Fònaichean Làimhe is Croitearachd	Mobile Phones and Crofting
Bha Mòd Nàiseanta Inbhir Nis na leisgeul airson an dàrna sreath bliadhnail de dh'Oraidean ChLI. A-nis nam pàirt chunbhalach dhen Mhòd, bha na h-òraidean a-rithist glè mhath is soirbheachail, le còrr is 30 gu 50 luchd-ionnsachaidh is luchd Gàidhlig, muinntir a' Mhòid is muinntir na sgìre, an làthair Diluain gu Diardaoin airson cluinntinn mun dualchas Ghàidhlig agus compàirt a ghabhail ann an deasbad beothail.	The Inverness National Mòd was the excuse for mounting the second annual series of CLI Lectures. Now a regular feature of the Mòd, the talks were again well-received and attended, with an audience of over 30 to 50 various Gaelic learners and speakers, Mòd-goers and locals, from Monday to Thursday to hear about the Gaelic heritage and to participate in lively discussion.
Airson a' chiad bhliadhna bha an sreath a' faighinn sponsaireachd bho Mheur na Gàidhealtachd de Chomann Crann na h-Alba - bha am Meur cho toilichte leis na h-òraidean 's gu bheil iad air aontachadh mar-thà ri sponsaireachd airson Oraidean ChLI aig Mòd Nàiseanta Phort Righ am bliadhna.	For the first time the series was sponsored by the Highland Branch of the Saltire Society, and they were so pleased with the success and quality of the presentations that they have already kindly agreed to sponsor the CLI Lectures at this year's Portree National Mòd.
Tha sinn an dùil riochdan dhe na h-òraidean aig Niall MacGriogair air "Ainmean-Aite is Beul-aithris Shrath Spè" agus aig Ruairidh MacIlleathain air "Inbhir Nis - Prìomh Bhaile na Gàidhealtachd" a chur ann an Cothrom a-rithist.	We hope to be able to publish in future issues of Cothrom versions of the talks by Niall MacGregor on "Place-names and Traditions of Strathspey" and by Roddy MacLean on "Inverness - Principal Town of Gaeldom".
Bha an òraid aig Seumas Caird, a bha na phroifeasair de chruinneòlas ann an Oilthigh Dhun Dèagh, stèidhte air slaidhdichean is mapaichean a mhìnich "Cruthachadh an Fhearainn Chroitearachd".	The talk by James Caird, retired professor of geography at Dundee University, was based around a presentation of slides and maps which illustrated the "Making of the Crofting Landscape".
Thuirt e nach robh ann am baile croitearachd ach baile fearainn a chaidh a cho-roinn, agus air a' Ghàidhealtachd cho math ris a' Ghalldachd "ro 1800 bha na tuathanasan aig luchd-taca neo luchd-aonta a dh'obraich am fearann leis an tuath mar luchd-obrach, air neo bha iad air an leigeil a-mach air mhàl do bhuidhnean thuathanaich a cho-roinn an talamh àitich a rèir an t-siostaim roinn-ruithe."	He explained that a crofting township was in essence a farm which had been divided up, and in the Highlands as much as in the Lowlands "before 1800 the farms were either in the hands of tacksmen or lease-holders who worked their land using the peasantry as a labour force, or rented by groups of tenants who shared the arable land using the runrig system."
Ach mar as mò a chaidh na h-uachdarain a tharraing a-steach do shaoghal coimeirsealta nan Gall, 'sann a bha barrachd feum aca air airgead seach armachd airson an inbhe ann an caidreabh a chumail suas. Chan eil fhios le cinnt co às a thàinig am beachd am fearann a roinn ann an lotaichean beaga fa leth le ionaltradh coitcheann. Ach faodar an aon seòrsa siostaim fhaicinn ro dheireadh an 18 linn ann am bailtean beaga ùra timcheall Alba airson seann saighdearan is iasgairean is figheadairean.	But as the landowners became more and more drawn into the commercial culture of the Lowlands, their need was more for money than for armed followers if they were to maintain their status in society. No-one knows for certain where the idea came from to divide the land into small, individual allotments with a single, common grazing. But the same sort of system can be seen by the end of the 18th century in the new villages around Scotland for ex-soldiers and fishermen and textile workers.
Air a' Ghàidhealtachd 1800-1870 bha uachdarain a' sparradh croitearachd air an tuath, a chionn 's gun robh iad a' smaoineachadh gun robh co-chomann na roinn-ruithe a' bacadh toradh nan adhartach am measg na tuatha agus a chionn 's gun robh iad ag iarraidh cothrom air luchd-obrach le beagan fearainn a bha feumach air cosnadh eile ann an gnìomhachasan na h-oighreachd.	In the Highlands 1800-1870 landowners were forcing crofting on the tenantry in line with a belief that the co-operative system of runrig was holding back the productivity of the more entrepreneurial of the tenants; and in line with their need for access to a pool of labour that had a small patch of land but was dependent on additional employment in the estate industries.
Bhiodh am fearann ga roinn gu snasail as t-samhradh le luchd-sgrùdaidh às a' Ghalldachd gun bheachd air aimsir na Gàidhealtachd anns a' gheamhradh agus as t-earrach. Co-dhiù cha deach na bailtean croitearachd a stèidheachadh tric air srathan torach tìr-mòr ach air talamh bochd nan cladaichean is nan eileanan, agus cha b'ann idir le toil na tuatha a chaidh an cruthachadh an toiseach - agus an toiseach bha feagal air na h-uachdarain gun cailleadh iad sluagh cosnaidh a-null thairis nan tigeadh croitearachd ann ro luath.	The land would be neatly laid out during the summer by surveyors from the Lowlands with no conception of Highland weather in winter and spring. Moreover, the crofting townships were not often established in fertile mainland straths but usually on poor coastal and island land, and when they were first introduced the local population were far from happy with the prospect - and in the early days of crofting the landowners feared losing their employment pool to the lure of emigration if the new system was introduced too rapidly.
Dh'innis am Proif Caird mar a bha, a rèir choltais, a' mhòrchuid a bh'air an fhearann roimhe a' faighinn croit ach nach robh iad uile; agus uaireannan bhiodh teaghlaichean air an toirt a-steach dha na bailtean ùra leis an oighreachd. Ach aon uair 's gun robh croitearachd stèidhte, bha i cudromach dhan chànan: "Tha mapa nan coimhearsnachdan Gàidhlig an-diugh agus am mapa de chroitearachd gu ìre mhòr co-ionann - dh'fhaodainn argamaid gu bheil croitearachd air Gàidhlig a chumail beò, oir tha i anns na bailtean mòra far an deach clann nan croitearan."	Prof Caird told of how it appeared that most of those already resident on the land received a croft, though this was not true for all; and sometimes families would be brought or sent into the new townships by the estate from elsewhere. But once crofting had become established, it become important to the language: "The map of the communities that are still Gaelic-speaking and the map of the crofting areas roughly follows the same pattern - I might argue that crofting has kept Gaelic alive, because it is in those cities where the children of crofters went."
Bha a roinn fhèin de ruith aig an òraid fhuasgailte aig Donnchadh MacFhearghais, iar-chathraiche ùr Bòrd ChLI agus maighstir Ardsgoil a' Phluic, nuair a bha e a' tarraing còmhla "Loose Ends na Gàidhlig - Ar Daoine, Ar Cànan is Eile (Mobile Phones, Maragan and other Stories)".	The talk by Duncan Ferguson, the new vice-convener of CLI and the headmaster of Plockton High School, was wide-ranging as he attempted to draw together "Loose Ends na Gàidhlig - Ar Daoine, Ar Cànan is Eile (Mobile Phones, Maragan and other Stories)".
Mar nach robh gu leòr san tiotal sin fhèin, mhol e ainmean eile a dh'fhaodadh a bhith air a chuspair: "Chan Eil Càil Ceàrr air Cois Chèin", "Tha Tònaidh ag Ràdh Foghlam, Foghlam, Foghlam", "1609, 1979 is Mar Sin", "Laigh Sìos, a Thormoid; An Seas an Ath Neach-comadaidh Gàidhlig Suas!", "Bho Chalum Cille gu Capall Coille" agus "Spiondotaireachd na Gàidhlig". Bha iad seo a' cur an cèill a cheann teagaisg.	As if that title didn't encapsulate enough, he suggested others that could conceivably be given to his subject: "There is Nothing Wrong With Cian's Foot", "Tony says Education, Education, Education", "1609, 1979 and All That", "Lie Down, Norman; Will The Next Gaelic Sitdown Comedian Please Stand Up!", "From Columba to Capercaillie" and "Gaelic Spin-doctoring". These all had a relevance to his address.
Thug e sùil aithghearr tro shìobhaltachd na Gàidhlig ann an Alba - sealladh a bha co-ionann ri eachdraidh choitcheann na h-Alba airson co-dhiù mìle bliadhna. Ach bha na figearan airson deuchainnean nan sgoiltean an uiridh air an cleachdadh airson sealltainn cho fada 's a tha an sgaradh air fosgladh: a' suidhe na h-Ire Choitchinn, Gàidhlig (Ionnsachadh) 508, Gàidhlig 99, Fraingis 40,380, Beurla 61,246; a' suidhe na h-Ard Ire, Gàidhlig (Ionnsachadh) 129, Gàidhlig 40, Fraingis 4,011, Beurla 32,676.	He took a quick look through Gaelic civilization in Scotland - an outlook that proved identical to that of wider Scottish history for the duration of at least a thousand years. But the statistics for school examinations were used to show how far the gap has opened up between Gaelic and modern Scottish life: sitting Standard Grade, Gaelic (Learners) 508, Gàidhlig [sic] 99, French 40,380, English 61,246; sitting Highers, Gaelic (Learners) 129, Gàidhlig 40, French 4,011, English 32,676.
A' toirt ais-cheum beag, chomharraich e 1979 mar am bliadhna a th'air a' bhuaidh as mò a thoirt air Gàidhlig on uair sin. B'e a' bhliadhna a chunnaic "Mairead Bhàn", a' chiad Reafaireandam Frith-riaghlaidh, Can Seo, Rèidio nan Eilean, Strìth, Mòd nan Eilean - am b'e seo breith Iomairt na Gàidhlig, dh'fhaighnich Donnchadh.	Taking a short step back, he marked out 1979 as being the year with the most impact on subsequent Gaelic development. That was the year which witnessed the Thatcher premiership, the first Devolution Referendum, Can Seo, Radio nan Eilean, Strìth, the Western Isles Mòd - did 1979 mark the birth of the Gaelic Movement, asked Duncan.
Nam b'e, rug e cuideachd Deichead de Ghnìomhachd anns an do thòisich foghlam Gàidhlig, na fèisean, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Pròiseact nan Ealan, CTG (a-nis CCG), CNSA, CNAG agus CLI. Ach bha Donnchadh a' faicinn cunnart anns an ath dheichead, Deichead an Daingneachaidh. Bha feum air a bhith a' sìor dhol air adhart, na bheachd-sa.	If so, it also gave birth to the Decade of Activity which saw the start of Gaelic-medium education, the fèisean, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Gaelic Arts Project, CTG (now CCG), CNSA, CNAG and CLI. But Duncan saw a danger in the next decade, the Decade of Consolidation. There was, he believed, a need to sustain a continuous push forward.
Agus an t-slighe? Mhol e: Coimisean air Gàidhlig aig Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, cleas Coimisean Napier air croitearachd; Cùmhnant air Ionnsachadh is Foghlam Gàidhlig; Ceann-cinnidh Gàidhlig na Bliadhna, cleas Modaràtair Eaglais na h-Alba; fòram air eachdraidh nan Gàidheal; barrachd Eùro-Cheilteachais is comhluadair ri mion-chànanan eile, cleas Iomairt Chaluim Chille; Bòrd na Gàidhlig a bhios a' marasgladh innleachdan fo Inbhe Thèarainte; agus àite follaiseach do dh'Eòlas na Gàidhlig ann an Oilthigh na Gàidhealtachd is nan Eilean.	And the direction? He recommended: a Commission on Gaelic under the Scottish Parliament, like the Napier Commission on crofting; a Charter for Gaelic Learning and Education; a Czar na Gàidhlig, like the Moderator of the Church of Scotland; a forum on the history of the Gaels; more Eurocelticism and contact with other minority languages, as with the Columba Initiative; a Gaelic Language Board to oversee strategies in Secure Status; and a prominent place for Gaelic Studies in the University of the Highlands and Islands.