Ceud mìle fàilte! A hundred thousand welcomes!
Agus fàilte mhòr air an iomairt aig Ùghdarras Pàirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh a thaobh Gàidhlig a dhèanamh nas follaisiche san sgìre aca. And a very warm welcome to the Cairngorm National Park Authority’s initiative to make Gaelic more visible within their territory.
Tha h-uile facal cuideachail. Every word is helpful. Tha e daonnan nas fheàrr aon choinneal a lasadh na bhith suidhe speuradh san dorchadas. It’s always better to light a single candle than to sit cursing in the darkness.
Tha cànan gar ceangail agus gar sgaradh. Language connects and separates us. Mar abhainn. Like a river. Uaireannan, sruth beag a leumas tu thairis. Sometimes a wee stream you can jump across. Mar bho bhruach Gàidhlig na h-Alba gu Gàidhlig na h-Eireann. As from the shore of Scottish Gaelic to Irish Gaelic. Halò, a chò-ogha. Hello, cousin.
Uaireannan mar chuan mòr farsaing. Sometimes like a great wide ocean. Ged as urrainn dhuinn sgoth fhaighinn agus seòladh a-null. Though we can always get a boat and sail across. A dh’aindeoin stoirmean is gaillion gràmar is cainnt. Despite the storms and tempests of grammar and pronunciation.
Tha gìogan eadar-dhealaichte bho ròs
Tha e math fàilte is urram a thoirt do rud a tha diofraichte. It’s good to welcome and honour differences. Oir tha gìogan eadar-dhealaichte bho ròs. For a thistle is different from a rose. Is toigh leam Port Leathainn a cheart cho mòr agus is toigh leam Paris. I like Portlethen as much as I like Paris.
Gu mì-fhortanach tha a’ Ghaidhlig poilitigeach an Alba. Unfortunately Gaelic seems political in Scotland. Mar gur e cunnart a th’ann do chuid. As if it’s a danger to some people. Tha naidheachd agam dhuibh. I’ve got news for you. Chan e seo Am Pàrtaidh Anarchach Aramach Lenineach Aona-Chànanach Cheann Loch Iubh. It’s not the Anarchist Revolutionary Leninist Single Language Party of Kinlochewe. No de dh’àite sam bith eile. Or of any other place.
Seo a th’ ann. It’s this. Boireannaich is fireannaich is clann, mar thusa is mise, a’ còmhradh agus a’ cèilidh ’nan cànan fhèin. Women and men and children, like you and I, speaking and playing in their own language.
Chan e cunnart a th’ann. It’s not a threat. Chan e boma th’ann. It’s not a bomb. Chan e fiù’s bogha is saighead a th’ ann. It’s not even a bow and arrow. Chan eil e dol a dhèanamh cron ort. It’s not going to harm you.
Smaoinich air a bhuannachd
Tha fhiosam gu bheil argamaidean ann. I appreciate that there are concerns. An t-airgead mòr ud a tha iad a’ cosg air A’ Ghàidhlig! All that money they’re spending on Gaelic! Mar nach robh sìon ga chosg air a’ Bheurla. As if nothing was being spent on English.
Gach taobh a thionndaidheas mi tha airgead (poblach) air a chosg air. Everywhere I turn (public) money is spent on it. Foghlam tro mheadhan na Beurla. English-medium education. Soighnichean-rathaid ag innse dhomh gur e Mallaig a’ Bheurla son Malaig. Road signs telling me that Mallaig is the English for Malaig.
An coimeas ri Trident no Sgoth Rìoghail Ùr chan eil ach ciofainn air a chosg air Gàidhlig. Compared to Trident or a new royal yacht, the amount spent on Gaelic is a trifling. Phàigheadh mìle de rathad na tha sinn a’ cosg air Gàidhlig gach bliadhna. The cost of a mile of new motorway is as much as the annual Gaelic budget.
Agus smaoinich air a bhuannachd. And think of the gain. Dìreach aon fhacal fhèin a’ toirt fàilte dhut. Just one word gives you a welcome – fàilte. Tha e fosgladh doras ùr. It opens a new door. Am Monadh Ruadh, seach The Cairngorms. The Red Hills, instead of the Cairngorms. Obar Dheathain, seach Aberdeen. The River Mouth of the Don, instead of Aberdeen.
Dòigh eile an saoghal fhaicinn
Tha e toirt dhut dòigh eile an saoghal fhaicinn. It gives you another way of looking at the world. A’ leudachadh lèirsinn. Widens vision. Gad chuideachadh tuigsinn nach eil rudan cho teann agus cho chumang agus cho cinnteach agus a tha iad a’ coimhead. Helps you understand that things aren’t as restricted and narrow and certain as they look.
Bu chòir sin fhèin ar deànamh nas bàigheile dhan àrainneachd agus dhar co-chreutairean. That itself should make us more empathetic to the environment and to our fellow human beings.
Dhòmhsa, chan eil sa Ghàidhlig ach a’ chanan a bhios toirt toileachas is aoibhneas dha mo chuid cloinne. For me, Gaelic is just the language through which my dear children live and love their lives. Siuthadaibh, cluichibh leotha. Go on, play along with them. Ged nach biodh ann ach le aon fhacal – fàilte. Even if you just have a single word – welcome.
Aonghas Phadraig Caimbeul na air duaisean a chosnadh sgrìobhadair agus actair cliùiteach à Uibhist
Angus Peter Campbell is an award-winning writer and actor from Uist