Category: Gaidhlig

Hebridean collection displays

Le Gordon Wells

With summer upon us, venues across Uist and Benbecula are now showcasing the 2005-2026 compilation video that brings together into one 7-minute clip representative highlights of the 20+ years of the Island Voices/Guthan nan Eilean project. Alongside the video itself, additional information panels provide background information with QR codes that enable readers to access the original source materials from which the compilation was selected, so opening up the 500+ online videos for immediate viewing.

Here’s the main background panel:

You don’t have to attend in person to find these links. A click on the above graphic will take you to an enlarged image with live links attached to every QR code displayed.

Here are the local Hebridean venues where the collection is currently on display:

North Uist:

Taigh Chearsabhagh, Lochmaddy
(With Uist Arts Association)

Benbecula:

Museum nan Eilean, Liniclate

South Uist:

Cnoc Soilleir, Daliburgh

We’re keen to receive reflections, suggestions and further questions about our project – not just to help evaluate what we’ve done so far, but also in the hope of stimulating new ideas for what could come next. And we welcome input from all sources, including previous active participants in the project (What did or didn’t work well? What could we have done differently? What did you learn from the experience? etc) as well as viewers and listeners who’ve sampled the materials online, or attended one or other of the various events and exhibitions over the summer of 2026 (What did or didn’t you like about the contents you tried? What would you like to see more of? Did it prompt any memories you’d like to share? Have you got other suggestions? etc).

We are very keen to receive spoken or written feedback in English or Gaelic by phone or e-mail.

You can leave a voicemail at this number: 01463 279110

You can send a written message to this e-mail address: islandvoices@uhicloud.ac.uk

Tapadh leibh!

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Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

An Luingeas Dorcha: Cainnt an t-Seòladair

Le lasairdhubh

Tha mi air meanbh-fhaclair dhen bhriathrachas-sheòlaidh anns an Luingeas Dorcha air Fàire a chruthachadh, agus gheibhear an seo i, ach shaoil mi gur dòcha nach dèanadh na mìneachaidhean an sin cus ciall do chuid nach eil tuilleadh is eòlach air a’ bhriathrachas-seòlaidh anns a’ Bheurla mar-thà. Mar sin, chruthaich mi an taisbeanadh shìos mar nàdar de fhaclair lèirsinneach, le dealbhan a’ sealltainn ciall nam faclan is nan abairtean, agus iad anns an òrdugh a nochdas iad anns an leabhar. Gun leig sibh fios dhomh anns na beachdan aig a’ bhonn ma tha sìon shìos mì-shoilleir. Tha mi an dòchas gu bheil e feumail!

  • 32 chleachdadh i an seòmar ann am bràigh a’ bhàta mar thèarmann
  • 276 Chluinnte faram tiamhaidh na gaoithe os an cionn agus i a’ glagadaich tarraingean nam bàtaichean ri an cruinn.
  • 276 bha dòrlach sgollagan air an ceangal ri ceann a’ mheòir
  • 276 slùpan is sgùdan sa mhòr-chuid dhiubh
  • 276 Anns an dorchadas, chìte loidhne de ràthan
  • 276–77 srianan meirge a’ ruith sìos a cliathaich bho na clàran-slabhraidh
  • 278 cha b’ fhada gus an robh i aig tarsnan a’ bhàta
  • 278 ghabh i greim air stob-teasairginn
  • 279 le àradh taodach na làimh.
  • 279 chitheadh i a-nis gun robh a loidhne-shnàimh glan.
  • 280 “Thigibh fo chlàr,” ars ise, agus choisich i eatarra, sìos tron toll-bhùird.
  • 280 os cionn na leapa ris a’ bhòrd-bheulaibh
  • 286 thog iad acair gun unndais-acrach
  • 286 Cheangal i an geimheal aig ceann na tarrainge-meadhain ri ceann an t-siùil
  • 287 a’ sniuradh suas an t-seòil
  • 286 ri greimiche aig bonn a’ chruinn
  • 286 bha an sgòd-meadhain air a cheangal ris a’ chrann-sgòid tro ulag aig cùl an t-sluic-stiùiridh
  • 286 theannaich na cupaill
  • 286 air taobh an fhuaraidh
  • 287 cheangail i a cheann rithe, agus an uair sin, lean i an taom le a làimh a lorg na cluaise
  • 287 ga ceangal ris a’ gheimheal air claigeann a’ bhàta
  • 287 tro ulagan air an stoc agus dha na h-unndaisean-làimhe
  • 287 chliop i na h-iarnaichean beaga air an taom ris an stagh-thoisich
  • 303 falmadair fon achlais,
  • 307 Cha bu mharaiche mi. Cha do bhean mi ri taod gus an tàinig mi chun na planaide seo,
  • 310 bha an dà sheòl a-nis a’ cnagadh le fuaradh-cluaise.
  • 311 Bha i fhèin a’ coimhead air balbh-shruth a’ bhàta
  • 312 “Feumaidh sinn riof a chur anns an aodach.”
  • 313 Chan eil asairean-teasairginn againn air bòrd.
  • 313 bha am bàta na laighe thuige
  • 313 tron lùbaich anns an taom
  • 313 leis an lùbaich anns an leud-deiridh
  • 318 bha taoim a’ slupraich mun cuairt
  • 319
  • 352 choimhead i a-mach air an rotal a’ sruthadh às an dèidh.
  • 352 b’ urrainn dhi an
    sgrìobair fhaireachdainn a’ bocadaich thar grunnd na mara.
  • 352 an toll aca làn chreachannan, chrùbagan, ghìoganan, agus ghiomach.
  • 415 bha torman iomanair na luinge cho àrd ’s nach cluinnte dad eile

