An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Sruth > Volume 1 > No. 33, 27 June 1968

Four
Sruth, Di-ardaoin, 27 latha de’n Og-mhios 1968
SRUTH
Di-ardaoin, 27 latha de’n Og-mhios 1968
Thursday, 27th June 1968
| Faicinn Bhuatn
SPORM DHOMHMILL
Na h-Oileanaich
Tha an aimhreit a rinn cuid de dh’ oileanaich na
Roinn Eorpa anns na miosan a chaidh seachad ’ga meas
le feadhainn mar aon chomharradh eile air ole agus
aingidheachd an linn anns a bheil sinn beo.
Nach bu choir dhaibh barrachd feum, canaidh an
fheadhainn seo, a dheanamh dhe ’n airgead a tha an riag-
haltas a’ cosg orra, airgead dhaoine eile? Chan eil fhios
aca de an seorsa riaghaltais a tha iad ag iarraidh air
rioghachd no air oil-thigh ged a bu thoigh leotha a h-uile
cail a chur bun-os-cionn. De an tur a tha aca-san airson
suidhe air coimitidh? Tha treud dhiubh aig nach robh
coir sam bith faighinn dha n oil-thigh — chan eil nadur
no comas an ionnsachaidh annta. Tha iad ag iarraidh
deuchainnean (examinations) nan oil-thighean a dhean¬
amh nas fhasa o nach eil an t-aon chomas aca agus a bha
aig an fheadhainn a ohaidh romhpa.
Chan eil teagamh nach eil torr dhe n fhirinn anns
na gearain seo. Chan eil coltas sam bith gu bheil fhios
aig na h-oileanaich de an seorsa saoghail a chuireadh iad
an aite an fhir a tha iad ag iarraidh cur as dha. Tha treud
dhiubh aig nach eil moran suim de ionnsachadh agus a
bu choir a bhith ri obair eile agus feadhainn eile nach eil
ach a mach airson aimhreit ach, tha mi smaoineachadh
gur e comharradh math a tha ann gu bheil an oigridh a’
cur an aghaidh torr dhe na rudan a tha anns an doigh-
beatha againne an diugh.
Thuirt aon phroifeasar nach robh a’ cuir sios orra
gu robh e fhein agus a chompanaich a’ coimhead orra
fhein mar “elite” a bha dol a dheanamh feum. Chan eil
teagamh ann gur e rud math a tha ann a bhith fiachainn ri
feum a dheanamh anns an t-saoghal air doigh sam bith,
ach tha e soilleir gu robh iad gan saoilsinn fhein 'nan
roinn air leth bho na daoine a bha iad a’ dol a chuideach-
adh. Bha treud de na h-oileanaich a bha a’ stri cho dich-
eallach anns na linntean a chaidh seachad a’ deanamh
sin airson gu robh iad fhein ag iarraidh faighinn air adhart
anns an t-saoghal, airson gum bitheadh iad a measg an
fheadhainn aig an robh airgead is cumhachd.
Chan eil na h-oileanaich a bha a’ gearan o chionn
ghoirid mar sin idir. Tha a’ mhor-chuid aca ag iarraidh
iad fhein a bhith air am meas mar aon roinn de luchd-
obrach an t-saoghail agus gum bitheadh iad ag obair
comhla airson ghnothaichean a chur air doigh. Tha iad a’
faicinn an t-saoghail air a roinn, eadar an fheadhainn aig
a bheil agus an fheadhainn aig nach eil.
Chan eil mi ag radh idir nach robh oileanaich ann
roimhe a bha a’ cuideachadh dhaoine eile gun a bhith
gam meas fhein nas fhearr na iad ach tha mi ag radh gu
feum sinn cuimhneachadh gu bheil barrachd is aon doigh
air coimhead air an aimhreit a bha anns an duthaich seo
agus anns a’ chuid eile dhe ’n Roinn Eorpa o chionn
ghoirid.
Shots in a Withered Arm
Hot on the heels of refusing Gaelic the status of
official recognition comes the very welcome news from
Edinburgh of financial support for the language. The
sums involved are substantial and one hopes that those
who are to be responsible for spending the money will
see to it that the language obtains maximum benefit from
this windfall.
In the present-day world where the material takes
precedence over the spiritual, this gesture of the Scottish
Education Department will be held up by some as a waste
of money. But there are many things in the world which
cannot be measured in terms of cash. Pride, for instance.
The native Gaelic speaker, however much he might
hold his language in contempt (by not striving for its
enhanced status) must now realise that others (largely
non-Gaelic speakers) regard Gaelic as a medium through
which something, albeit intangible, can be added to the
nation’s cultural weave. For the Gael, this official hand¬
out must surely make him think about new ways and
means to dispel the questions which those in St Andrews
House might have for the language.
