Gaidhlig

Marc Bolan agus sùgh nan Zombie!

Bho chionn ghoirid, bha mi ann an Lunnainn airson taistealachd roc is rèile – le beagan fortea cuideachd!

Às dèidh dhomh tadhal air Sràid nan Càball, rinn mi air Stèisean Aldgate an Ear gus an Underground a ghlacadh agus stad mi air an t-slighe aig comharra ionadail suaicheanta – the Aldgate Pump.

Gu h-eachdraidheil, bha am pumpa air fhaicinn mar a’ chrìoch eadar Cathair Lunnainn agus Lunnainn an Ear. Nas cudromaiche na sin, tha deagh sgeulachd ann mu dheidhinn!

A rèir Wiki:

Served by one of London’s many underground streams, the water was praised for being “bright, sparkling, and cool, and of an agreeable taste”. These qualities were later found to be derived from decaying organic matter from adjoining graveyards, and the leaching of calcium from the bones of the dead in many new cemeteries in north London through which the stream ran from Hampstead

’S ann a bha muinntir an àite ag òl sùgh nan zombie!

Tha ceann madadh-allaidh air a’ phumpa cuideachd oir a rèir beul-aithris, ’s ann an seo a chaidh am madadh-allaidh mu dheireadh ann an Lunnainn a mharbhadh – ged nach eil luchd-eachdraidh a’ smaoineachadh gu bheil seo fìor idir.

Leis a sin bha an t-àm ann a dhol air safari rèile an latha. Tha mi a’ feuchainn ri dhol air gach rathad-iarainn san RA agus a rèir na làraich-lìn viaduct.world, tha mi air 52% den lìona a dhèanamh gu ruige seo (a’ gabhail a-steach Alba agus Èirinn a Tuath air fad agus mu 50% den Chuimrigh). Tha mi a’ feuchainn ris a h-uile rathad-iarainn a dhèanamh ann an Lunnainn a-nis agus tha mi air an Underground agus London Tramlink air fad a dhèanamh agus tha mi a-nis a’ cur crìoch air an Overground.

Chaidh ainmean ùra a chur air na loidhnichean Overground bho chionn ghoirid. Bha mi a’ dol air an loidhne air an robh am far-ainm “The Goblin line” roimhe – Gospel Oak – Barking Line”. A-nis, ‘s e an Suffragette Line a th’ oirre

Bha molaidhean eile agam airson ainmean nan loidhnichean, stèidhichte air a’ Chlash agus Big Audio Dynamite (an còmhla aig Mick Jones às dèidh a’ Chlash) ach cha deach gabhail riuth gu mì-fhortanach!

Bha mi ag èisteachd ris a’ Chlash air an trèana nuair a rinn mi air Gospel Oak gus an trèana Overground a ghlacadh.

Cha robh mi riamh air Loidhne nan Suffragette (no Loidhne Topper Headon mar a th’ agam air) roimhe agus bha ùidh mhòr agam san loidhne leis gun deach a leudachadh bho chionn bliadhna no dhà.

B’ àbhaist dhan loidhne a bhith a’ crìochnachadh ann am Barking, ach chaidh a leudachadh gu stèisean ùr Barking Riverside a dh’fhosgail ann an 2022.

Bha stèisean ùr a dhìth oir thathar a’ togail nam mìltean de thaighean ùra ann, air talamh fàs far an robh stèisean cumhachd Barking uair. Tha an rathad-iarainn ùr uile air drochaid àrd leis gum feum e a dhol thairis air a’ phrìomh rathad-iarainn aig Barking.

Stèisean Barking Riverside air latha fuar, fliuch geamraidh

Trèana Overground aig Barking Riverside deiseil airson a dhol air ais gu Gospel Oak

Bha mi letheach slighe tron latha agus bha mi airson stad airson cofaidh ach a rèir coltais, tha meadhan a’ bhaile piosag air falbh bhon stèisean. Tha soidhnichean mòra air feadh an àite le “A place to be, become and belong” agus tha mi cinnteach gum bi sinn fìor uair no uaireigin ach an-dràsta, tha e a’ faireachdainn nach eil e idir deiseil agus tha e caran coltach ri baile spaideil ùr ann am meadhan Inbhir Ghrèinnse!

