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

COMHRADH
Domhnall—’S math a’ Bheurla a
tha aga l fhein, a Dhughaill.
Dughail—Math no don’ i, Dh6mh-
naill, ni mi mo ghnothach
leatha. Bha mi an Coire-nan-
Cuilean an de le sealgair ’s
chunna mi cearc-fhraoich a’
laighe air suil-chruthaich agus
thubhairt mi ris, ‘ ‘heathery hen
in creation eye!' ’
Domhnall—-’S an do thuig e thu ?
Dughail—’S e a thuig, agus loisg
e air a’ chirc-fhraoich cuid-
eachd, ged nach do mharbh e i.
Domhnall—A bheil Beurla agad air
Coire-nan-Cuilean ?
Dughail—Tha, sheoid,—' ‘Kettle oj
Whelps!"
Dbmhnall—Gle mhath, a Dhughaill.
Ciamar a nis a dh'eadar-
theangaicheadh tu ainm a’
bhaile ud shios ?
Dhghall—Balmacara! Ach tha sin
furasda gu leoir; nach math a
dheanadh ‘ ‘Town-Mac-Turn
an gnothach! U.M.P.
Easbhuidh na Gaidhlige
[Bho t.d. 24)
againn air an son ? ’ ’ Rannsaich a
mach agus chi thu nach ’eil anns
na facail sin ach seann fhacail as a’
Ghreugais agus as an Laidinn agus
beagan cumaidh air a chur orra a
reir na canain a tha ’gan togail.
Car son nach togadh a’ Ghaidhlig
iad mar an ceudna, agus cumadh
Gaidhlig a chur orra ?
Tha aon ni eile as coir a radh,
agus 's e sin seo. Thuige seo bha
agus tha gach neach a’ deanamh
mar a chi e fhein iomchuidh ann a
bhith deanamh fhaclan ura anns a’
Ghaidhlig. Nach biodh e moran
nas fhearr nam biodh comunn no
buidheann againn de dhaoine
cothromach a dh’aontaicheadh air
an fhacal no an ainm as freag-
arraiche air son gach ni ? Aireamh
mhaith bhliadhnachan air ais chuir
An Comunn Gaidhealach mu
dheidhinn a leithid sin a dheanamh,
agus thugadh am follais anns a’
Ghaidheal aireamh fhicheadan de
fhacail ura, ach cha deachaidh
leantainn air an obair.
Mu cheithir bliadhna air ais
thug mi fhein air aghaidh rian-
oibreachaidh leis am faodamaid an
obair seo a chur air aghaidh, agus
faclair de fhacail ura a dheanamh.
Fhuair mi beannachd a’ Chomuinn
anns an oidhirp agus chuir mi an
c6ill anns a’ Ghaidheal na bha
romhainn a dheanamh, ach cha
d’fhuair mi cuideachadh sam bith,
no gealladh air, ach a mhiin bho
thriuir dhaoine. Cha d’fhuair mi
cobhair sam bith aig an Am ud bho
mo charaid a tha a nis a’ deanamh
gearain mu’n chu is. Bheirinn dha
a nis a’ chomhairle seo: leugh na
tha sgriobhte anns a’ Ghaidheal
(Am MArt, 1946, t.-d.'51-52) agus
ann an Alba (t.-d. 32-35), far a
bheil Nils Holmer, an sgoilear
Suaineach, a’ sgriobhadh mu
“fhacail ura anns a’ Ghaidhlig.’’
“IN THE LAND OF
DONNACHADH BAN”
Dear Sir,—In the article that
appeared in the December issue of
An Gaidheal, J .E.S. uses the same
title and quotations (without refer¬
ence to source) as the late Wm.
MacKenzie did in a series of
articles published in the Oban
Times in 1904.
Students of Mac intyre’s poetry
would be much obliged if J.E.S.
could elaborate some of his state¬
ments by answers to the following
questions:—
(1) “At an early age we find the
bard appointed as watcher
on the Ben Dorain beat ? ’ ’
At what age was he ap¬
pointed, and where can
“we find” a reference to his
appointment ?