So far as the money for Gaelic publications is con¬
cerned, one hopes that there will be a break away from
the traditional Gaelic publishing road. Too much poetry
has already been published, a medium of expression
which, even in English, has small market, and certainly
has little or no contact with the general public. One can
instance the state of Scottish poetry-writing in this con¬
text. What is required now is a full-blooded, masculine
approach to get Gaelic into print in the various forms
which the man in the township street will buy, take home
—and read.
But this can only be achieved if writers in Gaelic
“ Tha tir nam beanntan air
fas cho Gallda,
Chan fhaodar seann rud a
thoirt a cuil,
S a’ chanain aosda bha ’m
bial nan daoine
Ga leigeadh aoig ann le cion
an diu.”
Domhnall Ruadh
Mac an t-Saoir
Ghabh mi annas an leab-
har tomadach seo, ” Sporran
Dhomhnaill ” fhaotainn o na
phosta an latha roimhe. Ma
chuala mi, dhichuimhnich mi
gum b’e seo an ath obair a
bh’ aig an Scottish Gaelic
Texts Society san amharc. Is
math a rinn iad agus is cinn-
teach gum bi feill air an leab-
har.
Rugadh Domhnall Mac an
t-Saoir (Domhnall Ruadh),
ughdar na bardachd seo, ann
an Snaoiseabhal an Uibhist a
Deas anns a bhliadhna 1889.
Chaochail e o chionn corr is
ceithir bliadhna is e 74
bliadhna a dh’ aois. Bhon is
ann am baile Phaislig a rinn
,e a dhachaidh a chuid mu
dheireadh dhe a bheatha, is
e “ Bard Phaislig ” a their-
cadh daoine ris gu trie. Tuath
no deas cha do chaill Domh¬
nall Ruadh riamh a di lath
cheangal ri eilean a bhreitr,
agus b’ann o shubhailcean a
dhaoine fhein, agus o mhaise
naduir a thire, a tharraing e
an neart inntinne agus am
fileantachd cainnte a tha cho
follaiseach anns an leabhar
seo.
Thagh am fear-deasachaidh,
an t-Urr Somhairle Mac
Mhaoilein, tiotal an leaghair
o aon dhe na h-6rain a tha
ann. Faodar a radh ged a bha
sporan airgid a’ bhaird air
uairean falamh gu robh
sporan na bardachd aige an
comhnaidh lan is a’ cur
thairis.
Tha Mgr Mac Mhaoilein
ag innse gu robh duil aig a’
bhard gu faiceadh e fhein a
chuid oran an clo. Cha robh
sin ri tachairt agus cha thach-
radh e. a nise fhein, a dh’ain-
deoin an aireimh a tha fo
chumhnant a cheannach aig
35/- am fear, mur a b’e an
cuideachadh a thainig bho na
h-oiithaighean agus bho
Chomunn Uibhist is Bhar-
raidh. Rinn an Texts Society
roghainn an turns seo air
baid ar latha fhin an aite
ugftdar o shean, agus thug iad
cothrom do Mhgr Mac
ivinaoilein a dhleasanas a
choimtTionadh do a charaid
nach maireann, agus is snas-
gil a rinn e sin.
Bha tomhas de eolas aig
daoine air obair Dhomhnaill
Ruaidh re a bheatha. Chru-
nadh e mar bhard A’ Cho-
muinn Ghaidhealaich ann an
1938. Choisinn e an t-urram
seo le duan “ Aeolus agus am
Balg,” anns a robh corr is 700
sreath. Tha am fear-deasach-
aidh a’ gearan nach d’fhuair-
eadh aite ach do 200 sreth
dhe ’n duan anns a leabhar,
‘ Baird a’ Chomuinn,” a
thainig am mach an 1953.
Nuair a chuir am bard
“ Moladh Uib'nist,” a’ chiad
oran anns an Sporan, a dh’
ionnsaidh A’ Cnomuinn ann
an 1936, cha d’ fhuair e ach
an dara duais leis. Thuirt am
fear a fhuair a’ chiad duais a’
bhliadhna sin, Eadhann Mac
Dhughaill, gum b’i bardachd
Dhomhnaill Ruaidh a b’
fhearr na a’ bharaachd aige
fnein.
Tha aobhar agamsa cuimhn
a bhith agam air Eachann
Mac Dhughaill, oir anns a’
brliadhna 1935 b'e gun do
dhiult e ’ainm a leigeil am
follais a thug an crun
dhomhsa leis an dara duais,
an aon uair riamh, s cinnteach
a thachair a leithid. B’ann
bliadhnachan an deidh siud a
chuala mi an Dughallach ag
innse dha a chairdean gum
b’ esan a chuir a steach a’
bhardachd do ’n d’thugadh
am priomh aite an 1935.