Leis gun robh e fuair is fliuch, chaidh mi air ais dhan stèisean agus fhuair mi an trèana gu Gospel Oak, far an do ghlac mi trèana eile gu Clapham Junction agus tè eile gu Barnes.

‘S ann ann am Barnes a chaidh an rionnag roc Marc Bolan a mharbhadh ann an 1977 ann an tubaist càr. Tha carragh-chuimhne a-nis ann far an d’ fhuair am Bolanach bàs agus ’s e “the Bolan Rock Shrine” a chanar ris air na soidhnichean agus air google maps.

Bha mi riamh deidheil air T-Rex, gu h-àraid nuair a bha iad rocmhor! Tha sinn builteach a bhith a’ smaoineachadh air a’ Bholanach mar sgrìobhadair òrain seach mar chluicheadair giotàir ach seall air a’ bhideo seo gus faicinn cho math ‘s a bha e!

’S e àite snog a th’ ann an le tiodhlacan beaga a dh’fhàg luchd-leantainn T-Rex à air feadh an t-saoghail, gu sònraichte ealachan (“Ride a White Swan”) agus losgannan (bhon òran “New York City”: “Did you ever see a woman coming out of New York City/With a frog in her hand?”)

Nis, bidh fios aig daoine a tha a’ leantainn a’ bhloga seo nach eil mi idir air an Kool Aid òl a thaobh AI. Dhearbhaich Marc Bolan fhèin gu bheil mi ceart a bhith amharrasach mu dheidhinn aon uair eile!

Ciamar? Bha an cluicheadair giotàr cliùiteach Peter Green (1946-2020) a stèidhich Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac mun aon aois ri Bolan, bha an dithis aca à Lunnainn an Ear agus bha an dithis aca nan Iùdhach agus iad an sàs ann an cèol sa bhaile aig an aon àm.

Ghooglaich mi “Did the musicians Marc Bolan and Peter Green know each other”.

Thuirt freagairt AI Google “There is no recorded evidence to suggest that Marc Bolan and Peter Green knew each other but they were involved in the London music scene at the same time so may have known each other”.

Bha trioblaid agam leis a’ choimpiutair is bha agam ri reboot a dhèanamh. Chuir mi an aon cheist a-staigh a-rithist agus thuirt freagairt AI Google:

“Yes, the musicians Marc Bolan and Peter Green did know each other…..” agus bha fiosrachadh a bharrachd ann mun dàimh eadorra.

A-steach dhan mhuir le AI.

Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, “Rattlesnake Shake”, 1970

Às dèidh cnuasachadh air Bolan is cho cudromach ’s a bha e dhomh, agus do chomhlain roc air a bheil mi dèidheil, ghlac mi an trèana gu Waterloo airson beagan spòrs mion-chànanach!

Air an t-slighe, fhuair mi an Waterloo and City Line, “an drèana” – loidhne bheag ach brèagha – gu Bank, is choisich mi gu Cannon Street gus an trèana a ghlacadh gu Blackheath. Tha “an drèana” car coltach ri Subway Ghlaschu, beag agus quirky.

Às dèidh dhomh coiseachd eadar Bank agus stèisean Cannon Street, ghlac mi an trèana gu Blackheath.

Carson a bha mi a’ dol an sin? Gus eachdraidh na Cùirne a chomharrachadh!

‘S ann an sin a rinn arm Shasainn a’ chùis air Ar-a-mach Còrnach 1497 agus chaidh plac a chur an àirde gus a chomharrachadh ann an 1997 gus 500 bliadhna a chomharrachadh.

Tha e a’ comharrachadh tachartas bronach ach tha e math Còrnais fhaicinn agus tha e daonnan na bhrosnachadh dhomh cho math ’s a tha ath-bheòthachadh na Còrnais a’ dol.