Tùsan:

Cox, Richard A. V. 2017 Geàrr-Ghràmar na Gàidhlig. Ceann Drochaid: Clann Tuirc

Dwelly, Edward 1994 [1911] The Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary. Glasgow: Garm Publications

MacAulay, John 1996 Birlinn: Longships of the Hebrides. Strond: White Horse Press.

MacDonald, Rev. Fr. Allan 1972 Gaelic Words and Expressions from South Uist and Eriskay. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

MacLennan, Malcolm 1979 [1925] A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language: Gaelic-English/English-Gaelic. Edinburgh: Acair/Aberdeen University Press

Mark, Colin B. D. 2003 The Gaelic-English Dictionary. London: Routledge, 2003.

McLeod, Wilson and Michael Newton.M 2019 The Highest Apple/An Ubhal as Àirde: An Anthology of Scottish Gaelic Literature. London: Francis Boutle Publishers.

Nicolson, Alexander 1881 A Collection of Gaelic Proverbs and Familiar Phrases, based on Macintosh’s collection. Edinburgh: Maclachlan and Stewart.

Thomson, Derick S. (Ed.) 1996 Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair: Selected Poems. Edinburgh: The Scottish Academic Press for the Scottish Gaelic Texts Society.

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Tadhail air Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach

Summer events and exhibitions

Le Gordon Wells

The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is supporting a series of summer exhibitions showcasing the Island Voices project, with visitors invited to share their own memories, reflections and ideas as part of the initiative.

Island Voices’ ‘Five Writers’ will spread word of the project at readings across Scotland and internationally, from the Welsh National Eisteddfod to New Zealand.

The exhibitions will be staged in island and mainland locations ahead of the launch of a fully catalogued digital archive this autumn, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Originating from communities in the Outer Hebrides, the project has collected more than 500 video recordings celebrating spoken language, local heritage and personal stories. A new exhibition featuring highlights from the collection will be available from late June to mid-August at venues across North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist.

Visitors will be able to watch a short compilation film and learn more about the project through accompanying displays and QR codes linking to the full online collection.

A second exhibition, developed in partnership with Friends of Queen’s Park in Glasgow, will focus on recent collaborations with five writers working in a range of contemporary heritage languages. The exhibition will open in July in the Scottish Poetry Rose Garden and will be preceded by an evening of poetry readings and film screenings featuring participating writers and special guests.

A key feature of both exhibitions is an invitation for visitors to contribute their own responses. Feedback can be shared in writing or by voice message, reflecting the project’s focus on spoken language and community participation.

Gordon Wells, Island Voices project co-ordinator, said:

We would really welcome contributions from visitors and participants in Gaelic or English. We’d love to hear what people think of the project, any memories it may have stirred, or ideas for how it could develop in the future.

Voicemails are just as welcome as emails – perhaps even more so, given the project’s focus on spoken language and the voices of communities!

You can give your feedback, make suggestions, and register your own opinions by calling 01463 279110 or by emailing: islandvoices@uhicloud.ac.uk.

