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

Executive Council
THE Extraordinary Meeting of
the Executive Council of An
Comunn Gaidhealach was held
in the Gould Hall, St. Andrew
Square, Edinburgh, on 18th July,
1949. The President, Dr. John
Cameron, LL.B., was in the Chair,
and there was a good attendance
of members. Attending were Mr.
J. T. Graham, Treasurer; Mr.
Neil Shaw, General Secretary; and
Miss Chris Turner, Clerkess.
Colonel Ross
THE President paid tribute to
the late Colonel Alasdair Ross,
who was a member of the
Council.
“Meeting Colonel Alasdair
Ross,” said Dr. Cameron, “one
was immediately impressed by
his enthusiasm for all things
Highland, his profound knowledge
of our history, traditions, and
literature, and his whole-hearted
helpfulness and kindliness. He
was greatly beloved by his friends.
By his death there has passed from
our midst another brave and
distinguished son of Skye. We
would record our deep sense of loss,
and we would convey to Mrs. Ross
and to their son, Iain, our heart¬
felt sympathy in their great
sorrow. ’ ’
Mr . Shaw and Cape Breton
THE President also, in name of
the Council, extended to Mr.
Neil Shaw, General Secretary,
best wishes for a pleasant trip to
Canada to attend the 11th annual
mod at the Gaelic College, St.
Ann’s, Cape Breton, which opens
on 27th July.
“Mr. and Mrs. Shaw,” said Dr.
Cameron, “will, I am sure, receive
a most cordial welcome from our
kinsmen across the sea. No better
known nor more highly esteemed
Highlander could represent An
Comunn Gaidhealach nor the High¬
lands generally than Mr. Neil
Shaw with his long experience of
thirty-six years as General Secre¬
tary of An Comunn Gaidhealach.
He is conversant with the diffi¬
culties we have had to encounter
in order to preserve our language
and the steps we have taken to this
end. Mr. Shaw will inform them
of the progress made and our hopes
for the future. Our kinsmen
across the seas will also have had
difficulties to contend with and our
story will be of interest to them.
“Most of us here are of opinion
that it is in tjae glens and the
islands of our country that Gaelic
will best thrive. We often fear the
result on our language of our youth
crowding to the towns and emi¬
grating to Canada and other coun¬
tries, and we wonder, if this emigra¬
tion cannot be stopped, what is to
happen to our language. We have
considerable consolation, however,
in the fact that our kinsmen in
Nova Scotia and in Cape Breton,
whose forefathers (whether of
necessity or from choice) emigrated
to these parts at the end of the 18th
and beginning of the 19th centuries,
still speak the language well; and
this fact proves that our people do
not lose their language although
they settle in a strange land.
“Mr. Shaw will convey to our
kinsmen abroad our warmest greet¬
ings and our thanks for their
splendid gesture in providing the
special prizes—the Gaelic College
Gold and Silver Medals—to be
competed for each year at our
National Mod for the best rendering
of Gaelic songs composed in Nova
Scotia. I hope we may do some¬
thing on similar lines. This may
be the beginning of a movement
to strengthen the ties and bind the
scattered children of the Gael more
closely together. Let us hope it
may.
“We wish for Mr. and Mrs. Shaw
a very happy and pleasant voyage. ’ ’
Minutes of meetings of the
Finance, Publication, Mod and
Music, Comunn na h-Oigridh,
Advisory, and War Memorial and
Thanksgiving Fund Committees
were read and approved.
Mod Surplus
THE Treasurer submitted the
accounts for the financial year
which ended on 30th April,
1949. The most notable feature in
the accounts was the large and
gratifying surplus from the National
Mod at Glasgow in 1948, amounting
to £5,659, by far the largest sum
raised in connection with any Mod
in An Comunn’s history. On the
year’s working there remained a
credit balance of £3,226 which was
added to Capital Account.
Mr. Graham pointed out that,
despite this very satisfactory sur¬
plus for the year under review, the
costs of maintaining An Comunn’s
various activities at the present
level are most onerous and the
fixed ordinary annual income is
quite inadequate to meet them. He
therefore appealed to Branches,
Members, Affiliated Societies and
others interested to contribute
substantially and regularly to the
Central Fund so that the necessary-
expenditure in any year may be
met out of the income for that
year.
The accounts and other reports
were approved by the Council.
Gaelic Doctors
THERE was some discussion
about the recent appointment
of a non-Gaelic-speaking doctor
to a Gaelic-speaking parish in I.ewis,
a Gaelic candidate for the post
being rejected although he had
served as locum teriens. It was
alleged that in making the appoint¬
ment it was stated that for such a
parish “Gaelic is not essential.” .
The following resolution was
unanimously approved: -“Arising
out of a discussion on a recent
appointment in a parish in Lewis,
the Executive Council of An
Comunn Gaidhealach assert as a
matter of principle that in appoint¬
ing medical practitioners and mak¬
ing other public appointments in
Gaelic areas preference should be
given to Gaelic-speaking persons,
provided that they are profession¬
ally fully qualified and experienced
for the post. ’ ’
Edinburgh Celtic Chair
THE Council also decided
unanimously to remind
respectfully the curators of
patronage of the Chair of Celtic at
Edinburgh University, now vacant,
that, while the official title of the
Chair is the Chair of Celtic
Languages, Literature, History and
Antiquities, and the occupant is
empowered to teach all of these
subjects or some of them, the
ordinance founding the Chair con¬
tains (it is understood) the proviso
that, “so long as Gaelic continues
to be a medium of spiritual in¬
struction in the Highlands of
Scotland, the professor must give
instruction in the uses and graces
of Scottish Gaelic.”
There was some discussion about
the proposed scheme whereby An
Comunn, jointly with Highland
County Education Committees,
will have several Gaelic organisers
at work in the Gaelic areas. As
the scheme is still under discussion
no decisions are yet called for.
Nominations were received for
the Offices of President and Vice-
President , and for ten places on the
Executive Council. Notices of
motion to amend the Constitution
and Bye-laws were tabled, and will
be circulated to members along
with the notice and agenda for the
Annual General Meeting.
The meeting terminated with a
vote of thanks to the Chairman.