A’ bruidhinn air mion-chànanan, bha mi airson a dhol gu Twickenham far an do rugadh Dwelly gus dealbh a thogail den taigh san do rugadh e. Cheannaich mi lethbhreac den teisteanas breith aige agus rugadh e ann an Crown Crescent. Gu mì-fhortanach, ge-tà, cha b’ urrainn dhomh a lorg idir. Chan eil e ann tuilleadh a rèir coltais ach cha b’ urrainn dhomh a lorg air seann mhapaichean OS nas motha – ged a tha Crown Street agus taigh-seinnse “the Crown” ann. Feumaidh mi beagan a bharrachd rannsachaidh a dhèanamh!

Choisich mi tro phàirc àlainn Greenwich an uair sin a’ smaoineachadh air Dwelly agus Còranis agus ghlac mi an trèana air ais gu meadhan a’ bhaile airson biadh deochag agus an trèana dhachaigh.

Abair latha is abair turas!

Alasdair

Tadhail air Trèanaichean, tramaichean is tràilidhean

Taigh an Ròid a’ sireadh dreachd Plana Atharrachadh Gnàth-thìde Riaghaltas na h-Alba

Le Oifigear Gàidhlig

Dè do bheachd air na molaidhean a tha gan cur an cèill ann an dreachd Plana Atharrachadh Gnàth-thìde Riaghaltas na h-Alba? A bheil iad a’ dol fada gu leòr? A bheil iad mionaideach gu leòr? Dè an còrr a ghabhas dèanamh gus a bhith cinnteach gun ruig Alba a targaidean a thaobh cothromachadh-carboin? Tha Pàrlamaid na h-Alba … Leugh an corr de

Tadhail air Blog Pàrlamaid na h-Alba

Nad Aislingean — Lasair san Adhar

Le lasairdhubh

B’ ann fada air ais anns an Iuchar 2024 a thàinig mi fhìn agus na riochdairean-ciùil, Ill Equipped agus J-Roc, ri chèile air a’ cho-chomann agam, the Institute of Applied Piracy, anns na beanntan anns an Leth-eilean Oilimpeach faisg air Seattle a dh’obair air an òran seo. Bha Anna Roc air a guth a chlàradh mar-thà anns an Aodann Bhàn anns an Eilean Sgitheanach anns a’ gheamhradh roimhe, agus bha Ill Equipped agus J-Rock air turas rathaid bho Shan Fran Siosgo, a’ tadhal oirnn, agus ghabh sinn an cothrom. Tha e fhathast a’ còrdadh rium gu mòr, ach tha e doirbh a lorg air an eadar-lìon a-nis. Mar sin, chuir mi suas air YouTube e an-diugh:

Tadhail air Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach

20+ years in the rear-view mirror

Le Gordon Wells

Island Voices gets “the key to the door” this year, having grown out of the 2-year European POOLS project that started in September 2005. We’ve come a long way since then, with some interesting twists and turns along the route, to where we now stand with over 500 videos on our YouTube channel, and this WordPress blog-cum-website hosting a similar total number of posts and pages. And we’re not finished yet!

500 is no small number, and we have various ambitions for 2026 to mark and memorialise our work since 2005, including a range of public events and/or exhibitions, as well as the creation of a secure and permanent archive of the recordings so far made. We will share news about these as the year progresses and plans are finalised. Cùm cluas ri claisneachd!

In the meantime we can look back to that first project of 2005-2007 to remind ourselves of how we started out, and reflect on how things developed out of the initial seedlings, whether within the original project, or perhaps on occasion as divergent offshoots with their own interesting history…

“Capture and Curation”

Gordon Wells was taken on as Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Projects Officer in September 2005 to look after the college’s contribution to the POOLS project. This, among other things, entailed the production of 20 videos each in Gaelic and English, to exemplify how teachers of low-resourced languages could create materials for themselves.

For the first workshop, participants were urged to script short sketches that could be acted out and recorded. These would focus on a particular language learning point or situation. Gordon’s draft script focused on a common enough situation for beginner learners – booking a place on a holiday summer school. (In his scenario it was a school for learners of Gaelic language and music. Hmm, where did he get that idea?!)

Following further thought and discussion, however, the decision was made to focus instead on short documentaries about local events or venues, and interviews with real people.