Bha daoine an comain
“ Gairm ” cuideachd airson
earrannan de bhardachd.
Dhomhnaill Ruaidh fhaicinn.
A reir an fhir dheasachaidh
shaoil am bard barrachd de
obair a laimhe fheicinn an
‘ Gairm ” agus do na fir-
dheasachaidh. An aite farmad
a bhith ann dh’ fhaodadh An
Comunn a bhith toilichte gu
robh bard de chomas Dhomh-
naill Ruaidh deonach ’obair
come to the fore. The rather limited operational experi¬
ence of Club Leabhar has indicated that there are a few
authors in Gaelic who are willing to work hard to pro¬
duce readable and commercial Gaelic books. But many
more are needed. It might be said that if an allottment
of money is not used up to its fullest extent and there is
a surplus left over, this will indicate that Gaelic writers
(and so Gaelic?) are not able to express themselves in
their native tongue, and subsequent annual grants for
publishing may be withdrawn or stopped altogether.
These are critical times for Gaelic. The key is in the
door, with an unsympathetic hand waiting to turn it one
way or the other. If one way, that door will be locked
against any further progress for the language. Only the
attitude of the Gaelic-speaker to Gaelic will prevent this
from happening.
But if the hand is persuaded to leave the door open,
the Gael can once again prove that his race and culture
can add immeasurably to the vitiated pattern of our
modern life to give it the type of backbone which the
Celts gave to Europe one thousand years ago.
The Roman Empire may have declined and fallen into
complete oblivion. The Celtic empire, while it may have
declined, has certainly not fallen . . . yet.
!
a chur gan ionnsaidh, ni nach |
dean baird eile a tha ard an |
cliu.
Chunnaic sinn roimhe ann I
an “ Gairm ” an l-6ran aig- I
nearach “ Buth Dhomhnaill 1c 1
Leoid.” Bha duil agam riamh 1
gum b’ ann mu thuath an 1
aiteigin a bha a’ bhuth ain- 1
meil seo, ach tha an leabnar |
ag innse gur ann an Glaschu I
a tha i, agus gu math soirbh j
a ruigheaend. Bha alt aig a’ j
bhard air na h-drain eibhinn. j
Agus bha e sgaiteach cuid- |
eachd. Saoilidh mi gu bheil i
e air uairean a’ milleadh a
bhardachd (mar anns “ A’ !
Bhuth ” agus an “ Aoir Mhus- !
solini,” abair) le a bhith a j
cur tuilleadh sa’ choir annta. j
A reir an fhir dheasachaidh \
cha robh am bard na bhall de I
Chomunn Naiseantaich Alba |
ach nochd e an “ Oran ’na 3
Cloiche ” agus an earrannan 1
eile gu robh a thaic riuthasan |
a rinn an euchd ainmeil ud 1
eadar Lunnuinn is Alba an 1
1951. 1 ha oran aige do |
“ Chatriona Nic Mhathain ” a’ 1
toiseachadh mar seo:
' A Chatriona Nic Mhathain |
Sann learn bu mhiannach gach 1
math
A bhith ’n dan dhut ! ”
agus a’ dol air adhart
" Nam bu chomasach dhomhs |
e
S mi gun deanadh gu deon- |
ach dhiot Banrinn.”
Ach, mus cuir sinn tuilleadh J
sa choir de chudthrom air na i
briathran seo, cuimhnichimid |
gu bheil da orain do ’n 1
Bhanrigh Ealasaid anns an |
leabhar cuideachd.
d ha an leabhar a’ crioch- J
nachadh le tri duain a chaidh |
eadar theangachadh o 'n f
Ri eurla. Tha mi ag aontach- J
adh leis an fhear dheasach- 1
aidh nuair a their e “ ged 1
nach deanadh Domhnall j
Ruadh ach Tam o Shan ter "
a chur an Gaidhlig, bhitheadh j
cuimhjje mhaireannach air’ |
ainm.” De a b’ fhaisge a thig- ;|
eadh air ranntachd shiubhlach I
Bhurns na seo ?:
“ Ach fhir a thuigeas brigh 9
mo rann,
A dh' amais gliocas bhith nad ||
cheann,
Ma thig do shannd air deocK
gu brath
No smuain ad chridh air |i
leintean gearr,
Thoir faire mhath gu fan thu jj
saor
Mun teid thu ’n sas am paigh |jj
thu daor,
Is cum do chraos s do dhriiis ||
foghlais;
Is cuimhnich air an lairidh ,||
ghlais.”
Tha 84 duain anns an leab- p
har seo le deagh roimhradh,. .| i
le mineachadh ro fheumail , j
air faclan, aiteachan is each- jji
draidh aig an deireadh, leab- ||
har air fad anns am faigh na |r
h-uile rudeigin ri an cail. jB