(2) On what authority (apart
from Mackenzie) does J .E .S .
say the bard was first sta¬
tioned at Ais-an t-sithein ?
Did he supervise Coire a’
Cheathaich from this centre ?
(3) Did a gamekeeper have no
remuneration except a free
croft ? T am, Sir,
“Creag Mhor. ’
RURAL CHOIR SONGS
A Charaid,—I hope that the
Mod and Music Committee will
clearly indicate in the 1950
National Mod Syllabus the verses of
the -prescribed songs which Rural
Choirs are expected to sing at the
Mod.
Hitherto, as far as I know,
those Choirs chose their own
selections of three verses, but a
good deal of disappointment was
caused last year when, in the short
space of three weeks before the Mod,
instructions were sent from Head¬
quarters that certain verses of the
prescribed songs were to be sung
by - Rural Choirs. Many of the
Choirs, including the one for which
I was Gaelic tutor, happened to
fix on other verses of the songs
which we were studying for months
before the Mod. The members
of our Choir were naturally very
much annoyed, and rightly so,
because the Mod Syllabus con¬
tained no indications whatever
as to the precise verses of the
songs which they were expected
to submit.
Agus, an uair a leughas tu sin,
toisich air cuideachadh leinn ann
a bhith cur ri cheile faclair de
fhacail ura. ’S e sin as fheArr na
bhith gearan nach ’eil daoine eile
a ’ deanamh dad.
It is well known that the
majority of the members of Rural
Choirs cannot speak or read Gaelic,
and consequently it takes a long
time to teach them the pronuncia¬
tion and meaning of the text. But,
in spite of all those disadvantages,
they, by constant repetition, give
a very creditable rendering.
They must be encouraged in
their efforts, and I am sure I write
on behalf of all Rural Choirs when
I strongly suggest that the Mod
Syllabus should always indicate the
verses of the prescribed songs
which are meant to be sung in the
Mod competitions.
John N. MacLeod.
AN ASTRALIA
A Charaid,—Nach d’fhuair mi
litir-adhair a Astralia an diugh,
agus de a tha agam air duit ach gu
bheil Iain Mor nan Creag agus Tain
Mor an Fheilidh—agus is ionann
iadsan is Iain M. Moffatt-Pender—
a nis thall san tir “far a bheil e ’na
shamhradh an comhnuidh.”
Cha b’fhada an ceilidh leinn!
Ach is maith diiil a bhith ri a
thilleadh, agus bidh failte is furan
air air ais. Saoghal sona gun Ais
aige thall!
Rinn e saothair mhor o thAinig
e an turus seo. Bha e ’na oileanach
an Oil-thaigh Dhun-eideann, agus
e ag cur tuilleadh eolais air cAnain-
ean. Ma thachras Gaidheal Alban-
nach ris thall, gheibh e a dniol
Gdidhlig. Ma thachras Gaidheal
Eireannach ris, gheibh e a dhiol
Gaedhilg. Ma thachras Greugach
ris, gheibh e Greugais, agus, ma
thachras Frangach ris, gheibh e
Fraingeis!
Tha sinn uile toilichte gu bheil
Aireamh mhaith dhaoine an diugh
ag ionnsachadh GAidhlig, agus fior
dhaoine foghainteach is foghluimte
’nam measg. Tha Iain Mor an
Fheilidh aca mar cheannard is mar
fhear-iuil, agus cha bhi iad fann a
chumas suas ris. Feumaidh iad
moch-eirigh a dheanamh.
Cha bu choir duinn a bhith
riaraichte le croilean beag anns an
Eilean Fhada ri GAidhlig—an
Innse-Gall! (thoir fainear!). Car
son nach tigeadh “Fir Albann uile”
fhathast gu bhith Gaidhealach ?
Is mise gu dileas.
Le Petit Blanc.
Anns A’ tlliailcMl
EDITOR S POSTBAG
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