An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Gaidheal > Volume 43, October 1947--December 1948

An Lunasdal, 1948.
AN GAIDHEAL.
135
’nan deidh—margadh an t-Sailein. Chan aithne dhomhsa ni
a rinn barrachd feum do’n aite ri mo latha; a chionn,
bliadhnachan mun do thoisich e, cha robh cha mhor drobhair idir
a’ tighinn mun cuairt ach an Griogarach Mor 4 Achanabobaine
a ghabhail rogha is taghadh, Aonghas Ailein a’ Ghreusaiche 4
Arasaig, is corr uair Iain Dubh Raoghaill Iain-MhicChalum
mar a theireadh iad ris.
Mu shia uairean feasgar sheid an Loch Seile diidach na gairm
gus an crodh a chur air bord. Thainig an drobh stigh am
bruthach bho’n Achadh is agh buidhe na Cosdubh ’na topsman
air an ceann. Comhdhail mhath dhith’s i dol a chur na Gamhna
Dubh ri a sron.
Daor is mar a tha e, chan ’eil mi creidsinn gu robh moran
againn nach do chuir leth-te agus pint lionn thar ubhal an
sgornain san tigh-osda aig “Sandy" arm an spiorad a’ chairdeis
’s a’ chridhealais. Co their beum air son feallsanachd air an
la ud, chionn bidh bliadhna mhor mun tachair cuid tuille, is
feadhainn nach coinnich nas mo, oir is caochlaideach an
saoghal agus is tuisleach neo-chinnteach slighe na beatha air
an talamh.
Taobh-Tuath Earbaghaidheal.
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EADAR SINN FHEIN.
A’ Ghaidhlig an Eirinn.
A Charaid,—Tha mi a’ faicinn gu bheil mo dheagh charaid.
Alasdair Mor, a’ moladh nan Eireannach. Gle cheart!
Gun teagamh, tha cor na Gaidhlige an Eirinn moran nas
treise na tha e an Albainn. Bha e riamh na bu treise acasan
na againne. Ach, eadhon am measg nam fior Eireannach, tha
gu leoir dhiubh-san ann aig nach ’eil a’ chanain idir, agus tha
gu leoir dhiubh ann aig a bheil i gu h-iomlan a tha mdran nas
fileanta anns o’ Bheurla. Is ann mar seo a tha Maighstir de
Yalera e fhein—is ann mar seo a tha moran de na h-Eireannaich
ainmeil eile air a bheil Gaidheil na h-Albann eolach. An uair
tha oraid acasan ri liubhairt is ann anns a’ Ghaidhlig a labhras
iad an toiseach— mar a ni sinn fein—ach an deidh sin, an
ceann beagan mhionaidean, ni iad feum de’n Bheurla—mar
a ni sinn fein gu minig.
Agus, ged tha a’ chanain aig moran de na fior Eireannaich
sin, tha gu leoir dhiubh ann a tha buileach coma air cho glan
agus a bhios i aca. Ma tha facal no radh a dhith orra, cha
bhi maille no soradh no naire idir orra air feum a dheanamh de
fhacal Beurla—de mhoran fhacal Bheurla uaireannan—agus
na facail sin uile aca ’nan cdnain f&in. Cluinnidh sibh sin,
Alasdair choir, an da chuid an Conmhaiche Mara agus am
Bade Atha Cliath.
Is mise a bha thall agus a chuala !
Iain an Fheilidh.
Essentials.
Fhir mo Ghraidh,—Tha mi a’ lan-chordadh ri mo chairdean
Iain N. MacLeoid agus Alasdair MacEachaim, anns gach facal
a thubhairt iad.
Feumaidh a bhith againn Gaidhlig air a bruidheann mu
thimcheall an teallaich. Gaidhlig air sraidean a’ bhaile agus
anns na buithtean, Gaidhlig a bhith againn anns na paipearan-
naidheachd, agus ar clann a bhith air an arach mar Ghaidheil
agus a’ Ghaidhlig aca mar chanain nadurrach.