Exhibition dates and venues

The Island Voices project will also be on display for delegates attending the Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig international Gaelic research conference at the University of Glasgow on Wednesday 15 July.

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Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Tha iad ann an clò!

Le lasairdhubh

Tha mi toilichte a ràdh gu bheil an nobhail ùr agam, An Luingeas Dorcha air Fàire, a-nis anns na bùithtean! Cuideachd, rinn CLÀR ath-chlò-bhualadh dhen chiad nobhail anns an t-sreath, Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach, agus tha sin ri faighinn a-nis a-rithist, às dèidh dhi a bhith bliadhnaichean a-mach à clò.

Gheibhear air loidhne aig na làraichean air loidhne seo:

Comhairle nan Leabhraichean — ri teachd
Scottish Bookstore — ACDD, ALDAF
Waterstones — ACDD, ALDAF

Mas e bùth-leabhair a th’ annaibh, tha CLÀR a’ cleachdadh Lomond Books mar sgaoileadair.

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Tadhail air Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach

Iomairt an latha: Gàidhlig airson Glaschu Mheadhain agus Waverley Dhùn Èideann

Le alasdairmaccaluim

Chan eil figearan ann air cia mheud duine aig a bheil Gàidhlig a chleachdas gach stèisean ann an rathaidean-iarainn na h-Alba.

Dùn Breac dà-chànanach (DUM)

Ach nam biodh figearan againn, le deamografics na Gàidhlig mar a tha iad, chuireadh e iongnadh mòr orm mura b’ e Stèisean a’ Mheadhain ann an Glaschu an stèisean leis an àireamh as motha de luchd-cleachdaidh aig a bheil Gàidhlig. Agus a bharrachd air sin, bidh na mìltean mòra de luchd-ionnsachaidh agus luchd-taic ga chleachdadh cuideachd.

Tha mi cinnteach gum biodh Stèisean Waverley am measg nan stèiseanan leis an àireamh as motha de luchd-cleachdaidh le Gàidhlig cuideachd.

A bharrachd air sin, is iad Glaschu Mheadhain agus Waverley D.È an dà stèisean far a bheil daoine a’ tighinn a-steach à dh’Alba bhon taobh a-muigh – ’s e stèiseanan eadar-nàiseanta cudromach a th’ annta.

Air an adhbhar seo, tha e gu math mì-fhortanach gur iad Central is Waverley an dà stèisean ann an Alba aig nach eil soidhnichean Gàidhlig fhathast.

Carson a tha seo?

Tha cha mhòr a h-uile stèisean ann an Alba air a ruith le ScotRail ach ann an suidheachaidhean far a bheil grunn diofar chompanaidhean a’ cleachdadh stèisean mòr, tha na stèiseanan sin air an ruith le Network Rail. Tha 20 stèisean air an ruith le Network Rail: 18 dhiubh ann an Sasainn agus Stèisean a’ Mheadhain agus Dùn Èideann ann an Alba.

Mar sin, ged a soidhnichean Gàidhlig aig stèiseanan ScotRail, chan eil iad air na stèiseanan aig Network Rail.

Rinneadh iomairtean beaga air a’ chuspair seo thar nam bliadhnaichean agus chaidh dà shoidhne a chur suas aig Waverley Dhùn Èideann taobh a-muigh togalach an stèisein air an t-slighe a-steach gu Tunail Gàraidhean Sràid a’ Phrionnsa. Ach chan eil iad ro fhollaiseach agus chan eil gin ann an Stèisean a’ Mheadhain.

Rud a tha nas neònaiche buileach, ’s e gu bheil soidhnichean Gàidhig san Low Level ann an Glaschu Mheadhain (a tha air a ruith le ScotRail ach chan anns san High Level a tha air a ruith le Nework Rail!)

Carson a tha mi a’ togail seo an-dràsta?

Tha atharrachaidhean mòra air faire do na rathaidean-iarainn agus rathaidean-iarainn Bhreatainn a’ dol air ais dhan roinn phobalaich. Thathar a’ cur às do Network Rail agus thèid ath-bhranndachadh (rebranding) a dhèanamh air na stèiseanan aca nuair a thèid an gabhail thairis le Great British Railways. Seo deagh chothrom gus dèanamh cinnteach gun tèid soidhnichean Gàidhlig a chur san dà stèisean as motha agus as cudromaiche ann an Alba agus leis gu bheilear a’ dèanamh ath-bhranndachadh, bidh e an-asgaidh cuideachd.

