Tha mi gu math dèidheil an dà chuid air rathaidean-iarainn agus ceòl roc agus nuair a bha mi ann an ear-thuath Shasainn bho chionn ghoirid airson turas dhan Tanfield Railway, bha deagh leisgeul agam a dhol air taistealachd roc.
Nuair a tha daoine a’ smaoineachadh air ceòl punc, mar as trice, bidh iad a’ smaoineachadh air Lunnainn, dachaigh a’ Chlash is nam Pistols. Ach ’s ann a bha mi a’ dèanamh air Sunderland, às bheil an comhlain na Toy Dolls.
Ma tha thu cho aosta ’s a tha mi fhèin, bidh cuimhne agad air mar a rinn iad tionndadh punc de Nellie the Elephant air ais ann an 1983. Bha mi sa bhun-sgoil aig an àm agus cheannaich mi an clàr-singilte.
Dè am b-side? Fisticuffs in Frederick Street!
Tha na Toy Dolls fhathast ri ceòl punc sgoinneil. Bidh iad a’ sgrìobhadh òrain mu charactaran agus dol a-mach àbhaisteach ann an sgeamaichean comhairle ann an ceann a tuath Shasainn le tiotalan leithid Dougie Gyro, Barry the Roofer agus the Lambrusco Kid.
Agus eu-choltach ri cuid de chomhlain punc, tha iad fìor mhath air ceòl – tha Olga, an seinneadair, na chluicheadair giotàir air leth agus tha Tommy Goober na chluicheadair beus gun samhail. Mur eil thu air èisteachd riutha roimhe, mholainn an clàr beò a rinn iad air ais ann an 2004. Còrdaidh e ri duine sam bith a tha measail air punc no air meatailt.
Chunnaic mi beò iad ann an Dùn Èideann an-uiridh agus abair gun robh iad math!
Le cuideachadh bho Ghoogle Maps, fhuair mi a-mach nach eil Frederick Street ach 5 mionaidean air falbh bho stèisean a’ bhaile is mar sin, leum mi air a’ chiad trèana bhon Chaisteal Nuadh.
Frederick Street, Sunderland
’S ann mu chlub oidhche a bha air leth garbh a tha an t-òran agus mar a bhiodh daoine a’ sabaid ann.
Lorg mi Fredrick Street agus chan eil an club ann tuilleadh, ach tha an t-sràid fhathast ann agus bha e math a bhith ann far an robh Olga uair!
Às dèidh sin, agus ag èisteachd ris na Toy Dolls, rinn mi air an stèisean a-rithist.
Tha stèisean Sunderland inntinneach oir bidh an dà chuid trèanaichean air an lìonra nàiseanta agus trèanaichean aig an Tyne and Wear metro ga chleachdadh, air na h-aon tracaichean.
Chaidh mi ann air trèana Northern agus thill mi air trèana a’ Mheatro.
’S e deagh àm airson a bhith a’ dol air a’ mheatro a tha seo oir tha na seann trèanaichean bho thòiseach nan 80an a’ dol a-mach à seirbheis agus tha trèanaichean ùra a’ tighinn a-steach agus chithear an dà chuid an-dràsta.
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 21st 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.
Chaidh mi dhan Chaisteal Nuadh aig àm na Nollaig agus an turas seo, chaidh mi ann air trèana Lumo.
Mur eil thu eòlach air Lumo, ’s e a th’ annta ach companaidh inntrigeadh fosgailte (open access) a tha a’ ruith seirbheisean rèile eadar Dùn Èideann agus Lunnainn air Prìomh-loidhne a’ Chosta an Ear air prìsean nas ìsle (mar as trice) na na companaidhean eile.
Tha brannd gu math làidir aca le trèanaichean mòra gorma agus tha dà rud cudromach san fheallsanachd aca – gum bi na fàraidhean ìosal agus furasta a thuigsinn agus gum bi na seirbheisean aca math dhan àrainneachd.
Trèana Lumo anns a’ Chaisteal nuadh
Dè th’ ann an seirbheis “inntrigeadh fosgailte”?
Tha cumhnant Riaghaltais aig a’ mhòr-chuid de na companaidhean rèile, leithid Cross Country, ScotRail, LNER, Avanti West Coast is mar sin air adhart gus seirbheisean trèana a ruith. Gheibh ceadan-ruith (franchises) a tha neo-phrothaideach subsadaidh bhon Riaghaltas gus seirbheisean a ruith agus feumaidh ceadan-ruith a tha a’ ruith sheirbheisean prothaideach airgead a phàigheadh dhan Riaghaltas.
Ann an Achd nan Rathaidean-iarainn 1993, faodaidh companaidhean eile iarrtasan a chur a-steach dhan riaghlaiche – an ORR – Oifis na Rèile is nan Rathaidean – gus seirbheisean rèile a ruith gun francise a bhith aca. Chan fhaigh iad subsadaidh sam bith.
Gus aonta fhaighinn airson seirbheis ‘inntrigeadh fosgailte’ a ruith, feumaidh a’ chompanaidh dearbhadh gu bheil rùm gu leòr air an t-slighe a tha iad ag iarraidh agus nach toir an t-seirbheis cus airgead/luchd-siubhail air falbh bho na companaidhean aig a bheil ceadan ruith air an t-slighe sin no slighean eile faisg air. Mar sin, ma tha rùm ann agus ma tha an t-seirbheis a’ cruthachadh farpaiseachd fhallainn agus a’ brosnachadh barrachd dhaoine gus na rathaidean-iarainn a chleachdadh, gheibh iad aonta gus trèanaichean a ruith.
Tha trì companaidhean inntrigidh fosgailte ann an-dràsta – Grand Central (eadar Sunderland agus Lunnainn agus Bradford is Lunnainn) agus Hull Trains (eadar Hull agus Lunnainn) agus Lumo (eadar Dùn Èideann agus York). Tha na seirbheisean uile a’ frithealadh stèiseanan aig nach robh deagh sheirbheis roimhe – m.e bidh Lumo a’ frithealadh Morpeth agus Stevenage agus cha robh trèanaichean/mòran thrèanaichean dìreach ann eadar Hull/Bradford/Sunderland agus Lunnainn roimhe.
Ged a tha na ceadan-ruith uile gan cur air ais dhan roinn phoblaich sa chompanaidh GBR mean air mhean le Riaghaltas na RA, cha tèid na seirbheisean inntrigeadh fosgailte a chur dhan roinn phoblaich idir. Ach tha Ministear air litir a sgrìobhadh dhan Riaghlaiche a’ sealltainn gu bheil i airson ’s gun cumar smachd teann air na companaidhean prìobhaideach seo. Mar sin, ged a tha e coltach gum mair na seirbheisean a th’ ann mar-thà is gum bi beagan seirbheisean ùra ann bho àm gu àm, cha bhi tòrr mòr dhiubh ann.
Cò ris a tha Lumo coltach?
Tha na pàipearan a’ cur Ryanair no Easyjet nan rathaidean-iarainn air Lumo.
Sin a chionn ’s gu bheil na seirbheisean gu math bunaiteach, gu bheil iad air prìs ìosal agus a chionn gu bheil riaghailtean teann a thaobh àireamh/meud bagaichean an luchd-siubhail.
A bheil e cothromach a bhith a’ dèanamh coimeas eadar Lumo agus Ryanair? Bha mi airson faighinn a-mach.
Air 27 Dùbhlachd, dhùisg mi aig 05.45 agus fhuair mi tagsaidh gu Stèisean a’ Mheadhain aig 6.10. Às dèidh cofaidh fhaighinn san stèisean, ghlac mi an 06:48 gu Plymouth eadar Glaschu is Dùn Èideann. Ged a bha an trèana a’ dol tro mo cheann-ùidhe, an Caisteal Nuadh, bha e na bu shaoire a dhol gu Dùn Èideann agus an trèana Lumo fhaighinn an sin.
Nuair a nochd an trèana mòr gorm aig Lumo ann an Waverley, dh’fhàs e follaiseach gun robh i gu bhith loma-làn. Dà latha às dèidh na Nollaig, bha tòrr dhaoine ann le bagaichean mòra làn phrèasantan Nollaig agus le clann òga ann am pramaichean.
Dh’fhàs e soilleir gu bheil tòrr sa chumantas eadar Lumo agus companaidhean adhair buidseit a thaobh bagaichean. Chan eil mòran rùm idir ann airson bagaichean agus tha na trèanaichean loma-làn seataichean, a tha gu math faisg air a chèile, is gun ach beagan bhùird ann, agus le seataichean ann far am biodh àite a bharrachd ann do bhagaichean ann an trèanaichean eile. Mar sin, thug e ùine mhòr mhòr dhan a h-uile duine faighinn air bòrd agus a-steach dhan t-suidheachan aca. Agus bha bagaichean sa h-uile àite. Gu sònraichte, anns an trannsa eadar na carbadan, bha tòrr bhagaichean ann ri taobh nan dorsan is bha e doirbh gluasad.
Nuair a ràinig mi an t-àite suidhe agam, bha cuideigin air a’ ghoid – màthair le bèibidh beag a bha na chadal air an t-suidheachan agam. Cha robh mi airson a dhùsgadh is mar sin, chaidh mi gu cathair eile ach cha robh mòran dhiubh ann idir – agus cha b’ urrainn dhomh àite sam bith a lorg a bha saor fad na slighe dhan Chaisteal Nuadh agus mar sin, bha agam ri seasamh às dèidh Morpeth.
Bha am buaireadh leis na bagaichean cho dona is gun robh sinn lethach slighe gu Bearaig mus do shuidh a h-uile duine sìos san àite cheart. Cha robh e comasach dhan luchd-obrach tràillidh a’ bhìdh is na dighe a thoirt a-mach ron Chaisteal Nuadh leis gun robh iad cho trang a’ dèiligeadh ri bagaichean ann an àiteachan cunnartach.
Aig deireadh an latha, chaidh mi dhachaigh le Lumo cuideachd agus bha an turas agam glè mhath a-rithist ach bha an aon trioblaid ann le bagaichean agus mar sin thug e ùine mhòr do dhaoine faighinn air bòrd, na bagaichean aca a chur air falbh agus an suidheachan aca a lorg.
Dè mo bheachd fhèin?
Seach buaireadh nam bagaichean, bha an turas glè mhath. Bha an trèana glan, cofhurtail, luath agus air prìs reusanta. Saoilidh mi nach eil e iomchaidh a ràdh gu bheil Lumo coltach ri Ryanair – bha an t-seirbheis custamair glè mhath agus cha robh cìsean a bharrachd ann mar a gheibh thu le plèanaichean. Chan eil diofar mòr ann nam bheachd eadar Lumo agus an t-seirbheis a gheibheadh tu le Cross Country no Avanti is mar sin air adhart. Mar sin, chanainn gur dòcha gu bheil iad nas fhaisg air Easyjet – saor ach gun a bhith ro mhosach suarach.
Rud eile a tha math mu Lumo: chan fhaodar clubaichean goilf a thoirt air bòrd – is math sin – mar as motha a tha na bacaidhean air goilf, ’s ann as fheàrr nam beachd!
Mholainn Lumo agus saoilidh mi gum biodh e air a bhith na b’ fheàrr air latha nach robh cho faisg air an Nollaig far nach biodh an uiread de bhagaichean ann.
Agus tha barrachd adhbharan a-nis ann airson Lumo a chleachdadh – tha aon trèana san latha eadar Dùn Èideann agus Lunnainn a-nis a’ tòiseachadh ann an Glaschu le dà thrèana eadar Lunnainn agus Dùn Èideann a’ cumail orra gu Glaschu.
Mar as trice, b’ fheàrr leam a dhol air trèanaichean a tha leis a’ phoball seach le companaidhean prìobhaideach ach tha mi fhathast feargach le LNER mar thoradh air atharrachaidhean air na fàraidhean agus mar a thug iad crìoch air seirbheisean gu Glaschu agus tha mi gan seachnadh far an urrainn dhomh. Thalla is tarraing is caigeann bruis is gabh Taigh Iain Ghrot oirbh LNER!
Diaordaoin 11 an Dùbhlachd 2025, 5.30f, Leabharlann Mitchell / air-loidhne
Màiri Challan: ‘Slighe Fonn na bàrdachd: Bho Bhalbhachd nan duilleag gu Binn-ghuthan an t-Sluaigh’
Fàilte bhlàth air a h-uile duine!
Cuiribh fios gun rùnaire (a_maccoinnich@hotmail.com) a dh’ iarraidh ceangal-lìn. Tha sinn a’ sireadh £5 o aoighean. Tha seo saor an asgaidh do bhuill – is faodar ballrachd-bhliadhnail a ghabhail – £25. Saor an asgaidh do dh’oileanaich.
With the official coming into force of the Scottish Languages Act on St Andrew’s Day, it may be worth noting that Island Voices has been steadily gathering collections of recordings in Gaelic communities over past months and years. Not all of these have been separately publicised on the blog before now, so we’re pleased to announce that both the Stòras Beò and Shortcuts pages have been recently updated to incorporate newer recordings that had not yet been made when these collections were first placed online.
And in addition to Scottish languages, those with a “pan-Gaelic” interest should note in particular that the Irish content from Donegal, and particularly Galway, has been growing steadily of late, after making a slower start over Zoom during the pandemic, with engaging stories and songs in cosy domestic settings coming to the fore. These, plus additional Hebridean recordings in Scottish Gaelic can all be found now through added links on the Stòras Beò page, taking the current total number of recordings in this collection up to 68, all accompanied by wordlinked transcriptions.
Similarly, links to the recent conversation with Cathie Laing have also been added to the Shortcuts collection, so the total number of separate video clips on this page is now 52, each complemented with both YouTube subtitling and a Clilstore transcript.
No doubt debate will continue over whether or not “Gaeltacht” or “Area of Linguistic Significance” official designations can or will have effective impact on actual language practice in either Scotland or Ireland. In any event these recordings provide model resources for anyone seeking samples of grounded authentic speech in real-life action.
Anns an Dàmhair choilean mi bruadar is chaidh mi a dh’Alba Nuadh mu dheireadh thall airson Celtic Colours. ‘S e sin fèis ciùil Cheiltich thairis air 10 làithean, caran coltach ris an fhèis Blas an seo, le cuirmean-ciùil ann an tallaichean baile, eaglaisean, ionadan spòrs amsaa air feadh Ceap Breatainn, eilean mòr a tha na phàirt an ear den mhòr-roinn. Agus “Colours” air sgàth ‘s gu bheil an t-eilean coillteach seo dìreach iongantach dathach aig an àm seo den bhliadhna, is craobhan-malpais sgàrlaid am measg nam beithean, nan craobhan-caorainn, learagan is giuthas. Chì thu seo aig fheabhas air an Cabot Trail, cuairt-rathad a’ chladaich brèagha – seòrsa NC200.
Tha Alba Nuadh moiteil às a dualchas Ghàidhealach, a tha sònraichte làidir ann an Ceap Breatainn, far a bheil a’ Ghàidhlig bho thùs ga bruidhinn fhathast le cuid de na daoine as aosda, agus ga h-ionnsachadh is ga teagasg le àireamh mhath de dhaoine òga. Tha cuid mhòr de na soidhneachan-ainmean-àite dà-chànanach, agus a’ Gàidhlig ri faicinn mar iomradh co-dhiù ann an co-theacsan turasachd no dualchais. Mar Albannach, agus comas Gàidhlig agam, bha fàilte bhlàth orm.
Ach o chionn beagan bhliadhnaichean, tha barrachd aire air a toirt cuideachd do mhuinntir thùsanach na mòr-roinn, na Mi’kmaq, agus dhan chànan is dualchas aca. Aig gach cuirm-chiùil far an robh mi chaidh aithneachadh gu h-oifigeil gu bheil am fearann seo “… located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people”, agus gu tric bhiodh riochdairean na coimhearsnachd sin an làthair. Bha an aon teachdaireachd ri faicinn ann an togalaich phòblach, leithid taighean-tasgaidh.
Mi’kma’ki
Bha mi aig sìa cuirmean-ciùil agus gach aon air leth – rionnagan ceòl Ceilteach Ceap Breatainn ann, agus luchd-ciùil cliùiteach à Alba cuideachd, m.e. Maighread Stiùbhart, seinneadair Gàidhlig, agus Ingrid NicEanraig, cluicheadair clàrsaich, còmhla ri pìobairean is fìdhlearan – tha Ceap Breatainn ainmeil airson am fidhlearan. Bha dannsa-ceum riamh làidir an sin cuideachd, seach mar a bha ann an Alba ach o chionn ghoirid. Bha daonnan faireachdainn sunndach, spòrsail aig na tachartasan, agus gu leòr de encores, gun guth air seiseanan agus partaidhean after-show…
Ach thug mi ùine gu leòr cuideachd gus dràibheadh mun cuairt, àitichean inntinneach fhaicinn agus gus coinneachadh ri daoine – tha caraidean is luchd-eòlais agam an sin tro iomairtean Gàidhlig. Tha seallaidhean brèagha ann, ge be càite an coimhead thu – coilltean dealrach, cladach is beanntan, le eaglaisean is taighean geala fiodha sgapte air feadh na dùthcha, sabhalan àrda, agus tòrr uisge – lochan, aibhneachan agus linneachan-mara, gu tric le taigh-solais beag orra – a’ mhòr-chuid geal, is gu tric fiodha cuideachd. Bha mi toilichte leis cho furasda, taitneach a bha an dràibheadh, gun cus traffaig, agus gun chafag. Is coltach gu bheil e fada nas trainge as t-samhradh. Bha mi fortanach leis an t-sìde cuideachd – grìanach gu leòr, gu ìre mhòr tioram, agus gu math tlàth.
Baile nan Gàidheal
Innsidh mi dhuibh mu chuid de na bàrr-phuingean den turas a-nis, aon dhiubh Baile nan Gàidheal, ann am baile beag Iona. ‘S e cruinneachadh de thogalaich eachdraidheil a th’ ann, dachaighean, bùthan-obrach, tuathanas (agus beathaichean) agus fiù ‘s eaglais, bho air feadh Ceap Breatainn, a’ sealladh dòigh-beatha nan tuinichean Gàidhealach thar nan linntean. Àite eile far an robh mi gu mòr airson dol ann, b’ e sin Pictou, gus ath-chruthachadh (agus i fhèin dìreach ga càradh) an luing eilthirich, an Hector, fhaicinn, a thàinig à Ulapul ann an 1773, agus an taigh-tasgaidh mìorbhaileach ri thaobh, le sgeul nan tuinichean agus nam Mi’kmaq a chuidich iad. Tha linne agus sgìre faisg air air a bheil Loch Broom, le eaglais-logaichean shimplidh mar a bha cumanta aig an àm sin. Sin cuideachd far an robh an t-Urr. Tormod Macleòid agus a threud an tòiseach (- a thuinich às dèidh sin ann an Waipu, NZ – sgrìobh mi mu dheidhinn an seo sa Mhàrt ‘s sa Ghibean am bliadhna).
‘S e daighneach na Gàidhlig a th’ ann am Mabou, baile beag air costa an iar Ceap Breatainn, le colaiste airson cultar is cànan na Gàidhlig, bun-sgoil bheag gu tur ùr tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig, taigh-tasgaidh tarraingeach, agus an taigh-seinnse le ceòl beo, A’ Bhròg Dhearg, air a stèidheachdh leis an teaghlach Rankin, seinneadairean anmeil. Bha cothrom agam ann am Mabou Gàidhlig a bhruidhinn ri daoine an sàs anns na h-iomairtean sin.
Mabou
Tha Halifax, port mòr agus am baile as motha sa mhòr-roinn, cuideachd làn àitichean tarraingeach, leithid Taigh-tasgaidh na h-In-imrich, àite drùidhteach aig Pier 21 far an tàinig a-steach ginealaich de longan eilthireach, agus an Seann Chladh eachdraidheil, làn chlachan-uaighe le mementi mori. Chaidh agam cuideachd air sgrìob a thoirt thairis air Eilean a’ Phrionnsa, nach ann na phàirt de dh’Alba Nuadh ach gu math faisg oirre leis a’ bhàta-aiseig. An sin thadhail mi air Green Gables*, an taigh-tuathanais geal air cùl an nobhail Anne of Green Gables, agus an t-ionad-tadhail aige. Agus aon rud sgoinneil eile, Taigh-tasgaidh a’ Ghnìomhachais ann an Stellarton, faisg air New Glasgow.
Mar a chì sibh, tha Alba Nuadh làn àitichean air an ainmeachadh air dachaighean nan tuinichean Albannach; chaidh mi fiù ‘s a dh’aon-ghnothaich a dh’Arisaig, Inverness agus Dingwall – nach eil idir mar na bailtean tùsail, ach gach uile tlachdmhor co-dhiù. Faodaidh mi turas thall an sin a mholadh gu mòr – fiù ‘s nach eil an aon ùidh agad san eachdraidh, tha barrachd is gu leòr ann ri dhèanamh, air tir ‘s air mhuir, agus ‘s e àite breagha, fàilteachail a th’ ann, làn ciùil is bidh mhaith!
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Nova Scotia
In October I fulfilled a dream and finally made it to Nova Scotia for Celtic Colours. That’s a 10-day music festival a bit like our Highland Blas one, with Celtic music concerts in village halls, churches etc across the large island of Cape Breton, the eastern part of the province. The “Colours” part is because the heavily wooded island is absolutely gorgeous at this time of year, with scarlet maples among the birch, rowans, larch and evergreens. The Cabot Trail, a circular coastal route – like a NC200, shows this at its best.
Meat Cove
Nova Scotia is proud of its Highland heritage, which is especially strong in Cape Breton, with native Gaelic still spoken in places by the oldest folk, and a fair number of young people continuing to learn and teach it. Place-name signs are often bilingual, and Gaelic makes at least a token appearance in many tourist and heritage materials and events. As a Scot, and a Gaelic-speaker, I got a great welcome.
But in recent years much is also made of the once-neglected indigenous people who still live there, the Mi’kmaq, and their language and heritage. At every concert I went to there was an official acknowledgement that this land ”….is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people”, and representatives of that communuty were often present. The same message was in public buildings like museums.
I went to six concerts and all were excellent – the musicians were the crème de la crème of the Nova Scotia Celtic scene, and also included top-level guests from Scotland, eg the Gaelic singer Margaret Stewart and harpist Ingrid Henderson, as well as pipers and fiddlers – the latter being what Cape Breton is best known for. Step-dancing has also always been strong there, unlike in Scotland until more recently. There was always a great atmosphere and plenty of encores, not to mention after-show sessions and parties…
But I also took plenty of time to drive around and visit places and people – I have various friends and contacts there through my Gaelic activities. The scenery is beautiful, whether vivid woodlands, coast or mountains, and is scattered with white wooden churches and homes, big barns, and lots of water – lakes and rivers and sea inlets, many with small lighthouses – also white and often wooden. Driving proved pleasantly easy, not a lot of traffic and usually fairly leisurely. It’s much busier in the summer, it seems. I was also lucky with the weather – plenty of sunshine, mainly dry, and quite mild.
I’ll just mention a few highlights now. One was the “Highland Village”, Baile nan Gàidheal, in the village of Iona – an open-air museum with historic homes, workshops, school, farm buildings (and animals) and even a church from all around Cape Breton, exemplifying the different eras of settlers’ experiences. I also just had to go to Pictou to visit the reconstruction of the immigrant ship Hector (itself being restored, so no masts just now), which arrived from Ullapool in 1773, and its Interpretive Centre, a wonderful museum to both the settlers and the Mi’kmaq people who helped them. The nearby inlet and rural area is called Loch Broom, and there’s a log church reconstruction from that time. It’s also where the Rev. Norman Macleod, of Waipu (NZ) fame, landed with his Highland flock (see my articles on him last March/April).
The Hector, and Pictou Heritage Quay
The town of Mabou, on the west coast of Cape Breton, is a Gaelic stronghold, with a college for Gaelic culture, a newly-founded tiny Gaelic-medium elementary school, a quirky museum and the famous Red Shoe pub, founded by the musical Rankin family, and famed for its live music. I had the chance to use my Gaelic there with folk involved in the various places.
The biggest town in Nova Scotia is the port of Halifax, and it too has its attractions, one being the very moving Immigration Museum at Pier 21, the place where generations of later emigrant ships docked, and the historic Old Burying Ground with its mementi mori headstones. I also managed a trip over to Prince Edward Island, not technically Nova Scotia but a ferry-ride away. There I visited Green Gables*, the white farmhouse that inspired Anne of Green Gables, with its visitor centre. And finally I enjoyed the wonderful Museum of Industry at Stellarton, near New Glasgow.
Gàidhlig briste is nas fheàrr na Gàidhlig anns a’ chiste! “Broken Gaelic is better than Gaelic in a chest!” When people hear I speak Scottish Gàidhlig, they usually want to listen to how it sounds; its throaty ch sound found in the word loch that English mostly steers clear of, like clearing a whisper from […]
SRADAGAN SAN IARMAILT / SPARKS IN THE FIRMAMENT Ginealach Ùr Bhàrd Gàidhealach / A New Generation Of Gaelic Poets Francis Boutle Publishers announces the publication of Sradagan san Iarmailt / Sparks in the Firmament, a major new anthology bringing together the foremost Gaelic poets to have emerged since the turn of the millennium. This wide-ranging […]
Cuiribh fios gun rùnaire (a_maccoinnich@hotmail.com) a dh’ iarraidh ceangal-lìn. Tha sinn a’ sireadh £5 o aoighean. Tha seo saor an asgaidh do bhuill – is faodar ballrachd-bhliadhnail a ghabhail – £25. Saor an asgaidh do dh’oileanaich.
North Uist resident Cathie Laingtalks to Island Voices co-ordinator and fellow Aire air Sunnd participant, Gordon Wells. As with other longer conversations we’ve recorded, we’ve divided this one into two halves initially, which we present first unfiltered and unsubtitled.
For the benefit of learners or non-speakers of Gaelic we’ve also cut these recordings up into smaller chunks, complemented with Clilstore transcripts and optional subtitles (which are auto-translatable into multiple languages), following the same practice adopted for Paul McCallum and James MacLetchie.
In Part 1A Cathie explains how she can trace her ancestors back as far as 1715 through the oral history kept alive in her family tradition. Her great-grandmother had vivid tales of Bonnie Dundee and it was her grandfather who introduced her to historical figures such as Seumas a’ Ghlinne (James Stewart of the Glen) in a home without books. With Perthshire antecedents, Cathie was actually born in Ross-shire into a travelling family. When she started school she was obliged to attend for a minimum of 100 days in the year. As soon as that time was up the family would hit the road, usually around April. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12571)
In Part 1BCathie relates how the family would travel around the Highlands by horse and cart. Her father would break horses in for forestry work, and pony trekking was also popular. But with the advent of tractors horses became less plentiful, so in the mid-fifties the family started coming to Uist, which was known for good horses. She explains the different methods of transporting horses across by boat from Berneray and Eriskay, before walking them to Lochmaddy. Horse boxes came later. To an eight year-old girl it seemed a free and healthy lifestyle. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12572)
In Part 1CCathie starts to talk about her schooldays, which would begin around October when she would have some catching up to do. Over the years the periods of travelling shortened as her father recognised that way of life was passing. Age restrictions meant Cathie couldn’t go into nursing, her preferred option, on leaving school, so she got an office job instead, until marrying Alasdair, whom she met in Uist. She didn’t find Uist Gaelic particularly difficult or different in comparison with her own. In fact she liked to hear the different varieties in each of the islands. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12573)
In Part 1D Cathie describes how her father worked and saved so they could move from their big winter tent into a house in Beauly, where she attended school. Even after starting work she would still need to go travelling over the summer. She enjoyed her office job, and appreciated that her employer was not concerned about paper qualifications. It was nerve-racking for her to ask for time off to travel, but they came to an amicable agreement. She lived in different worlds and different languages including English, Gaelic, and Scots. Settled in Uist for more than 50 years, she can still remember some words of Beurla Reagaird, the travelling people’s “cover tongue”. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12574)
In Part 2A Cathie recalls having an inspiring teacher at school who took a positive interest in her detailed knowledge of her family tree, and encouraged her to take up reading at home. Cathie notes how she passed this passion on to her own children and grandchildren, and views their success as a legacy from this teacher. In her own reading she came to notice sometimes troubling discrepancies between written histories about travelling people and her knowledge of the oral tradition. She is still an avid reader in both English and Gaelic, particularly of Carmina Gadelica which contains contributions from her great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12575)
In Part 2B Cathie talks about her love of music and songs, which she was able to explore more deeply on retirement when she followed a course in Gaelic language and music at the college in Benbecula. Though not an instrumentalist herself, she appreciated the opportunity to research the stories behind some of her favourite songs. She retells in detail the life-story of Catherine Maclean and her various marriages and children in the time of Mary of Guise, as referred to in the song of Seathan Mac Righ Èireann. She remains enthralled by the stories that are captured in such songs. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12576)
In Part 2C Cathie moves on to talk about her memories of how things were when she first came to live in Uist. Almost without exception, everyone spoke Gaelic, and she felt at home with the way of life, hearing the same language, stories and songs with which she was already familiar. She recalls how her grandfather had used to sing a particular song to her in her childhood, a song which he placed in Iochdar, though to her knowledge he had rarely if ever visited Uist. She was delighted many years later, when doing a home visit in Iochdar, to find out that the lady she was calling on could point her to the exact spot where the tale told in the song took place. “Every stone has a story!” (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12577)
In Part 2D Cathie expands on the placename theme, referring to various key locations near her home which have or had particular names that captured something of their history and significance. Linking this to the common practice of sloinntearachd – identifying community members through their genealogy – Cathie and Gordon conclude their conversation by uncovering some previously unknown mutual acquaintances and family connections, which were often disrupted by the large scale emigration from Uist of earlier generations. (Clilstore unit: https://multidict.net/cs/12578)
