Comunn Gàidhlig Inbhir Nis
The Gaelic Society of Inverness
Established 1871
Cuairt-litir An Earraich/ Spring Newsletter – April 2016
Tha bliadhna thrang air a bhith aig a’ Chomunn, mar is àbhaist, agus tha sinn air-leth taingeil gu bheil òraidichean cho comasach air a bhith againn. Tha sinn cuideachd a’ toirt taing do’n Ollamh Mata MacÌomhair, Ceannard 2015-2016, airson an taic a thug e don Chomunn fad na bliadhna bho Sheirbheis Cuimhneachaidh Chùil Lodair, Òraid dìnnear bhliadhnail san t-Samhain: “ Contemporary Gaelic Education: An Overview” agus Òraid: “ Gaelic – just another Minority Language?” aig a’ choinneamh bhliadhnail, 15 An Giblean. Gu math a thèid le Mata san àm ri teachd.
Bha deagh Chuirm againn bho chionn ghoirid. Tha ceilidh neo-fhoirmeil a’ còrdadh ris na h-uile agus tha sinn mòran an comain na ghabh pàirt air an oidhche. Fhuair sinn taic bho Maoin Mathas Coitcheann Inbhir Nis agus Buidheann Taighean-òsta Sonas. Tha sinn a’ toirt taing dhaibh uile.
Tha a’ chomataidh air pàipearan a thaghadh airson na ath-bhliadhna agus tha sinn an dòchas gun cùm sibh bhur taic ri na h- òraidichean mar is dual dhuibh. Ma tha neach sam bith ag iarraidh lioft gu coinneamh, cuiribh fios thugainn. Bithidh dà choinneamh air an cumail air oidhche Diardaoin an ath-bhliadhna, mar a chì sibh nuair a gheibh sibh a’ chairt bhliadhnail ann am beagan mhìosan. Tha buill den chomataidh a’ deasachadh Transaction LXVII. Bidh dùil ris an leabhar seo a dhol a-mach ro dheireadh na bliadhna seo.
The past year has been another busy one for the Society. Meetings have been held in the Gaelic Primary School and have covered a wide range of topics including: Reading the Gaelic Landscape, Bàird a’ Bhaile Shear, Religion and attitudes to religion, Dualchas Luibhneach nan Gàidheal, to name but a few. Once again we are fortunate to have had a variety of papers of such high quality read at our meetings. We wish to record our sincere thanks to our speakers: John Murray, Linda Macleod, Maoilios Caimbeul, Annela Macleod and
Jo Macdonald, Ruairidh MacIlleathainn, David Taylor, Alasdair Maciver and Bill Innes and also to the many faithful members who turn out to these meetings. If you are aware of anyone requiring a lift to meetings, please get in touch with a member of committee. Two of the meetings will be held on Thursdays next year.
We wish to convey our sincere thanks to Professor Matthew Maciver for his support and his valuable contribution to the Society’s main events during his year as the Society Chief.
Once again the Annual Showcase in Eden Court recently – An Taigh Ceilidh – was very successful and we would like to thank all those involved for providing us with such an enjoyable evening. We would particularly like to thank our sponsors: The Inverness Common Good Fund and Sonas Hotel Group, Isle of Skye.
Volume LXVII of the Transactions is being prepared for printing and should be available to members later in the year. We are particularly grateful to those speakers who have submitted their papers in time to allow the preparation for printing the Transactions to go ahead. We would emphasise the importance of forwarding papers to committee shortly after giving a talk to enable the team preparing the Transactions to begin their work.
Ceannard 2016-17 / Chief of the Society 2016-17
The Chief of the Gaelic Society of Inverness from 16th April 2016 - 14th April 2017 is Professor Hugh Cheape:
“Professor Hugh Cheape has devised and teaches a postgraduate programme, MSc Cultar Dùthchasach agus Eachdraidh na Gàidhealtachd, at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture. The MSc has grown out of his curatorial and ethnological work during a career in the National Museums of Scotland where latterly he was Principal Curator in the Department of Scotland and Europe.
He joined the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1974 as a Research Assistant with Professor Sandy Fenton and was involved with the creation of the Angus Farming Life Museum in the Angus Folk Museum, the National Museum of Scotland, the Museum of Scottish Country Life at Wester Kittochside (now the National Museum of Rural Life) and the Museum of Piping in the National Piping Centre.
