Ga Cur an Seagh a-Nis	Listening to What has Been Lost
"Òrain Red" le Coinneach Ruadh;Acair, Gàidhlig, £6.99 bog	"Òrain Red" le Kenneth MacLeod:Acair, Gaelic, £6.99 paperback
Thàinig Gàidhlig Pheairt beò a-rithist 'na siorrachd fhèin car tacain nuaira dh'fhosgail Tònaidh Dilworth, cathraiche ChLI, coinneamh bhliadhnail nabuidhne ann am baile Pheairt as t-fhoghar. Dh'fhosgail e cuideachd - ach annan Gàidhlig choitcheann - deasbad beothail air "Gàidhlig Pheairt - Mar a Bhais Mar a Bhitheas". (tar-sgrìobhadh)	Perthshire Gaelic came alive again in its own county for a few moments whenCLI convener Tony Dilworth opened the organisations AGM in Perth lastautumn. He also opened - though in standard Gaelic - a lively debate on"Perthshire Gaelic - the Past and the Future". (translation)
San Iuchar ann an 1954 ghabh mi an trèan gu Cill Fhinn aig ceann shuas LochTatha is thòisich mi air Suirbhidh Cànanach na h-Alba còmhla ri FredMacAmhlaidh. Bha Fred gus an Suirbhidh fhàgail an ceann ceithir seachdaineanis e dol don a' BhBC - ceithir seachdainean a chòrd rium gu mòr is sinn agobair ann an Cill Fhinn, Gleann Dochard, Taigh an Droma is taobh a-deas LochTatha. Dh'ionnsaich mi mòran bhuaithe mun obair sna ceithir seachdaineansin - fhuair mi deagh oideachadh 'na chuideachd.	In July 1954 I took a train to Killin at the upper end of Loch Tay andstarted on the Linguistic Survey of Scotland alongside Fred MacAulay. Fredwas to be leaving the Survey in four weeks time to go to the BBC - fourweeks which I greatly enjoyed during which we worked in Killin, GlenDochart, Tyndrum and the south side of Loch Tay. I learnt a lot from himabout the work in those four weeks - I received good tuition in his company.
Thoiribh an aire gun tuirt mi gun robh Cill Fhinn aig ceann shuas LochTatha. Ann an Siorrachd Pheairt tha shuas is suas a' ciallachadh an-iar agustha shìos is sìos a' ciallachadh an-ear. Nam biodh tu a' dol up no down, bhathu a' dol an-àird no a-bhàn, is nuair a bhiodh tu up bha thu urard, agusnan robh thu down bha thu h-iolar.	Note that I said Killin at the upper end of Loch Tay. In Perthshire shuasand suas mean west and shìos and sìos mean east. If you were going up ordown, you were going an-àird or a-bhàn, and when you were up, you wereurard, and when you were down you were h-iolar.
Aig an àm sin bha a' Ghàidhlig an Siorrachd Pheairt fada bhàn, cha mhòr nachrobh i h-iolar san t-sloc. Ach mar a thuirt Ruaraidh MacThòmais an aon de nadàin aige, "Tha Oisean an dèidh Fèinn an iomadh àit' far nach saoil"; achcha robh mòran saoghail air fhàgail aig an Oisean Pheairteach san àm, agusmean air mhean thar nam bliadhna bhon uair sin shearg Gàidhlig Pheairt gutur. 'Se tha cur iongantais orm, cho luath 's a dh'fhalbh i a dh'aindeoin a'bhrosnachaidh a bha Diùc Athall a' toirt do luchd bruidhinn na Gàidhlig. Bhana h-adhbharan sòisealta eile fada na bu làidire is na b'èifeachdaiche.	At that time Gaelic in Perthshire was way down, almost at the bottom of thechasm. But as Derick Thomson said in one of his poems, Ossian after theFingalians is in many an unexpected place; though the Perthshire Ossian hadlittle life left in him at the time, and bit by bit over the subsequentyears Perthshire Gaelic withered away completely. What surprises me is howquickly it died despite the encouragement given to Gaelic speakers by theDuke of Atholl. The other social causes were all much stronger andeffective.
