1978, is iad dìreach air aon de na ciad òrain Ghàidhlig aca a sgrìobhadh – Na h-uain a’s t-earrach. Agus ‘s ann mun òran seo a tha mi airson bruidhinn am mìos seo. Bha an còmhlan dìreach a’ tòiseachadh ri bhith na b’ ainmeile, is a’ cleachdadh Gàidhlig na bu trice, rud nach robh cumanta airson chòmhlan-ciùil òga fhathast, agus a bha gu math connspaideach. Ach bha misneachd na h-òige aca, is iad a’ faireachdainn òg is làidir, deiseil is deònach an saoghal atharrachadh – agus taic a chumail ri Gàidhlig.
Dè math bhith suidhe fàs nas aosd
‘S làithean earraich a’ falbh bhuainn…
Chuir sinn ar cànan na’r chridhe.. ‘s le chèile togaidh sinn fonn.
Tha na sèistean làn iomraidhean air dè cho òg ‘s a tha iad (agus ‘s iad a bha!):
Òg tha sinn òg, òg na’r cridhe
Beatha na’r coinneamh, Coinneal na’r làimh
‘S ann againn tha neart, Is ann againn tha ‘n cothrom
Na’r cridhe gu bràth
Tha sinn òg, òg.
Agus a-nis tha na h-uain a’s t-earrach a’ nochdadh, agus an turas seo tha na Dòmhnallaich a’ gairm na Gàidheil òga eile – a’ cleachdadh “sibh” seach “sinn”:
Tha sibh mar na h-uain a’s t-earrach
Siubhal ‘s a leum, tapaidh, saor
Ach an fhaca sibh na caoraich aosd’
Nì aon dhiubh gluasad ‘s leanaidh ‘n corr.
Cha ann mu chaoraich a tha iad a bruidhinn.
Tha fios aca gum bi daoine a’ fàs sean, agus nach bi cùisean cho furasda an uair sin, ach sin dìreach carson a dh’fheumas na h-òganaich barrachd a dhèanamh cho fad ’s a bhios iad òg:
Nuair bhios na bliadhnaichean ‘dol bhuaibh
Làithean doirbh, làithean dorch’
Cùm do choinneal an àrd is laiste
‘S coisich an saoghal le cridhe òg.
Agus ‘s e sin a rinn Runrig, gun teagamh sam bith. Thug iad a’ Ghàidhlig ‘s an cultar Gàidhealach is Albannach thairis bhon niche folk gu rock, bhon talla-bhaile bheag gu lannan-cluiche mòra, leis an sgioba-ciùil teann is tàlantach a bh’ anns a’ chòmhlan. Chùm iad an coinneal ud an àrd fad an cùrsa-beatha, is bhrosnaich iad luchd-ciùil òg eile ar cànan ‘s ar cultar a thoirt air adhart ann an saoghal caochlaideach, ceòl ùr a chruthachadh leotha, agus pròiseactan ùra a stèidheachadh, mar iomairt nam Fèisean, no duaisean Na Trads, no tachartasan mar Bhlas. Is iomadh seinneadair is còmhlan-ciùil cliùteach san latha an-diugh, mar Julie Fowlis, no Skipinnish, no Niteworks, a tha toilichte innse mar a bha Runrig na bhuaidh mhòr orra.
Thàinig Na h-uain a’s t-earrach a-mach air an album Highland Connection ann an 1979 agus bha e ri chluinntinn aig cuirmean-ciùil aig an àm sin. Seo an clàradh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KdT9m5gBiY
Leis an ùine dh’atharraich e bho òran air a sheinn gu pìos ionnsramaideach drùidhteach airson giotàr is drumaichean, mar an seo beò ann an 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ1h-YQgFzQ
‘S dòcha gun robh fios aca nach biodh “tha sinn òg, òg” cho freagarrach tuilleadh!
Ach 40 bliadhna air adhart on a sgrìobh iad an t-òran, bha an aon spiorad làidir, misneachail ri fhaicinn ‘s ri chluinntinn – is ri fhaireachdainn – aig a’ chuirm-chiùil mu dheireadh, àrd is soilleir. Thàinig na “làithean dorch’ “, gu dearbh, ach tha na coinnlean ud a’ lasadh fhathast, is na mìltean dhiubh.