He has published in the subject fields of ethnology and musicology, including studies in Scottish agricultural history, vernacular architecture, piping, tartans and dye analysis, pottery, charms and amulets and talismanic belief. His books include Periods in Highland History (1987) with I F Grant, Tartan. The Highland Habit (1991), Witness to Rebellion (1996) with Iain Gordon Brown, The Book of the Bagpipe (1999), Bagpipes. A national collection of a national instrument (2008), and he has edited Tools and Traditions. Studies in European Ethnology presented to Alexander Fenton (1993) and 'A very civil people': Hebridean Folk, History, and Tradition. Essays by John Lorne Campbell (2000).
From 1997 he worked with the School of Scottish Studies on the Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o Riches project to digitize the sound archives of John Lorne Campbell, the School of Scottish Studies and the BBC”.
University of Edinburgh.
The Chief delivers the address at the Culloden Anniversary Service, April 16th.2016, the Society’s annual dinner on November 11th.and finally at the annual business meeting on April 14th. 2017.
A very warm welcome to Hugh in his year as Chief to the Society.
Seirbheis-cuimhneachaidh Chùil Lodair/ Culloden Anniversary 2016
The Anniversary Service will be held at the Cairn on Saturday 16th April. This will follow the usual pattern with the Society Chief giving his Address followed by prayers and a blessing by Rev.Norman MacIver, Inverness and Rev Canon Mel Langille, Fortrose, respectively. Gaelic Psalm singing will be part of the service with Donald Roderick MacAskill and friends, Dingwall, leading the praise. The Society’s Bard, Maoilios Caimbeul, will read a poem: Latha Chùil-Lodair/Culloden Day by Iain Ruadh Stiùbhart. An appropriate lament will be played by the Society Honorary Piper, Mr Euan J. J. MacCrimmon, after which a wreath will be laid on behalf of the Society by Mrs Cheape.
The summer outing this year will take place on Saturday 28th May to Gairloch. William McRobbie, Society member, will be our Guide for the day.
Please contact the Secretary to book a seat on the coach. The cost is £20 for the coach hire.
Please visit our website at www.gsi.org.uk for all information regarding the Society and the latest news. The website has been up-dated and we are very grateful to Sandra Campbell for her work in connection with this. We are also grateful to D.J. Macleod, Librarian, for keeping the Facebook page up-to-date. To keep down postage costs, newsletters will appear on our website. A paper copy will be issued on request.
The library has received several donations of books and papers, including a hardback copy of Chì mi (the poetry of Donald John MacDonald) from its editor Bill Innes and various papers relating to Gaelic and economic development from Hugh Dan MacLennan. Members are reminded that a classified catalogue of the library, as well as indexes to the Transactions, can be found on our website, under ‘Archive’.
Ballrachd / Membership
Our Treasurer, Donald Norman MacLeod, is grateful to all of you who complied with our request to pay your subscription by Standing Order. Those of you who have not yet taken advantage of this facility are reminded that this can be done by contacting the Treasurer at any time. Membership is currently £20 per annum and is due for renewal on 15th July each year. Sending reminders to such a large membership is quite costly, so please put this date in your diary to avoid any lapse of your membership. Anyone requiring further information should contact the Treasurer. Students at Universities and Colleges may join the Society at the reduced fee of £10 per annum.
A’ cuimhneachadh / Remembering
Sadly, we have had to record the loss of some of our members in the past few months. We would like to extend our sincere sympathy to those members who are mourning the loss of family and friends at this time. We would ask that you keep us informed of the passing of any of our members in order that a formal tribute may be paid to them at our members’ meetings and subsequently recorded in the Society Transactions.
Finally, we would like to express our thanks to Highland Council and the Inverness Gaelic School for the use of their premises for our meetings.
All Correspondence should be addressed to the:
Hon. Secretary : Alice Macdonald, 8 Glenburn Drive,Inverness. IV2 4ND Tel: 01463 231891
e-mai: alice@gsi.org.uk
Hon. Treasurer : Donald N. MacLeod,19 Burnbrae, Westhill, Inverness, IV2 5RHTel: 01463 791731
e-mail: donald@gsi.org.uk