Seachd Ceistean le Magaidh Nic a’ Ghobhainn

Rugadh Magaidh anns an Achadh Mhòr, far a bheil i a’ fuireach, fhathast, ann an Leòdhas.

San là an-diugh, bidh i ag obair air a ceann fhèin, eadar obair turasachd is togail coimhearsnachd. ’S e saothair a tha an crochadh nan ràithean, is diofair phròiseactan fa-near dhi, aig diofair amannan den bhliadhna.

“Cha bhithinn ag iarraidh duais airson rud sam bith a rinn mi riamh, na mo bheatha,” ars i, fhad ’s a chuir mi an t-agallamh roimhpe, ach ’s ann le cinnt is gu bheil Magaidh cliù mòr a chosnadh, thar nam bliadhnaichean, mar thè a tha dlùth an dàimh ri dualchas is dùthchas na Gàidhlig, agus am brosnachadh aig cridhe chùisean, dhi.

“Fhuair mise mo chuid Gàidhlig an tac’ an teine,” dh’innis i dhomh, a’ dèanamh luaidh air sruth na Gàidhlig eadar ginealaich – rud a tha gu geur fon phrosbaig, ri linn a chuid obrach.

“Mar Ghàidheil bho thùs, tha agam ri a bhith ag obair man mo bheatha, airson an cànan a chumail beò anns an sgìre agam fhìn. Ann an 2023 tha a’ chùis nas duilghe na bha e riamh.”

’S ann air sgàth sin a bha Magaidh cho mòr a bhith an sàs san iomairt ùr, a chaidh a stèidheachadh co-dhiù dà bhliadhna air ais, ach a ghluais gu Sràid na h-Eaglaise, o chionn ghoirid.

“Thathas a’ cleith gu bheil an cànan a’ bàsachadh,” dh’aidich i, mus do chuir mi ceist oirre a thaobh taic buidhnean no ­iomairtean na Gàidhlig, agus cothrom lìonra a thogail eatarra.

Bha ceist na freagairt fhèin, ’dè na h-iomairtean a tha seo?’, a’ soilleireachadh gu bheil leithid taic a dhìth, gus amasan ath-bheothachadh a’ chànain a thoirt gu buil.

B’ fheàrr le Magaidh bhith a’ moladh nan daoine leis am bi i ag obair am measg nan coimhearsnachdan – measgachadh de dh’òigridh is bodaich is cailleachan, is i an dòchas am beàrn a theannachadh eatarra, tron aon spèis chultarail is chànanach.

“Feumar aithneachadh gu bheil aonranachas an dualchas’, thuirt i, ‘chan ann a mhàin sna seann daoine ach san òigridh, a tha ag iarraidh an dualchas a chumail faisg.”

Ach tha luach fhathast ann an seann dòighean a’ bheòil-aithris, gan toirt seachad bhon ghlùin.

“Thug sin dhuinn eòlas air iomadach rud a tha mun cuairt oirnn agus sinn mion-fhiosrach air dòighean nàdair, tro bheul aithris, is bàrdachd, is seann-fhacail san t-seann chànan.”

Mar sin, ’s lèir is gu bheil ath-bheothachadh a’ chànain an lùib cùram na h-àrainneachd ionadail, agus chan fhaighear piseach air a’ chùis, ann an co-theacsa eileanach, gun an dà rud an thoirt am piseach, air an aon iorram.

Ach, le club obrach-dachaigh a’ dol aig an ionad, is tachartasan eile a bheir daoine cruinn, tha dòchas san iomairt ùir, a chaidh a chur air bhonn leis an Oil. Teàrlach Wilson, às a’ Chuimrigh.

Thug Wilson ollamhachd sòiseo-chànanachas na Gàidhlig a-mach à Oilthigh Dhùn ­Èideann, mus do leig e freumhan ùra san eilean.

Ri a thaobh, choinnich Magaidh ri cuid air an aon ràmh, aig a bheil “tuigse gu bheil luach ann an ealain, eachdraidh, cleachdaidhean agus coimhearsnachd a chur ri slàinte inntinn gach duine”.

Chan eil gach duine air a bhith cho taiceil ris an ionad o dh’fhosgail e, ge-tà, le daoine leithid Dhòmhnaill MhicShuain, croitear ann an Nis is neach-telebhisein BhBC Alba, teagmhach an robh àite den t-seòrsa a dhìth, ann an eilean far an robh 11,111 de dhaoine le comasan Gàidhlig – 58.1% den phoball air fad – a rèir cunntas-sluaigh 2011.

Dha MacSuain, bha am pròiseact a’ sanasachadh an duilgheadais, seach ga shlànadh, far am biodh coimhearsnachdan dualchasach a’ cleachdadh a’ chànain gu làitheil fhathast, fad’ is farsaing.

Sgaoileadh an deasbad air Twitter, mun àm a chaidh an ionad a chur air bhonn, le Wilson a’ dol an aghaidh MhicShuain, ach chaidh taic a nochdadh, cuideachd, aig feadhainn eile, aig stiùir iomairtean eile, a bhios a’ sireadh ionadan coimhearsnachd na Gàidhlig den aon sheòrsa, ann an Inbhir Nis is Dùn Èideann.

Bha Magaidh gu mòr a’ dol às àicheadh ùpraid sam bith, ge-tà.

“Chan eil mi tuigs’ carson a tha daoine a’ caitheamh ùine air a’ chòmhradh shuarach seo. Tha sinn mar sgioba an Taighe-Chèilidh air a bhith a’ cur ar gualainn dhan chùis.”

