Blair Collection > Deo-gréine

AN DKO-GHREINK.
na 's uaisie na iad Fein. Clia bhi iad 'gam
faicinn : bithidli iad cho dian a' sealltainn sios
orra-san a tha suidhe fodhpa. Caillidh iad
beachd air an cor fein. Agus, 's e thachras
gu'n tig an coimheach geur-inntinneach ; seall-
aidh e a stigh annta is trompa ; ionnsuichidh
e an cridheachan gus an tuig e am ball far an
laige iad; agus, an ceann ùine, bithidli iad
fo gheasaibh aige. Siod mar thachras do'n
Ghaidheal a bhios sasaichte le bhi labhairt a
chànain, a mhàin, no le bhi cur suas na deise
Gaidhealaich, a mhàin, agus a shaoileas gu'n
dean sin an gnothuch is gur smior a' Ghaidheil
e air a cheann sin.
Tha e 'na aobhar uaill do neach aig an robh
a' Ghàidhlig o leanabachd gu'n do chuir e
rithe lc bhi ag ionnsachadh a leughadh is a
sgriobhadh. Tha e 'na aobhar uaill is àirde
na sin ma rinn e sin gun a' Ghàidhlig a bhi
aige 'na òige. Ach cha lèir dhuinn gu'm bheil
e 'na aobhar uaill do neach air bith gu'n d'
ionnsuich e a' chànain a labhras e mar dh'
ionnsuich a' bhò a gnòsdaich : gun oidhirp gun
dragh. Math dh' fhaoidteadh gu'm bu choir
e bhi 'na chomfhurtachd dha ; ach cha 'n eil
aobhar uaill ann.
Ag amharc air a' chilis a th'againn fo 'r
Q-aire anns an dòigh sin, cha 'n eil e 'na aobhar
uaill gu 'm bheil tuilleadh luchd-labhairt na
( iàidhlig an siorramachdan Rois agus Chrom-
baidh na an siorramachd Ghaidhealaich eile,
am feadh 's is fior gu 'm bheil luchd-leughadh
is sgriobhadh na Gàidhlig, is luchd-obair
air son na Gàidhlig na 's gainne na
tha iad an cèarnaibh eile a dh' fhaodamaid
ainmeachadh.
Arli thainig am Mod gu Ionbhar-pheabh-
arain, agus ma ni na Rosaich is na Crombaich
an ni ceart, cha 'n fhada gus am bi sgeul ùr r'
a innseadh c>rra. Cha 'n e a mhàin gu'm
Faodar a ràdh gu'm bheil luchd-labhairt na
Gàidhlig lìonmhor, ach gu'm bheil luchd-
leughaidh is sgriobhaidh is luchd-obair air son
na Gàidhlig mòran na 's lionmhoire na tha
iad an siorramachd eile. Ciod a chuireadh
bacadh orra ach an leisg is amharus-inntinn ?
Is aobhair uaill da-rireadh iad sin ! Mur b'
iad an leisg is amharus-inntinn cha robh trail)
riamh 'san t-saoghal. Am fear nach tèid mu
obair a dheòin, thig an là 'san tèid a dh' ain-
deoin. Air falbh an leisg is an t-amharus, ma
tà. Teannadh muinntir nan siorramachdan
sin ri ionnsachadh leughadh is sgriobhadh an
cànain ; ceannaicheadh iad leabhraichean
Gàidhlig ; ionnsaicheadh iad -ceòl binn an
dùthcha ; cuireadh iad air chois Comuinn
Ghaidhealach mar a rinneadh ochionn ghoirid
an Ionbhar-pheabharain. An sin bithidh fior
aobhar uaill aca ; cha 'n ann as lionmhoir-
eachd nam Ror- Ghaidheal a tha 'nan siorram-
achdan fein ach as lionmhoireachd nan ( ìaidh-
eal a th' amis an t-saoghal gu leir. Ionnsuich-
eadh iad tràth nach e cliù sgire no siorramachd
a th' aca ri àrdachadh, ach cliù nan Gaidheal ;
agus nach eil dòigh air thalamh a chum cliù
an cinnidh a chur am mend ach le bhi airidh
iad fein air cliù o dhaoine eile.
SINN FHEIN— OURSELVES.
In last issue we stated the case broadly for
the language of our people, at the same time
indicating our attitude towards it. In this
issue we shall endeavour to do the same for
the music of our people.
It would be as vain to seek an origin for
Gaelic music as it would be to seek an origin
for Gaelic speech; and it would be as difficult
to trace to their sources, the peculiar charac-
teristics by which we recognise Gaelic music.
We may try to define these characteristics ;
but. with our present limited knowledge, it is
not possible to establish whether they are or
are not of Gaelic growth. There are charac-
teristics which enable us to differentiate
Gaelic music — be it Irish or Scottish — from the
music of other peoples, At the same time,
there are characteristics by which Irish tunes
may be distinguished from Scottish ones, and
by which Lowland tunes may be known from
Highland ones. It is possible, however, that
those very marks which enable us to dis-
tinguish one people's music from that of
another people were otherwise applicable at
an earlier period. How can we tell that
Gaelic style in the music of to-day was not
the English style of a time of which we have
no musical record ? The evidences of changes
of fashion in music are ample and clear. New
fashions reach outlying districts late in point
of time, and linger there long after they have
gone out in the regions where they first
appeared. It may be taken for granted that,
in the outlying parts of the British Isles, the
fashion in music — be its origin what it may —
is of an older order than that prevalent in the
parts which lie nearer to the main culture-
source of the epoch in which we live. How
much older is ;i question which is not easy to
determine.
As we showed in our dealings with the
language question, there were in the past two
main culture-sources, the emanations from
which modified culture generally in the
British Isles. ( )ne culture spread from the east ;
the other from the west. Latin culture is now
supreme in these Isles; but for many centuries
Gaelic culture dominated what is now known
as the Gaelic area. Whatever Gaelic culture
may have been in other respects, there can be
no doubt that Gaelic music for a long time