Alba Nuadh
Anns an Dàmhair choilean mi bruadar is chaidh mi a dh’Alba Nuadh mu dheireadh thall airson Celtic Colours. ‘S e sin fèis ciùil Cheiltich thairis air 10 làithean, caran coltach ris an fhèis Blas an seo, le cuirmean-ciùil ann an tallaichean baile, eaglaisean, ionadan spòrs amsaa air feadh Ceap Breatainn, eilean mòr a tha na phàirt an ear den mhòr-roinn. Agus “Colours” air sgàth ‘s gu bheil an t-eilean coillteach seo dìreach iongantach dathach aig an àm seo den bhliadhna, is craobhan-malpais sgàrlaid am measg nam beithean, nan craobhan-caorainn, learagan is giuthas. Chì thu seo aig fheabhas air an Cabot Trail, cuairt-rathad a’ chladaich brèagha – seòrsa NC200.
Tha Alba Nuadh moiteil às a dualchas Ghàidhealach, a tha sònraichte làidir ann an Ceap Breatainn, far a bheil a’ Ghàidhlig bho thùs ga bruidhinn fhathast le cuid de na daoine as aosda, agus ga h-ionnsachadh is ga teagasg le àireamh mhath de dhaoine òga. Tha cuid mhòr de na soidhneachan-ainmean-àite dà-chànanach, agus a’ Gàidhlig ri faicinn mar iomradh co-dhiù ann an co-theacsan turasachd no dualchais. Mar Albannach, agus comas Gàidhlig agam, bha fàilte bhlàth orm.
Ach o chionn beagan bhliadhnaichean, tha barrachd aire air a toirt cuideachd do mhuinntir thùsanach na mòr-roinn, na Mi’kmaq, agus dhan chànan is dualchas aca. Aig gach cuirm-chiùil far an robh mi chaidh aithneachadh gu h-oifigeil gu bheil am fearann seo “… located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people”, agus gu tric bhiodh riochdairean na coimhearsnachd sin an làthair. Bha an aon teachdaireachd ri faicinn ann an togalaich phòblach, leithid taighean-tasgaidh.
Bha mi aig sìa cuirmean-ciùil agus gach aon air leth – rionnagan ceòl Ceilteach Ceap Breatainn ann, agus luchd-ciùil cliùiteach à Alba cuideachd, m.e. Maighread Stiùbhart, seinneadair Gàidhlig, agus Ingrid NicEanraig, cluicheadair clàrsaich, còmhla ri pìobairean is fìdhlearan – tha Ceap Breatainn ainmeil airson am fidhlearan. Bha dannsa-ceum riamh làidir an sin cuideachd, seach mar a bha ann an Alba ach o chionn ghoirid. Bha daonnan faireachdainn sunndach, spòrsail aig na tachartasan, agus gu leòr de encores, gun guth air seiseanan agus partaidhean after-show…
Ach thug mi ùine gu leòr cuideachd gus dràibheadh mun cuairt, àitichean inntinneach fhaicinn agus gus coinneachadh ri daoine – tha caraidean is luchd-eòlais agam an sin tro iomairtean Gàidhlig. Tha seallaidhean brèagha ann, ge be càite an coimhead thu – coilltean dealrach, cladach is beanntan, le eaglaisean is taighean geala fiodha sgapte air feadh na dùthcha, sabhalan àrda, agus tòrr uisge – lochan, aibhneachan agus linneachan-mara, gu tric le taigh-solais beag orra – a’ mhòr-chuid geal, is gu tric fiodha cuideachd. Bha mi toilichte leis cho furasda, taitneach a bha an dràibheadh, gun cus traffaig, agus gun chafag. Is coltach gu bheil e fada nas trainge as t-samhradh. Bha mi fortanach leis an t-sìde cuideachd – grìanach gu leòr, gu ìre mhòr tioram, agus gu math tlàth.
Innsidh mi dhuibh mu chuid de na bàrr-phuingean den turas a-nis, aon dhiubh Baile nan Gàidheal, ann am baile beag Iona. ‘S e cruinneachadh de thogalaich eachdraidheil a th’ ann, dachaighean, bùthan-obrach, tuathanas (agus beathaichean) agus fiù ‘s eaglais, bho air feadh Ceap Breatainn, a’ sealladh dòigh-beatha nan tuinichean Gàidhealach thar nan linntean. Àite eile far an robh mi gu mòr airson dol ann, b’ e sin Pictou, gus ath-chruthachadh (agus i fhèin dìreach ga càradh) an luing eilthirich, an Hector, fhaicinn, a thàinig à Ulapul ann an 1773, agus an taigh-tasgaidh mìorbhaileach ri thaobh, le sgeul nan tuinichean agus nam Mi’kmaq a chuidich iad. Tha linne agus sgìre faisg air air a bheil Loch Broom, le eaglais-logaichean shimplidh mar a bha cumanta aig an àm sin. Sin cuideachd far an robh an t-Urr. Tormod Macleòid agus a threud an tòiseach (- a thuinich às dèidh sin ann an Waipu, NZ – sgrìobh mi mu dheidhinn an seo sa Mhàrt ‘s sa Ghibean am bliadhna).
‘S e daighneach na Gàidhlig a th’ ann am Mabou, baile beag air costa an iar Ceap Breatainn, le colaiste airson cultar is cànan na Gàidhlig, bun-sgoil bheag gu tur ùr tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig, taigh-tasgaidh tarraingeach, agus an taigh-seinnse le ceòl beo, A’ Bhròg Dhearg, air a stèidheachdh leis an teaghlach Rankin, seinneadairean anmeil. Bha cothrom agam ann am Mabou Gàidhlig a bhruidhinn ri daoine an sàs anns na h-iomairtean sin.
