An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Gaidheal > Volume 49--51, January 1954--December 1956

Executive Council
A MEETING of the Executive Council of
An Comunn Gaidhealach was held in the
Highlanders’ Institute, Glasgow, on
Saturday, 16th January, 1954, at 10 a.m.
The President, Mr. J. M. Bannerman, occupied
the Chair, and fifty-three members were present.
After the Minutes of the previous meeting we^e
approved and apologies intimated, the Council
received the report of the Appointments Sub-
Committee, and proceeded to interview a short
leet of four applicants for the post of General
Secretary and Organiser of An Comunn. There¬
after, on a ballot vote, Mr. Malcolm Macleod,
Assistant Secretary, received more votes than
the combined votes of the other three applicants,
and his appointment was made unanimous.
The President, on behalf of the Council, con¬
veyed to Mr. Macleod hearty congratulations
and good wishes for a happy and successful
tenure of office. He also conveyed the thanks of
the Council to the other applicants who had
appeared for interview.
The Minute of the Finance Committee
reported that Mr. Alasdair Matheson, Northern
Organiser, had been compelled, on medical
advice, to resign his appointment. The
resignation was received with regret, and it was
remitted to the Advisory Committee, along with
representatives of the Northern Propaganda
Sub-Committee, to take the necessary steps
towards filling the post of Organiser; the said
Committee also to consider the staffing of the
headquarters office in view of the vacancy in the
Assistant Secretaryship consequent on Mr.
Macleod’s appointment to succeed Mr. Shaw.
It was also agreed to ask Mr. Donald MacPhail,
former Northern Organiser, if he would be
willing to take charge temporarily of the Inver¬
ness Office, pending the appointment of a
successor to Mr. Matheson.
The Education Committee Minute reported
that a Summer School was to be held at Cnoc-
nan-ros from 7th to 20th August next, the fee
being £2 2/- plus 10/- per day. It was also
reported that there was an increase in the
number of Gaelic classes in the Northern Area,
and that representatives of the Committee had
conferred with representatives of Gaelic and
Highland Associations in Edinburgh (some
thirty persons being present) concerning the
provision of Gaelic in Edinburgh secondary
schools, the prospect being now more hopeful.
Mr. Donald Thomson drew attention to the
important recommendations about Gaelic in
schools included in the recent pamphlet of the
Saltire Society and urged that An Comunn
and the Saltire Society should make a dual
approach to'the Scottish Education Department.
Mr. Thomson also referred to new draft regula¬
tions of the Department in which, he declared,
Gaelic would be penalised as before, although
it was entitled to receive the same treatment as
Latin and Greek.
The Piopaganda Committee, which had been
considering the question, recommended to the
Council that the time was not yet ripe for insti¬
tuting uniformity of membership fees among the
branches. Discussion took place on this
recommendation, which was approved by the
Council, Mr. Donald Thomson asking that his
dissent be noted. The Committee also lecom-
mended that officials of the Association should
visit the branches annually, and that members
of the Executive should visit branches in their
own area.
The Art and Industry Committee reported
that it is hoped to have demonstrations
of spinning and weaving at the Art and Industry
Exhibition at the National Mod. The Com¬
mittee also emphasised that the Comunn Stall
at the forthcoming Highlanders’ Institute
Building Fund Bazaar was the responsibility
of the whole Association and not of the
Committee only.
The Minute of the Mod and Music Committee
reported that an “action song,’’ for Mod
competitions purposes, was now defined as
“a song to illustrate a story.’’
The Committee recommended that the Mod
Service be held on the Sunday after the Mod,
but, as some members preferred the Service to
be on the Sunday before the Mod, this was
remitted back for further consideration.
Leughadh gearr-sheanchas de Chomhairle
Clann an Fhraoich. Chumadh ceilidh o chionn
ghoirid comhla ri Meur Ghlaschu, agus thatar
an duil ceilidh eile a chumail aig Mod Pheairt.
Thatar ri leabhran ullachadh a sheolas ciamar
as cdir coinneamhan a riaghladh an Gaidhlig,
agus tha Mgr. Moffatt-Pender dol a phaidheadh
costas a’ chlo-bhualaidh. Thugadh taing
chridheil do Mhgr. Moffatt-Pender air son a
choibhneis.
A report was submitted on the Gaelic Informal
Education Scheme, from which it appeared that
various difficulties have been encountered which
have prevented the scheme being put fully into
operation, the most serious difficulty being
the lack of suitable persons willing to serve as
Organisers under the Scheme. It was felt,
however, that the measure of co-operation
achieved with the Scottish Education Depart¬
ment and the county education committees
(Continued on p. 21)
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