An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Sruth > Volume 1 > No. 31, 30 May 1968

Sruth, Di-ardaoin, 30 latha de’n Cheitein 1968
Seven
over to
you:
“ SGRIOB MU THUATH ” suidheachan lan co a bhacadh Development of Gaelic. Mean- there are 60 columns in the guage. That is its worst fault.
iad? ’Si a’ cheisd a’s ranna- while we have put together a paper and last issue there it has not developed with the
A charaid— Se obair gun sachaile ciod a ghne spioraid visual display which has been were about 20 columns in times. That is the fault of the
taing gun tuarasdal a th ann chanan leis an tig mi an la- in use at the Richmond High- Gaelic (including letters) This Gaels and the Gaels alone,
a bhi cur htnchean dhan (hair an Tighearna. land Games and will be used is the most there has ever Now that there is all the hub-
phaipeir naidheachd, ach chuir gearainean gun also at the London Mod, on been — an improvement, but bub about “legal recognition”
bheir an fhior-eigin air duine a ^hi eagnaidh aon lamh- Saturday 25th May,, when 1 want to see 30-30 Gaelic and and universal teaching in
so a dheanamh uaireanam. choille ris adhartas na Gaidh- further promotional material English. Of advertisements, schools, now that we have got
Cha do tharruing Domhull Kg choir an so no sud. will be on issue. there is only a small one in “ Sruth,” with current affairs
jl Grannd ach dealbh gun tuar
I air cothional Gaidhlig an
i air cothional Gaidhlig an t-
, t-Srath an duigh dha a
lj bhi ag aoradh maille ruinn
latha Caisg. Gun leagamh
sam bith bha an cothional
Mise, Le speis, The need to get Gaelic into Gaelic from Tigh-osdu Phent- we see how handicapped the
GILLEAS BUIG the conscience of the politi- land (gach sonas is agh a language is. We get organisa-
MAC A’BHICAIR dans is recognised here—and ghuath biodh ’nur caraibh, a tions named differently by
the need to get it over to the Sheorais is Freda). Even An different writers (see Maol-
GAELS ACTIVE IN public. Probably this effort Comunn itself prints all ad- donaich, page 3). This is not
ENGLAND would, do more good in Scot- vertisements in English. (See so bad if Gaelic words are
Sir Your editorial of 16th land, but it must be done and page two for “Sruth” page used. But too often we get
. Beurla an latha sin na bu M ’refers to tha feeline of tione everywhere without de- six for “ Highland Book English words with a “ Gae-
I mhotha na chunnacas e riamh arniinH W3)"tjn,7 lay. Club,” and page nine for the lie ” spelling. In the current
: aig Caisg. Bha’n side aluinn next °love in the hi°torv of You have called for letters “ National Mod ”). issue of “ Sruth ” we see
agus an luchd-turuis tiugh as the lan„uage Some of us jjave to all MPs. This society has Regarding unemployment Domhnall Grannd writing
gach cearn. not twn cittinu wp have been already made a start—albeit in the Highlands, let Diarmad “ socar ” for soccer (a slang
Tha an cothional Beurla a y^rkina so far overlooked by you. But find out the figures for Stor- word for Association Foot-
h-uile Sabaid na’s motha ach Before Easter this Society as y°u say we need more and noway- Incidentally, I hope ball). He writes “ televisein ”
’scan aireamh abhaisteach ’sa circuiate(i each MP for Scot- more — from the Private in- he has seen my letter m the and later “ televisean,” intro-
i, Ghaidhlig eadar deich thar land and the other Celtic dividual as well as societies, issue of 2nd May where I cor- ducing the letter “ V ” whicii
I fhichead agus da fhichead — areas of Britain asking for We are suggesting that rected a printers error. is not in the Gaelic alphabet.
i chan ’e dusan! A bharrachd their SUpp0rt for an Act to people write to the BBC and As you suggest, Mr Editor, Why not just write “
1 air a so tha cearan eile dhe’n ctat]ic anH p^nno- ITV companies, to the Scot- in your leader “ The Lan- vision ? ” Put it into ii
: — . . give legal status and econo-
i; pharaisde far am bi seirbms- mjc assistance to Gaelic. In
; ean Gaidhlig air an cumail aig acjcjition, the party leader:
tele-
ITV companies, to the Scot- in your leader “ The Lan- vision ? ” Put it into italics
tish Education Department, guage Question,” it looks as [0 show it is a foreign word.
!Mp to the Scottish Arts Council, if Winnie Ewing and the But he does worse than that,
uairean eile. prime Ministeran/secretarv to the Postmaster General, to SNP will be doing more for He writes “ Seltic ” for Celtic.
Is neonach gun toireadh of State as well as some mem- name a few. If anyone is short Gaelic than the Gaels them- Would he like to introduce
Hnine cho turail agus ionn- hpre nf the House of of ammunition, I would be selves. For some years back another letter, K, and give
iivftP r? Smhnlf Grannd ZL The delighted to supply it. it has been Lowlanders and a us “ Seltik ? ” It is a wonder
Le gach leagh dhunchd few English who have been he doesn’t write “Reindsears
’nur obair airson na ca- doing most to promote the for Rangers^ Or would that be
naine. Is mise le meas,
saichte ri Domhull Grannd Lords were approached. The delighted
iomradh aithghearr mar so answers are still being re-
| gun cheisd a chur ris an ceived and when these are
luchd — dreuchd. Nan d’rinn analysed the results will be
$ e sin, chluinneadh e mar a sent to you.
\ dh’ fhalamhaich am bas iom- We have contacted societies
|: adh suidheachan. O chionn in the London area with a
|| dusan bhiadhna bhiodh leth- view to creating a postal net
IS cheud na chruinneachadh WOrk of interested individuals
|j “ math ” sa Ghaidhlig. ’Smor who are prepared to write to
na chaochail dhe’n t-seann MPs, official bodies, etc., on
sliochd ’san uine sin Chan’eil behalf of Gaelic. We hope
j an aon flachd aig an Oignidh that through your paper we
I ann an seirbhis Ghaidhlig an can link up with people in
an t-Strath. An gabh so leas- Scotland to do this together
COINNEACH
MACFHIONGHUIN
Press Correspondent,
Gaelic language. Not An sacrilege? To me he is sabo-
Comunn; not Gaelic speakers, taging and murdering the lan-
Just ordinary Scots. I have guage. He saw “ na Rangers
seen a class of a hundred in ajr am beatadh ” and “ na
the Highlanders Institute In seitic ajr am beatadh cuid-
Comunn na Gaidhlig an Lun- Glasgow plodding away at the eachd.” He corrupts Inbhir
nainn, 53 Noble’s Green Road language with just one Aora to lonanarra, and writes
Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, Es- teacher (unpaid) because no Ceann a ghiusai for what I
sex. Gaels were interested. Even a]ways thought should be
at classes under the Educa- Qnn a’ Ghiuthasaich. In his
Sir Diarmad (page six, tion Authority and Extra penultimate paragraph he
’ " need not be as- Mural Studies teachers seem has “ ramanasunais.”
achadb? We tave issued a brochure to^sh^thaTl write these “5®.fina English and other foreign
■Secrioch na cuise gur e (copy enclosed) which has letters in English. “Sruth a would be better printed
aobhartaingealachdaftaann go„^t_wd,b a,^letters Ke'tat “Gaelic. Mre ?
a bhi a faidnnTigh Dhe lan on this subject. It attempts readers, even among the jfS®' ^Utwan,aprench in “ ~
corra uair. Ma tha oigridh ar to set out a case for Gaelic. Gaels, read English than read ^wiV hnr av0!d such sPclhnS: as ac-
corra uair. Ma tha oigndh ar to set out a case tor uaenc. uaeis, reau tugnsn xv-tw • ' schools but gg X =>. .7 ““
iomadh cearn a bharrachd air In the Autumn we hope to Gaelic Further, it is muen the ^1S^eUd for teadh, .^eatadh uiSlgeadh,
latha air an tarruing a dh’ sponsor a public meeting in easier for me to write in Eng- ^L^-xherein voJ see the fact°ra‘dh’ arf “aid: nLabr^
ionnsuidh co-chomunn nan London on Rights for and lish. 1 use English every day Gaelic Therein you rach Naiseantach, mnnsra-
reading, writing and oemanu. .maid, feur-pohtics.
speaking. I read all Gaelic ^Jt.is eaAsy^Jearona1t°fr®Jd To get back to my first let-
that comes to my hands.
HVm. GrigorA San
Limited
20 HAMILTON STREET
INVERNESS. TEL. 34343
Inverness Cream
SCOTCH WHISKY
lit- . 1 - 1 iu get uat-is^ LU Hijr 1X1 X^».
mat comes to my 1 Gaelic. A g°od deal of the ter which has never reallv
write it, too, but seldom for poetry is beyond the oidinary been answered; what NOW ?
want of opportunity or skill. I reader. Written in dark and lt ig no use Societies in Lon-
speak it not at all. There are deep Gaelic it is often im- don or elsewbere petitioning
many like me. Therein lies possible to translate. But Mps for a BiU t0 boost Gae.
the reason for these letters, prose presents no dithcuity. j-c wben tbe Gaels themselves
No one can dispute the fact Once the rules are learned, are SQ evidently indifferent.
Gaels (at least some of them) spelling is found to be phon- use the ianguage; help others
are shouting for the “ just etic. In English you could to use it; make Scotland or
legal rights ” for their lan- write Ghoti and say it is at least tbe Highlands a bi-
guage. From Madrid to Sur- pronounced fish. There is lingual area; or leave the lan-
rey from London to Stomo- nothing like that in Gaelic. guage as they are doing now,
way, the resolutions go out There are only ten irregular .?die 0n its feet,” and shut
for the same rights as Welsn verbs m Gaelic. How many in up Either the Gaels want in-
in Wales, Irish in Eire, French English or French. dustry with its pulp mills,
in the Channel Islands. So Gaelic is an ancient lan- smeiters and oil refineries;
why not Gaelic in Scotland ?
The answer is that these
other peoples worked for the
right. The Gaels in Scotland
did not. (Is e coire ar daoine
fein a tha ann).
They are working now, but
not hard enough, and not
enough of them.
Diarmad says thousands are
attending Gaelic services
every Sunday. If he had writ¬
ten “ ficheadan ” instead of
“ miltean ” he would have
been nearer the truth — and
half of those are not “ tur
eolach air a chanain.” As for
the Gaelic in “ Sruth ” — our
own bi-lingual newspaper
By chove . . Ted Heath is Winnie
Ewing a’ suirghe ’sa Ghleann.
with its crowded cities, pol¬
luted air and eventual slums:
or they want to keep their
language and their way of life
for themselves and their
children. Either the Gaels
want to be themselves, domi¬
nant in their own country, or
be swallowed completely.
ADHAMH
Uist.
MORE OVER TO YOU
ON PAGE TWELVE
The views expressed in this news¬
paper are not necessarily those
of the publishers : An Comunn
Gaidheatach.