Tha Halifax, port mòr agus am baile as motha sa mhòr-roinn, cuideachd làn àitichean tarraingeach, leithid Taigh-tasgaidh na h-In-imrich, àite drùidhteach aig Pier 21 far an tàinig a-steach ginealaich de longan eilthireach, agus an Seann Chladh eachdraidheil, làn chlachan-uaighe le mementi mori. Chaidh agam cuideachd air sgrìob a thoirt thairis air Eilean a’ Phrionnsa, nach ann na phàirt de dh’Alba Nuadh ach gu math faisg oirre leis a’ bhàta-aiseig. An sin thadhail mi air Green Gables*, an taigh-tuathanais geal air cùl an nobhail Anne of Green Gables, agus an t-ionad-tadhail aige. Agus aon rud sgoinneil eile, Taigh-tasgaidh a’ Ghnìomhachais ann an Stellarton, faisg air New Glasgow.
Mar a chì sibh, tha Alba Nuadh làn àitichean air an ainmeachadh air dachaighean nan tuinichean Albannach; chaidh mi fiù ‘s a dh’aon-ghnothaich a dh’Arisaig, Inverness agus Dingwall – nach eil idir mar na bailtean tùsail, ach gach uile tlachdmhor co-dhiù. Faodaidh mi turas thall an sin a mholadh gu mòr – fiù ‘s nach eil an aon ùidh agad san eachdraidh, tha barrachd is gu leòr ann ri dhèanamh, air tir ‘s air mhuir, agus ‘s e àite breagha, fàilteachail a th’ ann, làn ciùil is bidh mhaith!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nova Scotia
In October I fulfilled a dream and finally made it to Nova Scotia for Celtic Colours. That’s a 10-day music festival a bit like our Highland Blas one, with Celtic music concerts in village halls, churches etc across the large island of Cape Breton, the eastern part of the province. The “Colours” part is because the heavily wooded island is absolutely gorgeous at this time of year, with scarlet maples among the birch, rowans, larch and evergreens. The Cabot Trail, a circular coastal route – like a NC200, shows this at its best.
Nova Scotia is proud of its Highland heritage, which is especially strong in Cape Breton, with native Gaelic still spoken in places by the oldest folk, and a fair number of young people continuing to learn and teach it. Place-name signs are often bilingual, and Gaelic makes at least a token appearance in many tourist and heritage materials and events. As a Scot, and a Gaelic-speaker, I got a great welcome.
But in recent years much is also made of the once-neglected indigenous people who still live there, the Mi’kmaq, and their language and heritage. At every concert I went to there was an official acknowledgement that this land ”….is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people”, and representatives of that communuty were often present. The same message was in public buildings like museums.
I went to six concerts and all were excellent – the musicians were the crème de la crème of the Nova Scotia Celtic scene, and also included top-level guests from Scotland, eg the Gaelic singer Margaret Stewart and harpist Ingrid Henderson, as well as pipers and fiddlers – the latter being what Cape Breton is best known for. Step-dancing has also always been strong there, unlike in Scotland until more recently. There was always a great atmosphere and plenty of encores, not to mention after-show sessions and parties…
But I also took plenty of time to drive around and visit places and people – I have various friends and contacts there through my Gaelic activities. The scenery is beautiful, whether vivid woodlands, coast or mountains, and is scattered with white wooden churches and homes, big barns, and lots of water – lakes and rivers and sea inlets, many with small lighthouses – also white and often wooden. Driving proved pleasantly easy, not a lot of traffic and usually fairly leisurely. It’s much busier in the summer, it seems. I was also lucky with the weather – plenty of sunshine, mainly dry, and quite mild.
I’ll just mention a few highlights now. One was the “Highland Village”, Baile nan Gàidheal, in the village of Iona – an open-air museum with historic homes, workshops, school, farm buildings (and animals) and even a church from all around Cape Breton, exemplifying the different eras of settlers’ experiences. I also just had to go to Pictou to visit the reconstruction of the immigrant ship Hector (itself being restored, so no masts just now), which arrived from Ullapool in 1773, and its Interpretive Centre, a wonderful museum to both the settlers and the Mi’kmaq people who helped them. The nearby inlet and rural area is called Loch Broom, and there’s a log church reconstruction from that time. It’s also where the Rev. Norman Macleod, of Waipu (NZ) fame, landed with his Highland flock (see my articles on him last March/April).
The town of Mabou, on the west coast of Cape Breton, is a Gaelic stronghold, with a college for Gaelic culture, a newly-founded tiny Gaelic-medium elementary school, a quirky museum and the famous Red Shoe pub, founded by the musical Rankin family, and famed for its live music. I had the chance to use my Gaelic there with folk involved in the various places.
The biggest town in Nova Scotia is the port of Halifax, and it too has its attractions, one being the very moving Immigration Museum at Pier 21, the place where generations of later emigrant ships docked, and the historic Old Burying Ground with its mementi mori headstones. I also managed a trip over to Prince Edward Island, not technically Nova Scotia but a ferry-ride away. There I visited Green Gables*, the white farmhouse that inspired Anne of Green Gables, with its visitor centre. And finally I enjoyed the wonderful Museum of Industry at Stellarton, near New Glasgow.
PS: There’s now a Gaelic edition of Anne of Green Gables, published by my friend Emily McEwan’s Bradan Press in Halifax, and available in Scotland from Comhairle nan Leabhraichean. https://www.gaelicbooks.org/rannsaich-an-bh%C3%B9th/ficsean/oigridh/anna-ruadh
