An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Gaidheal > Volumes 44--45, January 1949--December 1950

Hull Children and Gaelie
MR. NEIL CAMERON’S PRIZES
S instructed by the Prop¬
aganda Committee and
Executive Council I visited
Mull to ascertain the number of
children under ten years of age who
speak Gaelic, and to distribute the
prizes generously donated by Mr.
Neil Cameron, Sunderland. I had
previously advertised in the ‘ ‘ Oban
Times” that I was about to visit
the island and asked those mothers
who considered themselves eligible
for die prize to communicate with
me at the six principal Post Offices
on the island.
I arrived at Tobermory on 19th
May and collected four letters at
the Post Office. I had previously
advised Mr. Alan MacLean, M. A.,
compiler of “Approach to Gaelic,”
a new school-book to be published
shortly, of my visit and he called
on me at the Hotel, where we
lanned our approach to Gaelic in
obermory. Mr. MacLean’s know¬
ledge of conditions in the town and
neighbouring districts was of
immense help to me and I wish to
acknowledge here my indebtedness
to him for his guidance and support.
We commenced our visitation
that evening and by nightfall we
had registered six Gaelic-speaking
children, ranging in age from 3 to 7
years. The following day we
registered twelve, the oldest being
10 years. This includes three at
Cnoc Fuar and one at Glengorm.
In the evening I went to Salen
where I collected other two letters.
I had arranged to spend the week¬
end at Fionphort and proceeded by
steamer to Craignure on Saturday
morning. Two letters awaited me
at Craignure Post Office and I was
able to call on the writers in the
forenoon. Two children, aged 3
and 9 years, were registered. I
continued my journey to Fionphort
by bus in the afternoon and collect-
ted three letters at Bunessan and
two at Fionphort. On Monday,
23rd May, I visited seven homes in
the Ross of Mull and registered
eight children between the ages of 3
and 10 years.
I returned to Salen on the 24th
and made calls in the evening at
Gruline, Fanmore, and Torloisk,
where I registered six children from
7 to 9 years of age. This completed
my visit, which resulted in register¬
ing thirty-four Gaelic-speaking
children and awarding twenty-four
mothers, in name of Mr. Cameron,
the sum of £\ for each child.
Mr. Cameron’s generous gesture
is very much appreciated by the
people in Mull and the encourage¬
ment thus given is sure to stimulate
interest in Gaelic. One was encour¬
aged to learn on good authority
that, even before the announcement
of Mr. Cameron’s award, parents
were taking a greater interest in
Gaelic and were anxious that their
children should grow up with a
knowledge of the language of their
fathers and mothers. Mr.
Cameron’s acknowledgement of
what these parents have done for
the preservation of Gaelic has-come
at an opportune time and we thank
him most heartily.
THE mode of approach to
ascertain the children’s
knowledge of Gaelic had to be
varied as some children are more
shy in presence of strangers than
others. The three-year-olds were
sometimes more chatty than the
older children, and one little boy,
who answered a number of
questions with ease, turned the
tables and asked—“Am bheil
balach beag agaibhse ? ’ ’
A general complaint by parents
was that children lose their Gaelic
IS docha nach ’eil fios aig a’ mhor-
shluagh an Uibhist a’ Chinn a
Deas gu bheil uir choisrigte as an
Eadailte air a sgapadh air raointean
fuara fliuch anns an eilean sin, ach
is e sin mar a tha.
Shios anns an lochdar tha baile
beag ns an canar Cill Amhlaidh, no
Cladh Amhlaidh, agus faisg air a’
bh'aile sin tha an Eaglais Chaitlic-
each anns a bheil sluagh an &ite ag
aoradh aig an la an diugh. Ach is e
Ard Choinnich a chanar ris an kite
anns a bheil an eaglais, agus is ann
air an Naomh Coinneach, sagart
ainmeil aig an robh iighdarras
spioradail air Uibhist a’ Chinn a
Deas gu leir, a tha an t-kite air
ainmeachadh.
Mar dhearbhadh air sin faodar
ainmeachadh gur h-e Beinn
Choinnich as ainm do’n bheinn a
tha tuath air acarsaid Loch Baogh-
asdail, agus bhiodh an Naomh
Coinneach sin ag aoradh ann an
eaglais a bha air a togail an kite ris
an canadh iad Aurotot faisg air
taigh-osda Loch Baoghasdail. Tha
Ikrach na h-eaglaise sin ri fhaicinn
fhathast, agus o chionn ghoirid
fhuair an t-Athair Urramach Mgr.
Caimbeul clach bhaistidh bhreagha
thri-oisinneach am measg an fheoir
air an Ikraich sin, agus chuir e suas
when they go to school. This is
readily understood when one
realises that there are a number of
non-Gaelic-speaking children in
each school and that, in a number
of one-teacher schools, the teacher
has no Gaelic. The only Gaelic
these children hear is in their own
homes and they readily acquire the
language of the school and play¬
ground. Gaelic is systematically
taught at Tobermory, Bunessan,
and Salen, and for that we are most
grateful and thank the teachers for
their splendid work.
The schools in Mull were closed on
the Friday and Monday of my visit
but what might otherwise have been
of some disadvantage enabled me to
meet the children in their homes and
question them in the presence of
their mothers, and in some cases in
presence of their grandmothers.
God bless the Grannies for their
influence on parents and children!
Branches of An Comunn
had not been functioning
regularly, and I was earnestly
asked to return in the autumn and
give them a fresh start. Tobermory
has lost a number of its stalwarts,
i anns an Eaglais Chaitlicich an
Daileabrog.
Ach am baile beag air an robh
sinn a’ bruidhinn—Cill Amhlaidh,
is ann air sagart eile, an Naomh
Amhlaidh, a tha e air ainmeachadh,
agus bha esan ’na shagart dileas
agus treibhdhireach rk iomadh
bliadhna anns an lochdar. Chaoch-
ail e an sin aig aois mhoir, agus a
r6ir a iarrtais fhein chaidh a
thiodhlacadh anns a’ bhad ris an
canar Cill Amhlaidh o an uair sin .
Tha e freagarrach ainmeachadh
nach robh dkimh sam bith aig an
Naomh Amhlaidh so ri Cloinn
Mhic Amhlaidh Leodhais a bha de
threibh eadar-dhealaichte.
Tha beul-aithris ag rkdh gur h-e
an Naomh ainmeil, Bliannan, an
ath shagart a bha anns an lochdar,
duine a bu chbir a bhith air a
chumail air chuimhne le muinntir
Uibhist a’ Chinn a Deas nas motha
na tha e a thaobh a eud diadhaidh.
Bha e deidheil gum biodh an sluagh
a bha fo a chiiram a’ mealtainn cuid
de na grksan a bha air am buil-
eachadh air na daoine sin a bhiodh
an cbmhnaidh ag imeachd air
fearann naomha, agus do bhrigh
sin thug e uair sgriob do’n R6imh
agus cha bu bheag a’ chosgais a
(An edrr air t.d. 83)
(Continued on page 75.)
Cill Ainlilai«lh an I il»lii*t
a Den*
— 78 —