Thòisich an Suiribhidh Ghàidhlig ann an Siorrachd Pheairt sa bhliadhna 1951agus chaidh 18 ceisteachan a dhèanamh, a dhà dhiubh le piuthar an làthairagus aonan le nighean peathar an làthair, 'se sin 21 neach uile gu lèir. Achcha bu chòir a bhith smuaineachadh nach robh tuilleadh an Siorrachd Pheairtaig an robh Gàidhlig aig an àm sin. Cha robh iad air son innse.	The Gaelic Survey in Perthshire started in 1951 and 18 questionnaires weredone, two of them with a sister present and one with the daughter of asister in attendance, that is 21 individuals altogether. But it shouldn't bethought that there weren't more in Perthshire with Gaelic at the time. Theydidn't want to admit it.
Ma bheirear sùil air aois, rugadh a còig dhiubh eadar 1864 agus 1870;ceathrar ann an 1872 (bliadhna Achd an Fhoghlaim), ceathrar ann an 1873 agusnaoinear san 27 bliadhna eadar sin agus deireadh na linne. A rèir namfigearan sin, chaidh a' Ghàidhlig an Siorrachd Pheairt air ais gu mòr sachairteal mu dheireadh den 19 linn. Dè b'adhbhar dha seo? Tha corra reusan,tha mi a' smuaineachadh.	Looking at age, five of them were born between 1864 and 1870; four in 1872(the year of the Education Act), four in 1873 and nine in the 27 yearsbetween then and the end of the century. According to these figures, Gaelicin Perthshire fell back significantly in the final quarter of the 19thcentury. What was the reason? A few reasons, I believe.
Sa cheud àite, bha buaidh làidir aig na sgoiltean as dèidh Achd an Fhoghlaimair neart na Gàidhlig. Bhiodh an seachdamh Diùc Athall, a bha fileanta saGhàidhlig, a' brosnachadh na Gàidhlig anns an sgoiltean a bha air oighreachdAthall, agus ann a bhith dèanamh seo bha e dol an aghaidh luchd sgrùdaidhnan sgoiltean. Bhiodh an Diùc a' toirt duaisean don chlann sgoile air sonGàidhlig agus bhiodh a nighean, Leadaidh Eibhlin Stiùbhart Mhoireach, a'teagasg Gàidhlig sna sgoiltean. Cuideachd, bha an Diùc an-còmhnaidh air sonGàidhlig a bhith aig luchd obrach na h-oighreachd - na cìobairean is nageamairean.	Firstly, there was after the Education Act a strong influence from theschools on the vitality of Gaelic. The seventh Duke of Atholl, who wasfluent in Gaelic, would encourage Gaelic in the schools on the Athollestate, and in doing so he was going against the school inspectors. The Dukewould award prizes for Gaelic to the children and his daughter, Lady EvelynStewart Murray, would teach Gaelic in the schools. Also, the Duke alwayswanted the estate workers to have Gaelic - the shepherds and thegamekeepers.
San dara àite, bha Gaidheil Siorrachd Pheairt taobh ri taobh ri muinntir naMachaire agus bhiodh Gaidheil is Goill air ais 's air adhart bho na glinn isbhon a' Mhachaire, agus nam falbhadh Gaidheal mu dheas gu Dùn Chailleann noCalatraid no Craoibh, dh'fheumadh Sgots a bhith aige.	Secondly, the Perthshire Gaels were cheek to jowl with the Lowland folk andGael and Lowlander were back and forth from the glens and the Lowlands, andif a Gael went south to Dunkeld or Callander or Crieff, he needed to be ableto speak Scots.
San treas àite, tha fhios gun deach mòran laoch as na glinn don Arm - do nah-Innsean is do dh'Afraga - is tha fhios gun robh gu leòr dhiubh nach dothill.	Thirdly, no doubt many of the lads from the glens went into the Army - toIndia and to Africa - and no doubt many of them didn't return.
Sa cheathramh àite, tric gu leòr ann an Siorrachd Pheairt, fhreagradh daoinenach robh Gàidhlig idir aca, no nach robh an cuid Gàidhlig ach mu làimh achionn is gun do phòs aon de na pàrantan fear no bean bhon Ghalldachd.	Fourthly, frequent enough in Perthshire, folk would reply that they had noGaelic at all, or that their Gaelic wasn't good enough as one of theirparents had married a husband or wife from the Lowlands.
Thuirt a' chailleach ris a' bhodach, "Bidh an-àird air do chasan	Said the cailleach to the bodach, "Get up to your feet
Thoir leat as an sporan ud tastan no dhà	Take with you from the purse a shilling or two
Theirig a-null chun a' fòn is cuir cùisean Bha adhbhar eile cuideachd. San dara leth den 19 linn, stad a' Ghàidhlig abhith 'na lingua franca sa Ghaidhealtachd. Bha Siorrachd Pheairt agus BràighMhàrr a-nis nas ceangailte ris a' Ghalldachd na ri Gaidhealtachd an-Iar isan-Iar Thuath. Tha cuimhn' agam seann duine an Cille Chuimein a b'àbhaist abhith na gheamair air oighreachd Chùl Eachaidh ag innse domh mu gheamair aSiorrachd Pheairt a bha ag obair le còmhlan daoine taobh a' ChoireGhearraig, Bràigh Abhainn Tairbh.	There was another cause. In the second half of the 19th century, Gaelicstopped being a lingua fanca in the Highlands. Perthshire and the Braemardistrict were now more linked to the Lowlands than to the West and NorthWest Highlands. I remember an old man in Fort Augustus, who used to be agamekeeper on the Culachy estate, telling me about a keeper from Perthshirewho was working with a group of men Corrieyarick way at the top of the RiverTarff.
Bha iad uile bruidhinn Beurla ris; bha iad a' smuaineachadh nach biodhGàidhlig aige. Mu dheireadh dh'fhàs e sgìth agus thuirt e: "Nach eilGàidhlig aig duine sam bith an t-seo?" Cha robh mòran Beurla idir aige, achbha iongantas air càch gun robh Gàidhlig aige!	They all spoke English to him; they thought he wouldn't have Gaelic. Finallyhe got fed up and said: "Doesn't anybody here have Gaelic?" He didn't infact have much English, but the others were surprised he had Gaelic!
Tha mi a' smuaineachadh gur ann aig an àm seo a bhiodh daoine a-cheanaan-còmhnaidh a' cur fàilte air srainnsear a thachradh orra air an rathad annam Beurla an toiseach. Bha a' Ghàidhlig a-nis 'na gàrradh crìche a bhacadhdaoine bho bhith ro fhaisg ort mus robh thu eòlach orra. 'Si a' Bheurla a dh'fheumadh neach a bhith bruidhinn riut gus am fàsadh sibh eòlach air achèile. Nam bruidhneadh tu Gàidhlig thall 's a-bhos ris a h-uile neach nachb'aithne dhut, bha sin caran coltach ri balach beag ag ràdh "dè do chor, aSheumais?" ris a' mhinistear..	I believe that it was about this time that folk were already in the habit ofwelcoming strangers they met on the road in English first. Gaelic was now ahead-dyke that would prevent people from being too close to you before youknew them. People needed English to communicate until they got to know eachother. If you spoke Gaelic hither and thither to everyone who was new toyou, that was a bit like the wee boy saying "what's doing, Jimmy?" to theminister.
Ach tha suidheachadh mar sin a' dèanamh cron uabhasach air cànan is aircultar. Tha na ceudan de chànain air feadh an t-saoghail air bàsachadh is adhol bàs fhathast. Tha cuimhn' agamsa fhathast bruidhinn ri oileanach sansgoil san robh mi a' teagasg ann an Tansania. "Dè 'n treubh dom buin thu?"dh'fhaighnich mi dha. "Buinidh mise do threubh glè bheag," fhreagair e."Chan eil ann a-nis ach 30 againn." Bidh an treubh is an cànan sin air dol abith a-nis.	But such a state of play does horrendous damage to a language and a culture.Hundreds of languages throughout the world have died or are dying still. Iremember yet speaking to a student in the school in which I taught inTanzania. "What tribe do you belong to?" I asked. "I belong to a very smalltribe," he answered. "There are now only 30 of us." That tribe and thatlanguage will by now have passed out of existence.
Corra bhliadhna air ais, air an trèan an Nirribhidh, bha grunnan clannsgoile mu aois 12 bhliadhna. Thàinig iad gar n-ionnsaigh is thòisich iad a'bruidhinn rinn sa Bheurla gu nàdarra gun athadh sam bith. Cànan sam bithnach eil a' tarraing luchd ionnsachaidh, tha i mar Ghàidhlig Pheairt; tha ansaoghal aice tighinn gu crìch. Ach chan e cànan a-mhàin a dh'fhalbhas.	A few years back, on a train in Norway, there was a small group of childrenabout 12 years old. They came up to us and started to speak to us naturallyin English with absolutely no timidity. Any language which doesn't attractlearners is like the Gaelic of Perthshire; its life is coming to an end. Butit's not only a language which disappears.
Dè mu dheidhinn cultar? Sa bhliadhna 1891, eadar an Gearran is toiseach naDùbhlachd, chruinnich Leadaidh Eibhlin 240 pìos a beul-aithris eadarsgeulachdan, dàin is òrain a sgrìobh i ann an Gàidhlig Pheairt, a bhafileanta aice. Tha na leabhrain san do sgrìobh i iad ann an Sgoil Eòlais nah-Alba. Thog i am beul-aithris seo ann an Athall, Gleann Lìobhann agusRaineach, agus mun cuairt air Obar Pheallaidh.	What about culture? In 1891, between February and early December, LadyEvelyn gathered 240 fragments from oral tradition including tales, poems andsongs which she wrote down in Perthshire Gaelic, which she spoke fluently.She collected this tradition in Atholl, Glen Lyon and Rannoch, and roundabout Aberfeldy.
San aon bhliadhna seo, bha Do'ch Do' Camshron a bhuineadh do Raineach 19bliadhn a dh'aois. Dar dh'fhaighnich mi dha an robh sgeulachdan aige,fhreagair e: "Dh'fhaodach am pailt's sgeulachdan a bhith a'mas, ach coltachri mòran sluagh òg cha robh mi gan cur an seagh san amm." Ach bha fear eileann an Raineach agus thuirt e rium sa Bheurla, an dèidh dha bith gamchronachadh air son a bhith cur suim sa Ghàidhlig: "I always thought it moreimportant to improve my English."	In the same year, Duncan Cameron who belonged to Rannoch was 19 years old.When I asked him whether he had any tales, he replied that he could have hadplenty, but like many of the young folk he didn't pay much attention to themat the time. But there was someone else in Rannoch who told me in English,after having criticised me for taking an interest in Gaelic: "I alwaysthought it more important to improve my English."
Bha sgrios na Gàidhlig an Siorrachd Pheairt air tòiseachadh. Ach bhaLeadaidh Eibhlin air Gàidhlig Pheairt ionnsachadh aig an aon àm 's a bhafeadhainn eile cur cùl rithe. An urrainnear seo a leasachadh? Tha mi andòchas gur urrainnear.	The blighting of Gaelic in Perthshire had started. But Lady Evelyn hadlearnt Perthshire Gaelic at the same time as some others were turning theirbacks on it. Can this be reversed? I hope that it can.
Tha Tònaidh Dilworth an-dràst a' deasachadh pàipearan Leadaidh Evelyn airson Sgoil Eòlais na h-Alba.	Tony Dilworth is currently editing Lady Evelyn's papers for the School ofScottish Studies.

You can find more articles in the archive under Gaelic Column and information on the organization at C.L.I.