Ach chan ’eil na Gaidheil ag cur an aghaidh ris an namhaid
as motha—na sgoilean Beurla. Chan ’eil a h-aon againn a’
togail guth an aghaidh an namhaid seo. Agus car son ? An
urrainn do Ghaidheal air bith freagairt a chur air a’ cheist
seo ? Seumas MacGaraidh.
“Gaelic in Canada.”
Dear Sir,—“ Ma’s breug bhuam e, is breug thugam e ” may
be a convenient excuse but it is hardly a justification for
repeating a disputed statement which cannot be supported
other than by referring to a person in Cape Breton, not even a
native of the country regarding which the assertion is made,
particularly when that person has passed away.
“ Mar a chi na beag, ’s e ni na beag.” Hilaire Belloc and
G. K. Chesterton set the fashion of glorifying a past that never
was and since then lesser men have followed in their footsteps
and now we have Mr. J. L. Campbell and a few others in season
and out of season endeavouring to present a somewhat similar
picture with regard to Gaelic. Mr. Campbell has even gone
the length of begging the question by his concluding reference
to “ honest ” historians, these being presumably the select
few who agree with him on this point. In the isolated instances
to which he refers he makes the cardinal mistake of identifying
the S.P.C.K. with the Reformed Church, as he has done
elsewhere at greater length. At one moment Mr. Campbell
refers to the Roman Catholic areas as strongholds of Gaelic,
though they are not exceptional in this respect, and then again
he argues that opposition to what he terms Catholic culture
has been a main factor in the decay of the language !
The truth, of course, is that the Reformed Church has been
the greatest single medium, apart from the home, in propagat¬
ing Gaelic. The first Gaelic book was issued by the Reformed
Church, it was the Reformed Church which gave the Gaelic
Scriptures to the people and it has been the Reformed Church
which ever since the Reformation has conducted services
entirely in Gaelic, including the Communion; which was the
pioneer in Gaelic choral singing as we know it to-day and which
in Gaelic Bible Classes in various parts of the country has given
many Gaidheil their grounding in the reading of Gaelic, in
addition to the knowledge of the written language obtained
through the regular reading of the Scriptures and the Gaelic
praise service. Quite recently I was greatly interested to learn
from a gentleman who occupies a prominent position in the
Gaelic movement that it was to the Church of Scotland he was
largely indebted for his knowledge of Gaelic. This can also be
said of many others.
So far from being antagonistic to the furtherance of Gaelic,
ministers of the Church of Scotland have all along been fore¬
most in supporting the language, even before the formation of
An Comunn, as can be easily ascertained by anyone who knows,
or cares to ascertain, the history of the Gaelic movement—
I shall not add any qualification about “honest ” historians !
It is only necessary to mention the name of Rev. Dr. Norman
MacLeod, who earned the name of “Caraid nan Gaidheal”;
Rev. Dr. MacLaughlan, Edinburgh; Rev. Dr. Cameron,
Brodick; Rev. Dr. MacKay, Killin; Rev. Dr. Neil Ross,
Laggan; Rev. Malcolm MacLeod, Balquhidder; and many
others who could be added.
My main contention is that it is altogether wrong to bring
irrelevant, contentious, sectarian matters within the scope
of the Gaelic movement. In lamenting the decay of the
language there are those who hark back to the Reformation,
some to the ’45, and others to the neglect of the Government
and the Education Authorities, while all the time the main
fault lies within Gaeldom itself. Any language which is
divorced from the everyday life of the people is bound to fall
into decay, and no amount of scapegoat-hunting will do any
good but will rather tend to do harm by introducing discord.—
I am, etc., Niall Aongiiais.
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and place it in a position to launch a propaganda campaign
now that the war is over, and thus regain the ground lost
during the years of its enforced inactivity, donations,
large or small, will be gladly received by the Treasurer,
Mr. James T. Graham, C.A., 5 St. Vincent Place,
Glasgow, C.l. Remittances should be made payable to
“ An Comunn Gaidhealach.”
Previously acknowledged £46 9 —
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