Gaelic – Duilleag 7

AAS: Wellbeing, Stories, and Gaelic

Gordon Wells talks about his view of the importance of stories and the place for Gaelic to the Wellbeing group in the Aire air Sunnd project led by Comann Eachdraidh Uibhist a Tuath (North Uist Historical Society). He has recorded English and Gaelic versions of this talk. Click on any link below to get to the YouTube video.

Wellbeing, stories & Gaelic (in English) – full talk

Wellbeing, stories & Gaelic (in Gaelic) – full talk

Both English and Gaelic talks can also be viewed in two parts each. In part 1 Gordon recounts a story about his uncle, Norman Maclellan, supplemented with some family photos. In part 2 he offers some general thoughts and reflections, particularly in relation to language, arising from this family story. The Gaelic parts are accompanied by optional YouTube subtitles, which can further be auto-translated into the language of your choice through the YouTube settings wheel.

Wellbeing, stories & Gaelic (in English) – Part 1

Wellbeing, stories & Gaelic (in English) – Part 2

Wellbeing, stories & Gaelic (in Gaelic) – Part 1 (subtitled)

Wellbeing, stories & Gaelic (in Gaelic) – Part 2 (subtitled)

The original Gaelic version of Anna Sheonaidh’s article in An t-Uibhisteach, referred to in the first part of Gordon’s talk, and an English translation are available here: https://gordonwellsuist.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/ban-uibhisteach-ann-an-india/

Access to the articles referred to in the second part of Gordon’s talk is freely available here: https://guthan.wordpress.com/research/

More information on the Island Voices contribution to Aire air Sunnd is available here: https://guthan.wordpress.com/aire-air-sunnd/

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

AAS: Phase 2 Launch Video

Le Gordon Wells

A series of short videos is planned for public release by the Aire Air Sunnd (AAS) Wellbeing Group. These record aspects of a series of sessions (physical and virtual) held in Phase Two of the project. Island Voices is happy to provide the online platform for these through our YouTube channel.

In the first video, Jessica Wood, CEUT‘s co-researcher from Aberdeen University, describes how the Wellbeing Workshops were shaped, sharing some of the important findings from the co-created 2023 community survey. “These in turn informed the follow-on community-led research, demonstrating how community members can become researchers themselves through learning from working alongside professional researchers.”

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Suirbhidh air mòr-ionad Gàidhlig / Survey about Gaelic hub

Le Bella Caledonia Editor

Tha Ionad Gàidhlig Dhùn Èideann a’ dèanamh suirbhidh coimhearsnachd an-dràsta air ‘mòr-ionad’ no ‘hub’ Gàidhlig ann an Dùn Èideann – àite sòisealta is cultarail far am b’ urrainn do luchd na Gàidhlig tighinn còmhla airson diofar sheòrsaichean ghnìomhachdan is tachartasan Gàidhlig. Dè na buannachdan a dh’fhaodadh a bhith an lùib mòr-ionad Gàidhlig agus dè a […]

Tadhail air Ghetto na Gàidhlig – Bella Caledonia

Half a Million Hits & Other News

Le Gordon Wells

Six months after our “Island Voices make sense” Hogmanay post we can now note a midsummer milestone and a couple of other updates!

Firstly, we passed the half-million mark of hits on the YouTube channel on June 26th:

Not bad for a “minority language” channel! Many thanks to all our contributors over the years!

And after extended “18th anniversary” celebrations, we’ll be taking a bit of a social media breather over the summer break, but not before also noting the June publication of an abridged version of the comprehensive account of the Island Voices project in Language Issues, the NATECLA journal: “Island voices ‐ Guthan nan Eilean ‐ Hebridean language capture and curation, 2005‐2023: an overview”

Abstract:

This is an abridged version of an article providing a comprehensive description of the Island Voices/Guthan nan Eilean language capture and curation project as it stood in Spring 2023, available in full on the project’s website. The introduction presents information on its main features and aims, the linguistic rationale focussing on the primacy of speech and the salience of bilingualism, and the Hebridean community context in which the project operates. A shortened account of the project contents and chronology follows, divided into four separate sections or phases: Staff-led Production, Participatory Production, Multilingual Diversification, and Research Alignment. In conclusion, connections to further research and development projects and opportunities are sketched out, and some final reflections question a polarising juxtaposition of local versus global interests while pointing towards responsibilities alongside the opportunities this kind of work entails. Describing a primarily oral project through written text presents a challenge. Copious footnotes point to online samples of the materials discussed, and readers are encouraged to engage through the screen as well as the page in order to extract full benefit. The original article is bookended by a preamble and postscript, which offer written exemplification from short, transcribed extracts. It can be accessed through the following link: https://guthan.wordpress.com/2023/06/01/eighteen-years-of-island-voices/

(NB. It may be worth noting that, while it is of course great that Language Issues readers now get a chance to learn about the project through their own journal, the original – and full – article is still freely available on our research/reports page.)

