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

The (*i*au«l Feill
THE Grand Eei.ll held in the
St. Andrew’s Halls,
Glasgow, on 17 - 20
May, 1950, has taken its
place with the Feills o! 1907 and
1927 as among .he most out¬
standing efforts and achieve¬
ments of An Comunn Ga/dhealaeh
in its fifty-nine years’ history.
That it was a success is beyond
all question. With the final
figure still to oe adjusted, this
great enterprise added at least
£8,000 to the Memorial and
Thanksgiving Fund, bringing it
up to over £13,000, leaving about
£7,000 still to be gathered in
the next six months if the target
figure of £20,000 is to be
achieved by the end of the year.
Some, no doubt, may think that
so great an effort might have
brought in more than it actually
did. Having regard, however,
to present stringencies and
living costs and the many other
claims upon the public, there is
every reason to be satisfied and
to be grateful for the generosity
of the members and friends of
An Comunn and of the general
public.
An Comunn Gaidhealach, and
the Gaelic and Highland people
generally, should be left in no
doubt about whose is the chief
credit for this great achievement.
Mrs. J. M. Bannerman and Mr.
John Murray, Convener and Vice-
Convener respectively of the
Feill Committee, had the vision,
the energy, and the faith to
initiate, plan, and organise this
enterprise and carry it through
to success. Many a time they
must have felt somewhat doubt¬
ful of success, but they carried
on and, not sparing themselves,
inspired others. No great co¬
operative effort can be success¬
ful without leadership, but good
leadership is nothing without
willing and enthusiastic workers.
These the Feill recruited in
abundance, although in some de¬
partments too much had to be
done by too few. Growing out
of the small Work-party, who
during the war were instrumental
in raising over £10,000 for
comforts, canteens, and Gaelic
literature for the Forces, the
Feill effort was carried through
by' an actual staff of some six
hundred helpers, who worked at
the stalls, exhibitions, and side¬
shows. apart from the large
number who helped with the
various entertainments. In ad¬
dition, there were the manv
hundreds up and down the land.
and even furth of Scotland, who
so kindly helped in various ways,
by their work, their gifts, and
their donations.
THE various stalls (over two
dozen of them) were
attractively arranged in the
Main Hall, where, above the
platform, the key-note of the
Feill was strikingly and ap¬
propriately symbolised by large-
scale reproductions of the badges
of An Comunn, Clann an
Fhraoich, and Comunn na
h-Oigridh. The stalls represented
practically every district—An
Comunn Work Party Gift Stall,
Argyll and the Isles (Mull and
Iona. Coll, Morven, Oban and
Lome, and Islay Sections),
Arran, Bute, and Ayr, Edinburgh
and South-East, Glasgow, Dun¬
bartonshire and Renfrewshire,
Inverness-shire and Glasgow-
Skye (Inverness Burgh and
County and Skye Association
Sections), Outer Hebrides
(Lewis and Harris and Uist and
Barra Associations), London
(supported by some eleven High¬
land and Gaelic Societies in
London), Overseas, Ross and
Sutherland (Glasgow Wester
Ross Association, Ross County
and Sutherland Sectionls), and
Stirlingshire, Perthshire, and
Dundee. There were also the
Scottish-American Stall and the
“ Other Friends of Scotland
Stall.” the latter organised by
members of various Consulates
in Glasgow, with Mrs. Taddei.
of the French Consulate, as
Convener. Not least important
was the Comunn na h-Oigridh
Stall, for which the Feachdan
had contributed various articles,
some made by themselves. There
was also a very attractive
Flower Stall.
“ Tigh Mairi,” a full-size old
Highland cottage, furnished in
the traditional style, even to the
extent of red geraniums in the
window, proved a great attrac¬
tion, and Mrs. Barron (as Mairi)
and Angus MacDonald (as “ Am
Bodach ”) must have had a bus-''
time (they certainly played their
narts exceedingly well), as did
Mr Donald Gillies who assisted,
and Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs
Mackenzie, from Uist, who sat
at the cottage door, carding and
soinning, while _ small _ hand-
looms were also in operation.
The Celtic Art Exhibition at¬
tracted much interest, and Mr.
George Bain’s instructive talks
(with blackboard illustrations)'
on Celtic design drew large
groups of interested persons.
Mr. Hamish Ballingall, of
Buchanan Castle Golf Club, gave
ten-minute golf lessons, and there
were several mannequin parades.
Free film-shows were given in
the Berkeley Hall, and there was
dancing in the Ballroom Suite
on Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday evenings.
AN Exhibition of Arizona
(Indian) Silver attracted
much attention, and another
very interesting exhibition was
that entitled “ Interiors Today :
The Scottish Way.” This was an
exhibition “ designed to show a
happy arrangement of antique
and contemporary > furniture,
furnishings, and craft-work of
Scottish origin in various
domestic settings.” It was de¬
signed and presented by three
young Scots, Jean Aikman and
Lora Miller (Designers) and Jack
Notman (Architect).
The Side-Shows jn the Lower
Hall were also worth a visit,
especially as the “ Showmen ” in
charge were astonishingly
generous, although some of their
“ shows ” were sore on the-
pocket.
The Stirling and West Perth¬
shire Federation of the Scottish
Women’s Rural Institute invited
all and sundry to “ Guidfarin’
Farm ”. Mr. Farquhar MacRae
was in charge of a well-stocked
book-stall, while scores of vendors
of raffle-tickets lay in wait at
every turning.
Each evening there -was an
attractive programme put on in
the Berkeley Hall. On Wednes¬
day evening the programme waa
provided by three junior Gaelic
choirs—Glasgow Gaelic Musical
Association, Govan, and Knights-
wood. On Thursday evening the
Govan Gaelic Choir and the
Margaret Morris Ballet put on a
very enjoyable show, advertised'
as “ a new ceilidh.” Gaelic songs
were accompanied by dances im¬
provised by members of the Ballet
and remarkably expressive of the
moods of the various pieces.
On Fbe Friday evening a Gaelic
Song Competition for boys and
girls was held. The competition
was arranged in two Classes—-
Group 1 (under 13 years of age)
and Group 2 (13 and over).
There were twenty-nine com¬
petitors altogether, and the first
six in each group, as selected in
the Friday evening adjudication,
competed in the “ Finals ” on
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