There were various pull factors behind this choice. With documentaries in place of sketches, the creator could still compose a script which could be deliberately shaped for a particular language teaching purpose, but this narrative voiceover could easily be reproduced in another language while still using the same picture sequence – an attractive option for a bilingual community situation. And the interviews allowed the creator to present authentic speech in a complementary fashion – giving community members the chance to participate actively in the production, while letting learners hear the language as it is actually spoken in the community rather than through a teacher-filtered process. From a teaching point of view this also offered a flexible topic-based bundle of resources that would be adaptable for mixed level group activities.

There was also a push factor, it should be said, in terms of the production demands entailed. Presenting scripted sketches – mini-dramas in effect – also requires the active involvement of willing and convincing actors to produce decently watchable results. And that needs a good deal more investment of time and resources, for example in planning and rehearsal. We were looking for economy of effort through relatively quick and easy “user-friendly” options, rather than highest quality production standards.

So we hit on the basic Island Voices “language capture and curation” model at an early stage in the process, and reached our full quota of 40 videos on time and in budget. This became our first series of Island Voices.

“The rest is history”, it might be said, but for full detail you can check Gordon’s 2023 comprehensive account of all the adaptations and developments over the first 18 years of the continuing project, while also noting that a further three pages (Sgìre a’ Bhac, Extensions, and Shortcuts) have since been added to the collections.

“Interesting Offshoots”

The award of the 2007 European Language Label for the original Series One was a satisfying prize, and invigorating stimulus to keep the project going. At this stage the materials were all still just on hard disc, and we were happy to share them on a loop at Nunton Steadings in Benbecula for the 2007 season of Uist Art Association’s “Art on the Map” trail. That same year Gordon first ventured online with his personal blog, before Island Voices had yet established its own internet presence, and his first post was on Island Voices/Guthan nan Eilean: background thinking, while his second reflected on the European Award for Languages: a perspective on “community languages”. Any interested readers may notice the twin preoccupations with speech and bilingualism already present, although the initially narrow focus on language teaching and learning was later to broaden out to more explicitly encompass and prioritise language use in the community.

Yet it also turned out that Gordon’s initially fruitless stab at sketch-writing was not to prove a complete dead end. When the BBC/SMO collaboration on “LearnGaelic” later arrived on the scene, his summer school scenario was re-drafted with professional help and given the polished finish with accomplished actor-presenters that it properly needed in the “Conversations” section. This was further complemented by three more sketches in the same didactic vein, each with accompanying transcript and subtitling options while focusing on particular language teaching points. These are still available to view – Summer school, Designing a logo, Podcast, and Blog – alongside many other materials on the LearnGaelic site.

So, arguably, an explicit language teaching perspective was never truly lost by Island Voices – it just needed to find a more appropriate place to make a supporting contribution!

2026

A retrospective look always has the benefit of hindsight, of course, when positive patterns are revealed whose emergence could not necessarily be predicted. Island Voices has certainly encountered occasionally challenging and unlooked for “surprises” along the road towards its 21^st birthday. And as we enter 2026 it’s not difficult to discern potential obstacles that might hinder further progress as we drive forward with our multilingual mission.

But that’s no reason to stop or turn back. As we’ve had cause to learn – cha do dhùin doras nach do dh’fhosgail doras!

And so we likewise wish all our followers all the best for the New Year, with the strength and determination to rise to any challenges and seize all opportunities.

Bliadhn’ Ùr Mhath!

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Gaelic collections updated

Le Gordon Wells

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.

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Gàidhlig briste is nas fheàrr na Gàidhlig anns a’ chiste!

Le Bella Caledonia Editor

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 […]

Tadhail air Ghetto na Gàidhlig – Bella Caledonia

Sradagan san Iarmailt / Sparks in the Firmament

Le Bella Caledonia Editor

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 […]

Tadhail air Ghetto na Gàidhlig – Bella Caledonia

Cathie Laing in Conversation

Le Gordon Wells

North Uist resident Cathie Laing talks 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 1B Cathie 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 1C Cathie 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)

Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Fios naidheachd: Lagh Cànan Soidhnidh na bhuannachd air leth, ach tha dùbhlain ann fhathast

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Fios: Comataidh Thaigh an Ròid a’ tadhal air coimhearsnachdan croitearachd air an Eilean Sgitheanach

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