Gu dearbh fhèin, tha e furasta do luchd nam meadhanan obair dhaoine eile a chàineadh, gun a bhith mothachail, tron bhith an sàs ann, air cruaidh-chàs obair coimhearsnachd.

Cronadairean, a rèir Magaidh, aig nach eil ‘fios no tuigse air dè th’ ann an iomairt sòisealta den ghnè seo, agus cho feumail ’s tha i’.

“Thigeadh iad a dh’amharc, a nis,” ars i, a’ cumail fàilte is furan romhpa, co-dhiù. Nam biodh luchd, a bhiodh mì-chinnteach fhathast, a’ tadhal air An Taigh-Cèilidh co-dhiù, ’s Magaidh a tha deimhinnte gum faiceadh rudeigin san ro-innleachd ùir – ’s anail atharrachadh air a’ chiùird.

“Feumar aideachadh nach eil cuisean ag obrachadh a thaobh leasachadh na Gàidhlig agus gu bheil làn thìde an cùl a chur ris na structaran a chaidh a stèidheachadh bho chionn leth cheud bliadhna.”

Ach, aig stiùir an ionad, tha Magaidh misneachail – “tha sinn air saoghal eile, air gluasad air adhart agus feumalachdan dhaoine gu tur eadar dhealaichte”. Na beachd-sa, ’s ann san Taigh-Cèilidh a tha an dearbh rud a bha a dhìth, fad nam ­bliadhnaichean mòra, agus na h-eileanaich feumach air “an iomairt aca fhèin”.

English translation

Solitude in the Heritage: Seven Questions with Magaidh Nic a’ Ghobhainn

For the first interview in the series, Marcas Mac an Tuairneir was in touch with Magaidh Nic a’ Ghobhainn, who is involved with An Taigh-Cèilidh in Stornoway – a new initiative seeking to welcome, and build a place for, Gaelic speakers in Lewis.

Magaidh was born in Achadh Mhòr, where she still lives, in Lewis.

She now works in a freelance capacity, involved in tourism and building community. This is work which depends on the seasons, with different projects in the pipeline at various times of the year.

"I’ve never sought an award for any of my life’s work," she says, as the interview began, but Magaidh has certainly earned a strong reputation, over the years, as someone intimately tied to her Gaelic heritage and background, with their promotion at the heart of it all.

"I got my Gaelic at the fireside," she told me, talking of the intergenerational transmission of the Gaelic language – something she has a keen eye on, through her work. "A born Gael, I’ve had to work around my life, to keep the language alive in my own neighbourhood. In 2023, the situation is worse than ever before".

It is because of this that Magaidh has become a central part of the new initiative, which began life around two years ago, but moved to a new location recently on Church Street.

"They are hiding the fact that the language is dying," she admits, before I ask her of any support from other initiatives or Gaelic organisations.

But her response is a question in itself, "what initiatives are those?", making clear that such support is sorely needed, if the mutual aims of language revitalisation are to succeed.

Magaidh prefer to praise the people she works with in the community – a mixture of young people and pensioners, hoping to bridge the gap between them, through a shared respect of language and culture.

"You have to admit that there is a loneliness to the heritage,’ she says, ‘something I see not just in the older people but in the young ones too, who want to keep their heritage close.

"There is worth still in the old ways of the oral tradition, imparted from the knee. It gave us knowledge of a great many things that surround us and we’re intimately aware of natural processes, through folklore, and poetry, and the turns-of-phrase of the old language.?

In this, it’s clear that any language revitalisation that might occur can only be successful if it comes hand-in-hand with the preservation of the local Hebridean environment.

But with homework clubs at the centre, and other events aimed to bring people together, there is hope for the new initiative, which was set up by Dr. Charles Wilson, originally from Wales, who completed doctoral studies in Gaelic sociolinguistics at Edinburgh University, before laying down fresh roots on the island.

Alongside him, Magaidh has found a like-minded ally, with an "understanding that there is a benefit in the arts, history, customs and community to everyone’s mental health".

Not everyone has been as supportive of the centre since it opened, with commentators such as Donald MacSween, a crofter in Ness and BBC Alba personality, doubtful if there is a need for such an place, on an island where 11,111 have some Gaelic competence – 58.1% of the population – according to the 2011 census.

For MacSween, the project promoted a problem, instead of solving it, where native- speaking populations could be using the language daily, island-wide.

The debate spilled out on Twitter, as the centre opened, with MacSween going head-to-head with Wilson, though the initiative has welcomed support from those at the forefront of similar campaigns for Gaelic community centres, in Inverness and Edinburgh.

Magaidh was keen to dispel any such misgivings, however.

"I don’t get why people spend time on that ridiculous conversation. We, as a team at An Taigh-Cèilidh, have been putting our shoulders to the wheel."

Indeed, it’s easy for media types to criticise the work of others, without understanding through their own experience, how keenly challenges are felt by those involved in work at community level. Critics, according to Magaidh, "that don’t really know or understand the worth of a social enterprise such as this, and how necessary it is".

"They should come and see, now," she replied, welcoming critics warmly, nonetheless.

If those who remain unsure might visit An Taigh-Cèilidh, Magaidh is certain that they will see something innovative in the new approach – a breath of fresh air for the island.

"We have to admit that things just aren’t working with Gaelic development, and that it’s high time to turn our back on structures that were put in place half a century ago",

At the new centre’s helm, Magaidh is confident – "it’s a changed world, we’ve moved on and people’s needs are totally different."

For her, An Taigh-Cèilidh is the very thing that’s been long sought-for, with islanders indeed needing "an initiative of their own making".