Agus tha sinn an dùil ‘s an dòchas gum bi na h-uain agus an t-earrach againn a-rithist cuideachd a dh’aithghearr!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The lambs in springtime, by Runrig
Last week I went to Eden Court to see the film The Last Dance, a recording of Runrig’s last concert in the shadow of Stirling Castle in 2018. It was an emotional event, as we all knew already at the time of the concert that Runrig wouldn’t be doing another tour or even a concert any more. And now, watching and listening again, we suddenly and clearly were aware that the lead singer, Bruce Guthro, unlike us already knew at that time that he had cancer. He didn’t show it – his voice was as beautiful and powerful as ever. But he died in 2023, unexpectedly for us, a huge loss to the Riggie community, not to mention to his family and his bandmates. So we were all watching the film with new eyes and ears, and there was hardly anyone in the cinema who didn’t shed a tear or two. Our heroes were mortal.
But that’s not how Rory and Calum Macdonald saw the world back in 1978, when they wrote one of their first Gaelic songs – Na h-uain a’s t-earrach, The lambs in springtime. And that’s the song I’m going to look at this month. The band were just beginning to be better known, and singing in Gaelic more often, something that wasn’t common at the time for young bands, and was quite controversial. But they had the confidence of youth and felt young and strong, ready and keen to change the world – and to support Gaelic.
What’s the point in sitting, growing older
The days of springtime disappearing from us
We put our language in our hearts
We found a song and sung it
The chorus is full of references to how young they are (and they were!)
Young, we are young, young in our hearts
Life ahead of us, a candle in our hands
We have the enthusiasm, we have the opportunity
In your attitude forever stay young, stay young
And now the young lambs of spring of the title appear, and this time the Macdonalds are summoning other young Gaels to the standard – using “you” instead of “we”.
You are like the lambs in springtime
Running around, jumping and carefree
But have you ever noticed the older sheep
When one moves they all follow
It’s not sheep they’re talking about.
They know of course that people grow old, that things won’t be so easy then, but that’s precisely why young people have to do more as long as they are young:
And when the years start departing from you
The difficult days, the darker days
Keep your candle aloft and lit
Walk this world with a young heart
And that’s what Runrig did, no doubt about it. They kept that candle aloft throughout their musical career, and inspired other young musicians to carry our language and culture forward in a changing world, creating new music with them, and founding new projects like the Fèisean, the Na Trads awards, or the Blas Festival events. And there are countless celebrated singers and bands today, like Julie Fowlis, Skipinnish, or Niteworks, who are happy to tell us what a major influence Runrig has had on them.
The song Na h-uain a’s t-earrach / Lambs in springtime came out on the album Highland Connection in 1979, and was played at concerts then – here’s the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KdT9m5gBiY
In the course of time it changed from a vocal to an impressive instrumental piece for guitar and drums, as heard here live in 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ1h-YQgFzQ
They probably realised that singing “we’re young, young” wasn’t quite so appropriate by that point!
But 40 years on from when they wrote the song, the same strong, confident spirit could be seen and heard – and felt – at that last concert, loud and clear. The “darker days” did indeed come, but those candles are still burning bright, and in their thousands.
And we live in hope that the the lambs and the spring will be back with us again soon too!
Original lyrics and translation here: https://runrig.rocks/lyrics/the%20highland%20connection.html
Tadhail air seaboardgàidhlig
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Le lasairdhubh
Below is my personal response to the consultation on the Scottish Languages Bill. If you haven’t submitted your own response yet, there is still time! The consultation closes on Friday, and you can find the forms here in English and in Gaelic.
Distinguished members of the Education, Children and Young People Committee,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the current draft of the Scottish Languages Bill. While there is much to recommend in the current draft, I would like to focus on one critical weakness I see in the bill as it stands, and that is that the draft legislation establishes no new language rights for Gaelic or Scots speakers, and specifically, no parental right to Gaelic medium education (GME).
Gaelic is in an enigmatic position in Scotland at this point in its history. In some respects, the language has never been more popular. When asked in Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, 90% of young adults said that Gaelic is an important part of Scotland’s cultural heritage and 59% of young adults said that they would like to speak better Gaelic. With this kind of support, Gaelic should be in rude health, but it is also true that public provision of Gaelic adult and childhood education lags far behind this demand, with less than 2% of Scots reporting any ability in the language in the last census and only 1% of Scottish primary students enrolled in GME.
The provision gap in GME is particularly damaging. While research shows that GME is very attractive to parents throughout Scotland, with 28% of adults reporting that they would consider GME for their children if offered in their area,† GME is still only available in 3.1% of Scottish primary schools. Given this demand, and after 40 years of pressure from parents and other activists, provision should be much more widespread than it is now, but the growth of GME has been consistently blocked by councils around the country and hindered by a lack of a clear parental right to GME for their children.
A right to GME was a central demand of the campaign for secure status for Gaelic in the 1990s, a campaign that culminated in the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, but when the final act was passed, to the great disappointment of Gaelic activists and parents, no such right was included. Indeed, the act was so weak that it did not contain any substantive language rights at all. As a result, parents and other Gaelic activists have been left to fight long and exhausting political campaigns to force councils to open Gaelic units and schools again and again for decades. The Education (Scotland) Act 2016 only further enshrined this broken process in law.
A parental right to GME is practical and achievable in a country as wealthy as the Scotland. Of course, such a right would require rapidly growing the supply of Gaelic-medium teachers, but with sufficient political will, this is entirely possible. For example, in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) in Spain, a region with a similar per capita GDP to Scotland, through a generous program of language-learning bursaries and sabbaticals, authorities increased the supply of teachers qualified in the Basque language from around 5% to almost 90% in less than 30 years.
As the statistics above show, Gaelic’s support in Scotland is far broader than its small number of speakers might suggest. With the proper educational provision, Gaelic has the potential to grow to be a widely-spoken language again in Scotland, but that provision will only materialize if Gaelic speakers are afforded substantive language rights in legislation. Our experience with the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 has taught us an important lesson: serious language legislation has to confer language rights.
I sincerely hope that this can be achieved. I remain optimistic that political support for language rights can be found in the current parliament, and above all, that this legislation can be strengthened to include a clear right for parents to choose Gaelic education for their children.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Is mise le meas,
Dr Timothy Curry Armstrong
Senior Lecturer in Gaelic and Communication, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Bòrd na Gàidhlig. 2023. Gaelic Education Data 2022-23. Inverness.
Mac an Tàilleir, Iain. 2014. Cunntas-sluaigh na h-Alba 2011; Clàran mun Ghàidhlig [The 2011 Scottish Census; Responses about Gaelic]. Unpublished report.
O’Hanlon, Fiona and Lindsay Paterson. 2017. “Factors influencing the likelihood of choice of Gaelic-medium primary education in Scotland: results from a national public survey.” Language, Culture and Curriculum 30 (1): 48‒75.
ScotCen Social Research. 2022. Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2021: Public attitudes to Gaelic in Scotland – Main report. http://www.gaidhlig.scot/en/news/SSAS/
Zalbide, Mikel and Jasone Cenoz. 2008. “Bilingual Education in the Basque Autonomous Community: Achievements and Challenges.” Language, Culture and Curriculum 21(1): 5‒20.
† Edited, 2/3/24. I got this stat wrong in my actual submission. It should be 28% rather than 27% as I had it in the documant I sent into the consultation.
Tadhail air Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach
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Tadhail air Ghetto na Gàidhlig – Bella Caledonia
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Tadhail air Blog Pàrlamaid na h-Alba
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Bidh an Dr Donnchadh Sneddon a’ tighinn thugainn aig Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu, Diardaoin, 26/10 aig 7.30f. Tha sinn a’ dèanamh fiughair ris!
Chaidh iarraidh orm, le dà charaid dhan Chomann, Niall Ó Gallchóir agus Ùisdean MacGhill’innein, fios a sgaoileadh mu dà thachartas mar a chithear gu h-ìosal.
| Àm: | 7.30f, Diardaoin 16ᵐʰ dhan Dàmhair |
| Àite: | Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu, 147 Sràid Berkeley, Glaschu G3 7HP |
| Cànan: | Gàidhlig |
| When: | 7.30pm, Thursday 16th October |
| Where: | Glasgow Gaelic School, 147 Berkeley St, Glasgow G3 7HP |
| Language: | Gaelic |
Our first talk, with Dr Donnchadh Sneddon, will take place at Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu, Thursday 26/10, at 7.30 – and we are looking forward to it.
I have been asked to circulate information by friends of CGG, Niall O’ Gallagher and Hugh Dan MacLennan, to circulate information as follows.
Tadhail air Comann Gàidhlig Ghlaschu
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Tadhail air Blog Pàrlamaid na h-Alba
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Tha taigh-tasgaidh sònraichte ann an Suffolk a th’ air a bhith air an liosta-bucaid agam far iomadh bliadhna – East Anglia Transport Museum faisg air Lowestoft.
Fhuair mi cothrom a dhol ann mu dheireadh thall san Lùnastal.
Tha an taigh-tasgaidh seo sònraichte oir ged a tha e caran beag, tha e loma-làn còmhdhail retro de gach seòrsa – rathad-iarainn, busaichean-tràilidh agus tramaichean uile air an aon làraich.
Thòisich an turas agam le oidhche air a’ Chadalaiche eadar Glaschu agus Lunnainn. Ged nach d’ fhuair mi cus cadail, tha e daonnan tlachdmhor a bhith air an “leabaidh-trèana” mar a th’ aig mo nighnean oirre. An uair sin, fhuair mi an Underground eadar Euston Square agus Liverpool Street gus an trèana agam a ghlacadh gu Suffolk. Bha e sgoinneil a bhith ann an Liverpool Street oir an turas mu dheireadh a bha mi ann an Lunnainn, bha mi a’ feuchain ri dhol gu gach terminus rèile san aon latha – ach bha Liverpool Street dùinte airson obair innleadaireachd.
Bha plana agam a dhol gu Ipswich agus an uair sin air loidhne Suffolk an Ear gu Lowestoft. Mar thoradh air stailc rèile, ge-tà, stad an trèana agam aig barrachd stèiseanan na an àbhaist an chaill mi an ceangal agam aig Ipswich agus bha agam ri dhol ann taobh Norwich air a’ Ghreat Eastern Mainline agus an uair sin air adhart air a’ Wherry Line gu Lowestoft. Chan eil briseadh dùil ro mhòr a bh’ ann, ge-tà oir fhuair mi cothrom a dhol tro na Norfolk Broads.
Bha mi air bòrd fear de na trèanaichean uaine aig Greater Anglia – “na Flirts” – an Clas 745 eadar London is Norfolk agus an uair sin an Clas 755 (bi-mode a tha comasach air ruith air dealain no air diosal) gu Lowestoft. Tha na trèanaichean seo uaine, comfhurtail agus dreachmhor cuideachd. Tha mi an dòchas gum faic sinn barrachd trèanaichean mar seo air feadh na lìonra.
Bha mi a’ coimhead air adhart ri Lowestoft fhaicinn oir ’s ann às a sin a tha an còmhlan roc the Darkness.
Nis, tha an stèisean ann an Lowestoft uamhasach àlainn le tòrr phostairean is dealbhan mu eachdraidh a’ bhaile agus còmhdhail sa bhaile ach taobh a-muigh an stèisein, chan eil cùisean buileach cho snog. Nan robh agam ri Lowestoft a mhìneachadh ann an aon fhacal – ‘s e guano a bhiodh ann. Tha faoilleagan craicte, cunnartach, feargach anns gach àite agus tha na na toglaichean, polaichean dealain, bàtaichean is eile dìreach air an comadachadh le guano. Tha fiù ’s na cabhsairean ann am meadhan a’ bhaile geal le guano agus abair gu bheil sàmh ann….
Mar sin, rinn mi air stèisean nam bus gu math luath gus mo cheangal a ghlacadh dhan taigh-tasgaidh.
Bidh mi daonnnan ag ràdh gu bheil dà dhiofar sheòrsa baile ann a thaobh còmhdhail bus. Air an dàrna làimh, tha bailtean far an cleachd daoine de gach seòrsa busaichean a chionn gu bheil na seirbheisean math agus goireasach leithid Lunnainn agus D.È. Air an làimh eile, tha bailtean eile far nach cleachd duine sam bith busaichean ach a-mhàin daoine aig nach eil roghainn sam bith eile. Ann an Lowestoft, chan eil teagamh sam bith ann nach e an dàrna seòrsa seirbheis bus a th’ ann – seo seirbheis do dhaoine aig nach eil car is gun roghainn sam bith eile ach am bus a ghabhail. Bha am bus slaodach, grod agus bha stèisean nam bus dìreach sgriosail – fada ro bheag le droch fhàileadh is faoilleagan craicte os ar cionn mar an luftwaffe agus iad a’ suidhe air na stadan bus agus fiu’s air na busaichean fhein agus iad a’ sgreuchail gu h-àrd is gu h-eagallach.
Seo mar a bha an cabhsair air feadh air feadh meadhan Lowestoft!
Mar sin, bha mi toilichte fhaighinn a-mach à meadhan a’ bhaile agus tron bhaile gu Carlton Colville dìreach taobh a-muigh a’ bhaile far a bheil an taigh-tasgaidh.
Agus abair gur e taigh-tasgaidh snog a th’ ann.
Ma tha thu air a bhith ann an Taigh-tasgaidh Nàiseanta nan Tramaichean ann an Crich, Schd Derby, no ann an Taigh-tasgaidh nam Busaichean-tràilidh ann an Sandtoft, tha e gu math coltach ri sin oir a bharrachd air buill-taisbeanaidh còmhdhail, tha bùth ann den t-seòrsa a chitheadh tu ann an linn nan tramaichean, a bharrachd air pàirce bheag, garaiste le seann chàraichean agus oifis-phuist bheag. Tha clachan-chàsaidh – cobbles – air an rathad cuideachd.
Tha trì siostaman còmhdhail eadar-dhealaichte san taigh-tasgaidh. Sa chiad dol a-mach, tha an trama. Tha loidhne ghoirid ann a tha direach. Airson adhbhar air choireigin, cha robh an t-slighe air fad fosgailte, ach chòrd e rium a dhol air trama Blackpool air na bha air fosgailte den loidhne. An uair sin, tha busaichean tràilidh ann agus tha iad a’ ruith ann an cearcall timcheall air an taigh-tasgaidh, seachad air depot nan tramaichiean is nan tràilidhean.
Chan eil ach trì àiteachan ann am Breatainn far an urrainn dhut a dhol air bus-tràilidh – Sandtoft (faisg air Doncaster – taigh-tasgaidh naiseanta nam busaichean-tràilidh), East Anglia Transport Museum agus am Black Country Living Museum ann an Dudley. Agus tha busaichean-tràilidh gu bhith a’ ruith ann am Beamish anns an North of England Living Museum latha de na làithean cuideachd.
(Seada nan tràilidhean: Portsmouth, Lunnainn agus Hastings)
Tha mi air leth measail air na tràilidhean agus an turas seo, gu sònraichte, bha e math a dhol air bus-tràilidh à Suffolk fhein – a Ipswich. Tha deagh chruinneachadh de thramaichean is de bhusaichean-tràilidh a diofar àiteachan agus a bharrachd air Suffolk fhein, tha gu leòr ann à Lunnainn – baile mòr nan tramaichean is nam busaichean-tràilidh.
Mu dheireadh, tha Rathad-iarainn Aotrom Suffolk an Ear ann, a tha na rathad-iarainn caol-ghèidse den t-seòrsa a bha cumanta aig factaraidean is cuairidhean uair.
East Suffolk Light Railway
Mholainn an Taigh-tasgaidh seo gu mòr – tha e beag agus tha e gu math fada air falbh à Alba ach tha iad air tòrr mòr a dhèanamh leis an làraich bhig a th’ aca – agus tha planaichean mòra aca aig an àm seo gus an taigh-tasgaidh a leudachadh.
Tha Suffolk sgoinneil – ach thoir an aire do na faoilleagan!
Alasdair
Air m’ fhòn: Status Quo “Whatever You Want” (1979), 9/10.
Tadhail air Trèanaichean, tramaichean is tràilidhean
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Le Gordon Wells
Here at Island Voices/Guthan nan Eilean we’re delighted to host a first blogpost from Mary Morrison, the co-ordinator and guiding light at Comann Eachdraidh Uibhist a Tuath (CEUT) for the “Aire air Sunnd” wellbeing project, supported by the Ideas Fund. And we look forward to further contributions!
Picture: Intergenerational walkers and talkers exploring Gaelic heritage between Barpa Langais and Pobul Fhinn as part of the Aire air Sunnd “Fèis Shamhraidh” (summer festival)
My first post – latha math a h-uile duine!
This is the first attempt at a blogpost – a way of trying to convey what’s happening in our ‘Aire air Sunnd’ project, (Attention to Cheerfulness), from the CEUT co-ordinating perspective. Over the past eighteen months I have been trying to make sense of some ideas that have been buzzing at the edges of my mind, and coming very gradually to understand the areas we need to discuss where we as a project might go next; (I think it was poet Marianne Moore who said, ‘Thought collects in pools’).
We are hoping that North Uist friends and relations will join in these ‘citizen science’ conversations and help push our community’s (or communities’) ideas further. Particularly we need to work out how the project findings can help, first practically, in raising funding to refurbish Sgoil Chàirinis, and second, in gathering evidence convincing enough to make our voices challenge and reverberate at local and national public policy levels.
During a recent recorded forum between Comann Eachdraidh Uibhist a Tuath and our three university research partners, Iain Campbell from the Language Sciences Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, asked three provocative questions, which I paraphrase as ‘how do you define a single community, how could such a community be said to be representative and how could it develop agency, make its voice heard in places of power, to make a difference?
Suddenly Iain had provided a scaffold for my scattered reflections – thank you, Iain.
Our small CEUT wellbeing group, facilitated by Jess Wood (working with Heather Morgan of Aberdeen University’s Applied Health Sciences department), met for a series of workshops last year. An open call to CEUT members resulted in ten of us gathering at Sgoil Chàirinis, where we were encouraged by Jess to figure out which aspects of local heritage and wellbeing mattered most to us. We were a mix of long term Gaelic speaking Uisteachs, Uist returners and some who had chosen to settle here and had lived here for over twelve years, with all of us acknowledging the Gaelic language as the pulse or heartbeat of our small, remote island community.
‘The assimilation of traditional communities is not a simple matter of painlessly extracting one language and culture and transplanting in an inherently superior replacement; the process can induce breaks in generations between families, discontinuities in a community’s sense of place and self- confidence and fractures in a person’s identity….’ (Michael Newton, Warriors of the Word)
What seemed to matter most to our group at its first workshop, in no order of preference, were:
Working alongside our researchers, we began the process of constructing a survey of our members last winter, to learn more about how these choices can support our communities’ wellbeing, especially after the wearisomely long and anxious period of the pandemic. (CEUT had already recorded aspects of the resilience of different age groups across the island during this period). It was interesting to see and archive, at the end of 2021, how much comfort our community had found in ‘closer family relationships’, the ‘local environment’, and ‘being creative’ as ways of overcoming the isolation and potential loneliness of lockdown.
The main highlights of the Aire air Sunnd survey findings were:
Perhaps the time has come now for CEUT:
The recently revived Horizon programme, (previously denied to British citizens post-Brexit, but still a major plank supporting the EU’s academic programmes), defines co-creation as ‘a guarantee of the growth of citizen science and innovation in providing public services’. In this project we, CEUT, as the instigators and funded body, acknowledge that it has taken us time to recognise our assets, the importance of our local language and traditional cultural knowledge, as we have worked alongside our researchers. It is imperative now to build on these strengths, resisting any attempts to ‘colonise’ us in ways that do not result in mutual benefits to researchers and CEUT alike. CEUT also needs to find routes for our endeavours to connect with and influence public services. Dr Victoria Rawlings, in her co-authored publication, ‘Community -led research: Walking New Paths Together’, even suggests that ‘community -led research produces better quality research, a better, more fulfilling experience for its participants and more reliable research outcomes’.
We need to gather evidence of what works well locally, for whom, in what settings /contexts and how these can best be supported in such parlous times of fiscal, social and planetary challenge.
Please join in this community discussion! Do add your thoughts, the more random the more inspirational!
Mary Morrison
Comments are welcome, here on this blogpost, or perhaps on the CEUT or Island Voices Facebook pages or Twitter feeds if that’s where you see it first. All platforms will be monitored and all contributions valued!
Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean
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