Le Achd nan Cànan Albannach agus a h-uile coltas ann gum bi inbhe mar sgìrean cànain sònraichte aig Glaschu is Dùn Èideann, tha argamaidean làidir ann airson soidhnichean Gàidhlig ann am prìomh stèiseanan nan cathair-bhailtean as motha againn.

Seo deagh àm do luchd na Gàidhlig agus do na buidhnean Gàidhlig a’ chùis a thogail leis na h-ùghdarrasan iomchaidh.

Tha mi air litir no dhà a sgrìobhadh agus cuiridh mi fios nuair a gheibh mi freagairt.

Alasdair

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Tadhail air Trèanaichean, tramaichean is tràilidhean

Scottish Gaelic working paper

Le Gordon Wells

Gaelic recordings on the Island Voices YouTube channel provide the empirical data to inform the Leacan 2 corpus planning project on how the language is spoken in real life. The project is led by Glasgow University for Bòrd na Gàidhlig, with support from the UHI Language Sciences Institute, among others. With the UHI contribution now complete, an edited version of the paper offering applied and sociolinguistic commentary “with a view to identification of features of traditional Gaelic requiring description and guidance” is now made available in the online open access “Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies” series.

It’s a very interesting series, described in some detail in Working papers for a more open academy, with a mission to develop “sociolinguistic, applied and educational frameworks adequate for the analysis of urban language, literacies, interaction and learning; [as well as] modes of intervention in language policy and practice that are productively tuned to the realities of contemporary urban life”, noting also that ‘urban’ has been dropped from the latest iterations of this statement. That’s a philosophy that fits well with Island Voices priorities, especially following the adjustment away from an appearance of a primarily metropolitan focus…

We’re delighted that the series editors took readily and quickly to publishing Gordon Wells’s paper as “Corpus planning in Scottish Gaelic: A case study”, the first contribution on Gaelic in this quickly growing and highly diverse collection with an extensive and worldwide online readership. (It’s also available through their Academia.edu page.) In the spirit of open collaboration they also encouraged us to share the paper on our own Research/Reports page, where readers will now find a new link. Taing mhòr, a chàirdean!

Here’s the abstract:

A detailed example is presented of an aspect of Scottish Gaelic corpus planning, focussing on the use of community-based authentic speech recordings to inform the production of guidance on a range of grammatical issues. Attention is drawn to a salient distinction between dialectal and idiolectal variation in relation to this task, and there is discussion of particular syntactic and semantic forms selected from the project’s stated terms of reference. Concluding remarks suggest and discuss issues for further research. Deeper linguistic analysis of the “phrasal verb” in use should throw light on some of the complexities of bilingual competences that may not currently be fully acknowledged in the Scottish Gaelic context. These complexities also have significance for the broader consideration of key practical planning processes entailing community participation and empowerment, as well as the construction of effective linguistic “authority”. These issues highlight the complex nature and significant scale of the challenges involved in effectively conducting this kind of work in a way that will gain real traction at community level in a context of ongoing language shift away from bilingualism towards increasingly monolingual use of English.

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Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

UHI Archive Announcement

Le Gordon Wells

The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) has been awarded £42,527 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to safeguard and share a unique multilingual record of island life and connections.

Hebridean communities are well accustomed to a bilingual outlook on everyday life.

Photo: Gordon Wells

The funding will support the creation of a permanent digital archive for the ‘Island Voices / Guthan nan Eilean’ project, a 21-year community initiative capturing “slices of life in and beyond the 21st century Hebrides.”

The collection includes more than 500 films recorded in almost 40 languages, alongside extensive web content documenting the project’s development. It will be developed into an important, publicly available UHI Archive resource, which will support and develop research across and beyond the UHI partnership. UHI will contribute £29,955 to the project, bringing the total investment to £72,482.

Co-created with communities in the Hebrides, across Scotland and internationally, the project captures the voices of people sharing their own stories, memories and experiences in their own words. While rooted in Gaelic-speaking communities, the collection reflects a wider, globally relevant story of linguistic diversity and language change.

Launched in April 2026, the project will secure more than 1,000 digital items, including video recordings and associated online materials. Without this work, there is a risk that this unique digital and linguistic heritage, currently held across external platforms, could be lost or become inaccessible over time. The new archive will safeguard the collection to recognised preservation standards and make it freely available to the public.