CEBacplaylist1 Lastly for now, we were also pleased in mid-June to add the ninth and final film in the Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre a’ Bhac playlist of excellent community-made and subtitled videos to our Clilstore collection, with CIALL support. This is foundational work which, quite apart from its Gaelic learning support function, provides standardised transcriptions of authentic speech which can be used in a number of other important applications as well. We’ve now gathered together all nine clips with their Clilstore transcripts on a single dedicated Sgìre a’ Bhac page. Thanks and congratulations to the Comann Eachdraidh!

We look forward to coming back after the summer with more exciting developments…

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Lèirmheas: Dune 2

Le lasairdhubh

Choimhead mi Dune 2 a’ chiad uair air an sgàilean mhòr aig a’ Highland Cinema anns a’ Ghearasdan na bu tràithe am bliadhna, agus nuair a thàinig mi a-mach às an taigh-dheilbh, bha mi air chrith. Cha chreid mi gun tug film eile an aon bhuaidh orm on a chunnaic mi a’ chiad Star Wars anns an taigh-dheilbh is mi nam bhalach bheag air ais an 1977. Cheannaich mi an DVD, agus choimhead mi a-rithist e thar an deiridh-sheachdain corra thuras, agus ged nach robh an aon bhuaidh aige air an sgàilean bheag, bha e fhathast uabhasach math.

Tha fios gun robh mòran iomagaineach, agus ’s e faochadh a th’ ann gu bheil e cho math ’s a tha e. Bha an leabhar cianail cudromach dhomh nuair a bha mi òg, agus easbhaidhean an dàrna taobh, tha mi cuideachd measail air a’ film aig David Lynch. Bha a’ chiad film anns an t-sreath ùr seo glè mhath, ach bha fios gum biodh an dùbhlan a bu mhotha ri thighinn anns an dàrna fear. An soirbhicheadh le Denis Villeneuve far nach do shoirbhich le Lynch no Alejandro Jodorowsky roimhe?

Ann am meadhan nan seachdadan, nuair nach deach e le Jodorowsky, dh’fhalbh George Lucas, agus rinn e Star Wars, a bha, gu h-ìre mhòr, na thionndadh faoin ach spòrsail air an sgeulachd aig Frank Herbert, agus leis an fhìrinn innse, is dòcha gum b’ e deagh rud a bha sin. B’ e film às na 70an a bh’ ann an Star Wars gu a chùl. Cha chreid mi gum freagradh an Dune aig Villeneuve air an linn sin, ach tha e a’ faireachdainn buileach iomchaidh dhan linn againne, le a chnuasachadh air cumhachd agus air a’ chunnart an cois ceannardais mhesiasaich.

’S e film dorcha gun dòchas a th’ ann, agus ’s ann mar sin a lorg mi an nobhail nuair a bha mi òg. Tha an saoghal aig Dune uile gu lèir Machiavellianach. ’S e deachdairean geur-chùiseach a th’ ann an teaghlach Paul Atreides, dìreach rud beag nas sìobhalta na an teaghlach Harkonnen, ach iad nan deachdairean fhathast. Agus còmhla ris na Bene Gesserit, an Spacing Guild, an Iompaire fhèin: tha iad uile a’ cluich an aon gheama chumhachd, geama gun iochd. “This world is beyond cruelty,” mar a chanas Paul anns a’ film, agus tuigear gu bheil e a-mach air an t-saoghal aige air fad, chan ann a-mhàin air Dune fhèin.

Tha Dune 2 dìleas dhan lèirsinn dorcha a thug buaidh cho làidir orm nuair a bha mi nam bhalach, agus nach do bhris e mo chridhe a-rithist, ceathrad ’s a chòig bhliadhna air adhart, air latha dorcha, fliuch, ann am baile beag, glas, fada on bhaile mhòr, uaine, làn dòchais far an d’fhuair mi m’ àrach òg.

Tadhail air Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach

Vatisker Memories – Sgìre a’ Bhac

Le Gordon Wells

Talking to Coinneach MacÌomhair, Alexina Graham and Mal Macleod remember growing up in Vatisker.

With the support of CIALL, here’s another film from Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre a’ Bhac that has now been added to the Clilstore platform combining the YouTube video with a wordlinked transcript.

You can find the Clilstore unit here: https://clilstore.eu/cs/11981.

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Tales from Local History Sites

Le Gordon Wells

Tommy Macdonald tells some of the history of Clann ‘ic Mhuirich (“Clan Currie”) from the ruin of the ancestral home in Stilligarry, South Uist, and recounts some tales from other nearby sites.

In Part 1, he relates where Clann ‘ic Mhuirich came from, and when, and how they came to settle in Uist eventually. Their hereditary bardic role spanned centuries of Scottish history, before petering out with the loss of patronage, of skills, and eventually of manuscripts.

In Part 2, Tommy explains how Stilligary came to be known as “Baile nam Bàrd”. He goes on to talk about changes of the Mac Mhuirich family name. The impressive size of the ruin and some archaeological finds point to their importance in the community, and the power the family could exercise through their poetic and scholarly skills. He finishes with a short recitation.

In Tobhta Fhearchair, Tommy goes on to tell some of the history of the Beatons from the ruin of Fearchar’s home on the boundary between Tobha Mòr and Dreumasdal. He explains that the Beatons were renowned as doctors, especially in the West of Scotland, with strong connections to Skye and Islay as well as Uist. He refers to the work of Alasdair Carmichael (Carmina Gadelica) to illustrate their knowledge of plants and their uses, while acknowledging that Fearchar himself may not have been as knowledgeable as his forebears. A finishing quote from Martin Martin underlines the family’s historical association with the medical profession.

At Dùn Raghnaill, built for Clanranald, Tommy relates the story of why it was built – to protect the clan chief Mac ‘ic Ailein from his own family – in a time of sometimes bloody sea-borne raids along the Minch. According to local history, it was later used to imprison a daring sea-faring Mac Mhuirich, whose hereditary bardic skills were such that the style of his composition from within the prison walls of the song “Mulaid Prìosanach ann an Dùn Raghnaill” was sufficient for him to be recognised and identified by his own estranged father.

All four films – with optional subtitling available for learners or non-speakers of Gaelic – have been added to the taighean-tughaidh playlist. This work is supported by CIALL.

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Taigh Lawrence

Le Gordon Wells

Iochdar resident Lawrence Iain Alasdair ’ic Raghnaill (Lawrence MacEachen) recently entertained Tommy Macdonald in his home for a chat about his beautiful taigh-tughaidh (thatched house). At Island Voices we were privileged to be able to record their conversation, which we have now added to our “Taighean-tughaidh” playlist on YouTube.

As with the earlier recordings of Tommy and Betty, this conversation is presented in two alternative formats. Fluent speakers may choose simply to watch the whole thing in one go in the “omnibus” version, without any need for recourse to learning aids.

On the other hand, the full conversation has again been broken up into smaller parts, each of which is also supported by auto-translatable subtitles and a wordlinked transcript for the benefit of learners or non-speakers of Gaelic. Links to the transcripts are given in the YouTube video descriptions.

In Part 1, Tommy introduces us to Lawrence in his thatched house in Iochdar, South Uist, inherited from his aunt. Lawrence explains how it had been used as a byre for a time before he did it up again for his own use. It’s due for re-thatching again – in some respects a less arduous task than it used to be.

In Part 2, Tommy and Lawrence discuss the shaping of the roof and the corners of the traditional thatched houses to lessen the impact of the Hebridean gales, as well as the ease of use of local stone to build the thick walls. Lawrence has been told his is the only thatched house in the north of Scotland with a permanent resident, though others have been done up for holiday lets in accordance with sometimes strict planning regulations. There used to be many more of these houses in Iochdar.

In Part 3, Tommy and Laurence talk about some of the other thatched houses they remember, and discuss alternative thatching materials, including marram grass, heather, and rushes. Each has its own qualities, with different materials likely to be used in different areas. Care needs to be taken when gathering roofing materials.

These recordings have been enabled through the ongoing support of the UHI-led CIALL project.

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Some Good News for Gaelic

Le Bella Caledonia Editor

More on the #ScottishCensus2022. Some good news for Gaelic. The census shows us that: 2.5% of people aged 3+ had some skills in Gaelic in 2022. This is an increase of 43,100 since 2011. The percentage of 3 to 15 year olds with Gaelic skills doubled from 1.3% to 2.9%. Small changes sure, but an […]

Tadhail air Ghetto na Gàidhlig – Bella Caledonia

Gress Memories – Sgìre a’ Bhac

Le Gordon Wells

“Fàilte oirbh gu fear eile de na còmhraidhean a tha seo, aig Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre a’ Bhac.”

Ishbell MacDonald (Ishbel Bhobshie), her brother Dòmhnall and John MacDonald (Swannie) chat with Coinneach Mòr.

Another wordlinked transcript has been created for this recording, with CIALL assistance:

https://clilstore.eu/cs/11942

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean