Sùil air: CHARTS Earra-Ghàidheal & na h-Eileanan // Case Study: CHARTS Argyll & the Isles

Air Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2023, le taic-airgid bho Mhaoin nan Tabhartas Beag (Bòrd na Gàidhlig), chùm CHARTS (Culture, Heritage & Arts Assembly) Earra-Ghàidheal & na h-Eileanan latha de dh’òraidean air cànanan Earra-Ghàidheil. Thàinig daoine còmhla airson seisean neo-fhoirmeil fad ceithir uairean a thìde, air a lìbhrigeadh le triùir aig an robh eòlas air Gàidhlig, Albais, Beurla, cainnt an Torragair Ghallda, Sèirbis, Bulgarais, Vlach agus cainntean Slàbhais eile. Thòisich an latha le taisbeanadh air dualchainnt Ghàidhlig Earra-Ghàidheil, a chaidh a thoirt seachad le Oifigear Cultar na Gàidhlig aig CHARTS, Àdhamh Ó Broin, gu dà-chànanach. Thug seo sùil air fo-dhualchainntean gu tuath, deas is meadhan Earra-Ghàidheil, a’ coimhead gu mionaideach air còmhradh Chinn Tìre. Bhruidhinn Kathy Townsley McGuigan an uairsin fad trì chairteal na h-uaireach air cainnt, gnàthasan-cainnt is briathrachas an Torragair Ghallda. Fhuair na bha an làthair biadh an uairsin agus aig deireadh an latha lìbhrig Seumas MacDhòmhnaill Reid òraid air na ceanglaichean eadar Gàidhlig & cànanan Albannach eile agus cànanan is cultaran Bàlcanach.

Bha an latha glè shoirbheachail ged nach robh uimhir san èisteachd na bhithear an dùil ris air sgàth na deagh shìde – nochd 10 aig a’ cheann thall seach 20.

Bha na h-òraidichean uile mìorbhaileach agus dh’ionnsaich na bha an làthair an t-uabhas fad an latha, gu h-àraidh mu chainnt an Torragair Ghallda, nach robh air mòran aire fhaighinn roimhe, agus cànanan Bàlcanach. Chaidh iarraidh air an luchd-èisteachd pàirt a ghabhail agus chaidh tòrr còmhradh a dhèanamh às dèidh làimh.

Thug Kathy McGuigan leatha taisbeanadh fiosaigeach de chultar an Torragair, a bha air leth feumail dhan luchd-èisteachd a b’ urrainn làmh a chur orra agus a leughadh ro na h-òraidean agus aig àm bìdh.

Bha iomadach neach-labhairt na Gàidhlig an làthair agus mar sin chaidh Gàidhlig a bruidhinn agus a cluinntinn fad an latha. Bha an fheadhainn aig nach robh Gàidhlig uabhasach taingeil a cluinntinn agus bha iad air leth taiceil dhan chànan agus a h-àite an Earra-Ghàidheal.

On Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2023, with funding from the Small Grants Fund (Bòrd na Gàidhlig), CHARTS (Culture, Heritage & Arts Assembly) Argyll & the Isles held an interesting day with a series of talks on the region’s languages. The project consisted of an informal 4-hour gathering of people interested in the languages of Argyll with three speakers and several languages represented including Gaelic, Scots, English, Traveller Cant, Serbian, Bulgarian, Vlach and other Slavic tongues. The day began with an exposé on Argyll Gaelic dialect by CHARTS’ Gaelic Culture Officer Àdhamh Ó Broin, delivered partly in Gaelic and a partly in English, detailing the sub-dialects of North, Central and South Argyll, focussing on the speech of Kintyre. This talk was followed by a 45-min sharing of Traveller Cant idioms and vocabulary by Traveller tradition-bearer Kathy Townsley McGuigan. A lunch was provided for attendees, speakers and museum staff followed by an hour’s lecture by James MacDonald Reid on the connections and similarities between Gaelic – and broadly Scottish – and Balkan languages and culture.

The project went very well indeed and would have been perfect were it not for the fine weather which brought our numbers down from around 20 to only 10 in attendance.

The speakers were absolutely terrific and there was a sense all day that those who attended were in a constant state of learning, especially when it came to Traveller Cant – much of which had never before been shared in public – and Balkan languages. There was an emphasis on listener participation and much interesting conversation flowed both during and after the talks that were given.

Kathy McGuigan also brought along a physical display of Traveller culture, meaning that there was a tangible expression available for attendees to examine, read and enjoy before the talks and during the lunch break.

There were several Gaelic speakers in attendance, meaning that the language was spoken and heard throughout the day. Those who were not speakers were incredibly grateful to hear Gaelic spoken and very supportive of the language and its place in Argyll.

Sùil air: CHARTS Earra-Ghàidheal & na h-Eileanan // Case Study: CHARTS Argyll & the Isles

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Seachdain na Gàidhlig

World Gaelic Week