As the 2009 Royal National MOD passes GO in Oban tonight, Culture Minister Michael Russell, whose brief includes Gaelic, announced an award of £50,000 to create new speakers of the Gaelic language.
This award splits into £35,000 for a Development Officer for the 2010 MOD and £15,000 to Argyll and Bute Council to grow the number of Gaelic classes across the region.
Given the statistics of this year’s MOD – around 2,000 people under the age of 16 taking part in 170 separate contests in the traditional Gaelic genres of music, singing, poetry and drama – there is a demand for such classes. That demand may need to be mobilised but it is there. This award will support such an initiative, as it is intended to do.
There was some discussion in the Oban Times in articles and letters re this issue. This is a portion of my letter they published – which may be of interest.
I am not in a position to argue the relative educational merits of the two main proposals put forward – that money is spread around all schools, or as Beth Frieden suggests, concentrating the money on Gaelic- medium schools, but I would like to observe that much of the growth in interest in Gaelic culture and language stems initially from the music, particularly for those who have no Gaelic in their family or in their cultural background.
This is not surprising. I remember my brother, who had not a word of Italian, being mesmerised as a young man by the operas of Verdi. His enthusiasm and love of the music lead him to a desire to understand and learn the language .
The contribution that can be made to the long term health of the Gaelic language by groups who disseminate the music and song at Fèisean and schools tours might be overlooked if the focus is purely on ‘language’ teaching. As a volunteer for Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop, I have seen the interest, joy and enthusiasm on the faces of children at Primary and Secondary schools when our Gaelic arm, Fèis Cheann Loch Goibhle, puts on its week-long annual tour of Argyll schools. If that initial spark is built on it can lead to a life-long interest in the language.
When a Gaelic storyteller performs in both languages, or a Gaelic singer at one of our public concerts tells the story of the song they about to sing, that can create the impetus to develop the language for both adults and children.
Yours
Mark Morpurgo
Fiddle Folk / Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop
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