Alongside the archive work, a programme of public engagement activity is planned throughout 2026, including exhibitions and events in island and mainland locations such as Uist and Glasgow. This will culminate in a public launch in September, marking the project’s 21st anniversary.

A newly released compilation video brings together highlights from across the collection and is already being used to introduce the project to new audiences and support discussions with community partners on upcoming exhibitions and events.

Gordon Wells, Island Voices Archive Manager and researcher, said:

It’s been a unique pleasure and privilege to be a part of building up this body of work over the past two decades and more. Not only does it platform the rich oral heritage of the contemporary Hebrides, but it also makes mutually beneficial and creatively stimulating links with other communities too. The film is a taster, and testament to the willing “no bother!” co-operation of hundreds of participants over the years in this community project, from North Uist to North-east India and beyond. We hope it will stir memories and interest!

Professor Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, Director of the UHI Language Sciences Institute, said:

The staff of the UHI Language Sciences Institute welcome this opportunity to participate in this important project. Archiving the recordings of vernacular speakers will help put their voice at the heart of how we understand Gaelic and other minority cultures.

Philippa Currie, UHI Archivist and Information Governance Manager, said:

UHI Archive welcomes this exciting opportunity to work with depositors to create a remarkable resource for the Gaelic Language that will support the work of research and communities the world over.

By combining academic expertise with grassroots participation, the project also offers a model that could be adapted by other minority language communities in Scotland and internationally.

Further details on public events and the archive launch will be announced in due course.

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Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Island Voices Compilation 2005-2026

Le Gordon Wells

Who remembers Island Voices’ first ever films from the Craigard Centre in Lochmaddy, North Uist? Still among our favourites, short clips from these earliest recordings set the opening scenes for this compilation video tracing the project’s evolution from 2005 right up to 2026, as our 21st birthday approaches in September.

With over 500 videos now on the YouTube channel, it’s been no small task to pull together something short but representative. From Craigard the compilation moves quickly on through the Uist and Barra Children’s parliament and Roddy Red Tie’s croft to Am Pàipear’s feature story on the renowned Norman Maclean. It’s a small step from Norman’s diverse skills and talents to the project’s multilingual and international connections through webinars, documentary adaptations, and geographical and literary extensions across Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales and still further afield in other island and mainland, rural and urban contexts. Coming full circle, samples of longer local recordings highlight the connected community base in which the project is rooted, and the film concludes with Norman recalling his own permanent return to the Hebrides in his trademark inimitable style – though Craigard’s Donald Mackinnon has the very last word!

We’ve had to leave a lot out, which wasn’t easy, but we’ve sampled material from ten of our collections in the hope that viewers may be inspired to dig deeper into any of these links, or indeed into other pages on this site!

These are the sources from which we’ve drawn for this compilation:

Series 1 
Series 2: Outdoors 
Series 2: Generations 
Series 2: Enterprise 
Norman Maclean
Talking Points 
Other Tongues
Extensions
Stòras Beò
Shortcuts

Over coming months leading up to September we’ll be looking to “tour” the full project at various locations – both Hebridean and across the mainland – and in various ways, in order to mark the twenty-one year milestone. September will also see the completion of a permanent open access Island Voices Multilingual Archive in the University of the Highlands and Islands, thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund!

This film is a taster, and testament to the willing “no bother!” co-operation of hundreds of participants over the years in this community project, from North Uist to North-East India and beyond. We hope it will stir memories and interest!

 

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Tadhail air Island Voices – Guthan nan Eilean

Cymera 2026

Le lasairdhubh

Ma bhios sibh ann an Dùn Èideann anns an Ògmhios, bidh mi aig an fhèis-leabhair Cymera a-rithist am bliadhna, air Dihaoine, an 5mh latha, far am bi mi a’ bruidhinn mun leabhar ùr agam, An Luingeas Dorcha air Fàire. Ma thèid a h-uile rud mar a tha dùil againn (corragan croiste), bidh an leabhar fhèin air ais bhon chlò-bhualadair ron latha sin agus ri cheannach aig a’ chuirm. Bidh mi air an àrd-ùrlar còmhla ris an ùghdar Scots Robin C.M. Duncan air panail fon tiotal: Wor(l)d Weaving. Cha do thachair mi a-riamh ri Robin, agus tha mi a’ dèanamh fiughair mhòr ris. Tha e a’ dol a bhith inntinneach. Thigibh ann!

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Tadhail air Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach