2023
OIDHCHE GHEAMAICHEAN-BÙIRD
BOARD GAMES NIGHT
Luchd-labhairt na Gàidhlig a’ tighinn còmhla aig An Lòchran air an 23mh dhen Òg-mhios 2023. Chluich sinn geamaichean mar Yahtzee!, Ciste Ulaidh na h-Alba, tàileasg, Jenga agus tòrr gheamaichean eile. Abair spòrs a bh’ againn!
Gaelic speakers coming together at An Lòchran hub on June 23rd 2023. We played games like Yahtzee!, Ciste Ulaidh na h-Alba, chess, Jenga any many more games. What fun we had!
COINNEAMH SAN LÙNASTAL (2023)
AN AUGUST 2023 MEETUP
Air an 12a dhen Lùnastal, thàinig luchd-tòiseachaidh agus luchd-ionnsachaidh na Gàidhlig còmhla aig An Lòchran, airson Gàidhlig ionnsachadh agus a bhruidhinn fad 3 uairean a thìde! Bha an tachartas seo airson a h-uile ìre (A1+).
Chluich sinn geamaichean ann an Gàidhlig, m.e. "Leig fideadh thugainn!" (Beurla: Give Us A Clue!), far an deach clues a leughadh a-mach ann an Gàidhlig mu dheidhinn daoine, thachartasan neo rudan eile a tha ainmeil ann an saoghal na Gàidhlig. Is math a rinn a h-uile duine, oir chaidh a h-uile ceist a fhreagairt gu ceart!
Cuideachd, rinn sinn eacarsaichean-labhairt Gàidhlig, far an deach ceist a sgrìobhadh air a’ bhòrd. M.e. "Cò an Gàidheal as fheàrr leat-sa? Innis dhuinn mu d[h]eidhinn!" An uair sin, bha aig a h-uile duine ri freagairt a thoirt seachad anns a’ Ghàidhlig a b’ fheàrr aca! Bha sinn ag obair ann am buidhnean beaga airson an eacarsaich seo.
Aig deireadh an fheasgair, sgar sinn an seòmar ann an dà leth - leth airson cabadaich ann an Gàidhlig, agus leth eile airson daoine a bha ag iarraidh ceistean a thoirt sa Bheurla mu dheidhinn ionnsachadh na Gàidhlig.
Bha deagh spòrs againn! Bidh sinn air ais a dh’aithghearr le barrachd tachartasan.
On August 12th, beginners and learners of Gaelic got together at An Lòchran, to learn and speak Gaelic for 3 hours! This event was for all levels (A1+).
We played games in Gaelic, e.g. "Leig fideadh thugainn!" (English: Give Us A Clue!), where clues were read out in Gaelic about people, events or other things that are famous in the Gaelic world. Our attendees did well, because they got each one right.
Also, we did Gaelic speaking exercises, where a question was written on the board. E.g. "Who is your favorite Gael/Gaelic speaker? Tell us about him/her/them!" Then, everyone had to answer the question in their best Gaelic. We worked in small groups for this exercise.
At the end of the afternoon, we split the room into two halves - one half for chatting in Gaelic, and the other half for people who wanted to ask questions in English about the learning process.
We had a great time! We’ll be back soon with more events.
OIDHCHE GHEAMAICHEAN GÀIDHLIG
BOARD GAMES NIGHT (AUG ’23)
Air an 18mh dhen Lùnastal, thàinig sinn còmhla aig An Lòchran a-rithist airson oidhche gheamaichean eile sa Ghàidhlig. Chaidh Ciste Ulaidh na h-Alba, Ticket to Ride agus Ludo a chluich, agus bhitheamaid air Jenga a chluich cuideachd ach bha - air adhbhar air choreigin - na pìosan againn ro bheag… 😁
Co-dhiù neo co-dheth, bha deichnear ann agus tòrr spòrs aig a h-uile duine! Rinn sinn ar dìcheall a thaobh na Gàidhlig (a chaidh a chleachdadh tron fheasgar) agus chaidh cuid dhinn dhan taigh-sheinns’ às dèidh làimhe airson pinnt.
Le taing mhòr do dh’Ilse airson an oidhche a chur air chois agus don a h-uile duine eile a bha an sàs. Tha sinn a’ dèanamh fiughair ris an ath thuras!
On August 18th, we got together at An Lòchran again for another night of games in Gaelic. We played Ciste Ulaidh na h-Alba, Ticket to Ride and Ludo, and we would have played Jenga too, but - for some reason - the pieces we had were too small… 😁
Either way, there were ten of us, and everyone had a lot of fun! We did our best in regards to the Gaelic, using the language throughout the evening, and some of us went to the pub afterwards for a pint.
Big thanks to Ilse for setting the evening up, and to everyone else who was involved. We’re looking forward to the next one!
OIDHCHE GHEAMAICHEAN GÀIDHLIG
BOARD GAMES NIGHT (SEP ’23)
[Gàidhlig]
Air an 22a dhen t-Sultain, thàinig sinn còmhla a-rithist aig An Lòchran airson spòrs a ghabhail còmhla, le bhith a’ cluich gheamaichean-bùird eadar-dhealaichte sa Ghàidhlig!
’S e Ciste Ulaidh na h-Alba (coltach ri Trivial Pursuit) fear de na geamaichean a chluich sinn. A dh’aindeoin na h-oidhirp a b’ fheàrr againn, bha e fàilligeadh oirnn a-rithist crìoch a chur air a’ gheama mhallaichte seo 😁😁 Mar sin, ’s ann sgòr co-ionnann a chuir sinn air cèill aig deireadh na h-oidhche, air sgàth ’s gun robh trì de na còig litrichean (C.I.S.T.E) aig a h-uile sgioba.
Bhuin geamaichean eile mar Ludo (neo: Mensch, ärger dich nicht! sa Ghearmailtis), Guess Who?, Pop to the Shop, agus - gu follaiseach - Jenga 🧱 dhan tachartas cuideachd. Is math a rinn sinn uile gu lèir, oir nochd 14 daoine airson pàirt a ghabhail anns an tachartas. Reacord ùr a tha sin! 🏆
Le taing do dh’Ilse a chuir an oidhche air dòigh agus don a h-uile duine eile a thug taic seachad. Mar a chanas iad sa chànan eile: Bring on the next one!
[English]
On September 22nd, we got together again at An Lòchran hub to have fun together playing different board games in Gaelic!
Ciste Ulaidh na h-Alba (kinda like Trivial Pursuit) was one game we played. Despite our best efforts, we failed yet again to finish this damn game 😁😁 Thus we declared a draw at the end of the night, since every team had 3 of the 5 letters (C.I.S.T.E).
Other games that found their way into the event were Ludo (or Mensch, ärger dich nicht! as the Germans call it), Guess Who?, Pop to the Shop, and - of course - Jenga 🧱 All in all we did well, as 14 people came to take part in the proceedings. A new record! 🏆
With thanks to Ilse who set the event up, and to everyone else who helped out. Bring on the next one!
COINNEAMH SAN DÀMHAIR (2023)
AN OCTOBER 2023 MEETUP
[Gàidhlig]
’S ann air a’ 14mh dhen Dàmhair a ghabh coinneamh mhòr eile àite aig an Lòchran! ’S e tachartas airson a h-uile ìre na Gàidhlig a bh’ anns a’ choinneimh seo. Bha 15 daoine ann uile-gu-lèir agus rudeigin ann airson a h-uile duine, bhon neach-tòiseachaidh chun an fhileantaich 👍🏼
Thòisich sinn le bhith a’ cur an aithne a chèile ann am buidhnean beaga (“Is mise…”, “Tha mi à…”, “Tha mi a’ fuireach ann an…” amsaa.) As dèidh dhuinn sin a dhèanamh, chluich sinn geama sa Ghàidhlig air a bheil “Tha Mi Ag Iarraidh…”. Geama sìmplidh a tha seo, far an robh aig na sgiobaidhean ri diofar nithean ainmeachadh mun robh Andy - stiùiriche na coinneimh - a’ bruidhinn (faic dealbhan #2 is #3 gu h-ìosal).
’S e “Dè Am Facal?” a bh’ air a’ gheama eile a chluich sinn. Tha an geama seo coltach ri The Star Game a chunnacas anns an t-sreath TBh Turnabout às na 90an 🙂 Anns an tionndadh Ghàidhlig seo, bha 2 mhionaid aig na sgiobaidhean (an àite 40 diog a-mhàin!) airson na b’ urrainn dhaibh de dh’ fhacail fhaighinn ceart (faic dealbh #6). Cha robh e an-còmhnaidh furasta, ach is math a rinn iad! 👏🏼
A bharrachd air geamaichean spòrsail, chleachd sinn eacarsaichean-còmhraidh airson ’s gun robh deagh chothrom aig a h-uile aoigh cabadaich sa Ghàidhlig. Chì thu ceist shìmplidh a chleachd sinn ann an dealbh #4 ⬇️
As dèidh sin, agus as dèidh do dh’Andy tiop-ionnsachaidh neo dhà a sgaoileadh (le sampall-fuaim bho Thobar an Dualchais!), sgaraich sinn an seòmar ann an dà leth - a’ chiad leth airson na Beurla agus an leth eile airson na Gàidhlig. Mar sin, bha cothrom aig a h-uile duine bruidhinn sa Bheurla neo sa Ghàidhlig, a-rèir an ìre a bh’ aca, gus 5f nuair a chaidh an tachartas na chèis.
Bu toil leinn “Taing mhòr” a ràdh don a h-uile duine a bha an làthair, gu h-àraid dha na daoine a thug leotha greimean-bìdh agus a chuidich le bhith a’ sgioblachadh aig deireadh an fheasgair. Agus taing sònraichte do Riccardo a bha na neach-togail dhealbh! 📸 Chì sinn a-rithist sibh an ath mhìos.
[Beurla]
On October 14th, another big meetup took place at An Lòchran hub! This was an event for all levels of Gaelic; 15 people came all in all, and there was something on offer for everyone, from beginners to fluent speakers 👍🏼
We kicked off by introducing ourselves in small groups (“Is mise…”, “Tha mi à…”, “Tha mi a’ fuireach ann an…” etc.) After we’d done that, we played a game in Gaelic called “Tha Mi Ag Iarraidh…” (I Want…). This is a simple game where the teams had to name different objects that Andy - who was running the meetup - was talking about (see pics #2 and #3 below).
The other game we played was “Dè Am Facal?” (What’s The Word?). This game is similar to The Star Game that you used to see in the 90s TV series Turnabout 🙂 In this Gaelic version of the game, each team had 2 minutes (instead of just 40 seconds!) to get as many words right as they could (see pic #6). It wasn’t always easy, but they did very well! 👏🏼
As well as playing fun games, we made use of speaking exercises to make sure everyone had a good opportunity to converse in Gaelic together. See pic #4 for a simple question that we used ⬇️
Afterwards, and after Andy had shared 1-2 learning tips (featuring an audio sample from Kist o’ Riches!), we split the room into two halves - the first one for English and the other half for Gaelic. That way, everyone had a chance to see the afternoon out speaking English or Gaelic (depending on their level) up to 5pm, when the event ended.
We’d like to say a big “Thank You!” to everyone who was there, especially to those who brought snacks with them and helped out with the tidying/cleaning up at the end. Special thanks go to Riccardo, who was the photographer! 📸 We shall see you all again next month.
Suas leis a’ Ghàidhlig!
Andy xx
OIDHCHE GHEAMAICHEAN-BÙIRD
BOARD GAMES NIGHT (OCT ’23)
[Gàidhlig]
An 27mh dhen Dàmhair, choinnich sinn ri chèile a-rithist aig ionad An Lòchran ann an Glaschu, airson geamaichean-bùird a chluich còmhla ann an Gàidhlig! 🙂
An turas seo, bha 11 ann ’s a h-uile aoigh a’ bruidhinn ann an Gàidhlig fad na h-ùine 👍🏼 Sin na tha sinn ag iarraidh—Gàidhlig, spòrs agus deagh chraic am measg càirdean!
No ann am faclan eile:
“Abair cothrom Gàidhlig a chleachdadh ann an dòigh nàdarra! Bha sinn a’ cabadaich fhad ’s a bha sinn a’ cluich na geamaichean-bùird agus chòrd sin rium glan. O, agus bha na snacks dìreach sgoinneil cuideachd 🙌🏼 Mìle taing dhan Lòchran airson oidhche air leth a chur air bhonn!” - Fine, aoigh
’S iad Guess Who?, Pop to the Shop, Jenga agus Yahtzee! cuid dhe na geamaichean a chluich sinn còmhla. Is math a rinn a h-uile duine a bha an làthair, agus ma thèid a h-uile rud a-rèir a’ phlana a th’ againn, bidh sinn air ais an ath mhìos airson turas eile! 🙂
Le taing dhan a h-uile duine a thug taic dhuinn leis an ullachadh ro làimh agus an sgioblachadh aig deireadh na h-oidhche. Chì sibh tòrr dealbhan snoga gu h-ìosal ⬇️
Le gaol
An sgioba @ An Lòchran xx
[English]
On October 27th, a group of us got together again at Glasgow’s An Lòchran hub, to play some more board games in Gaelic! 🙂
On this occasion there were 11 of us, with all attendees speaking nothing but Gaelic 👍🏼 That’s what we want to see—Gaelic, good fun and good craic among pals!
Or to put it another way:
“What a great opportunity to speak Gaelic in a natural setting! We were chatting away while playing the board games, and I really enjoyed that. Oh, and the snacks were awesome too 🙌🏼 Big thanks to An Lòchran for putting on a great evening!” - Fine, guest
Some of the games we played together were Guess Who?, Pop to the Shop, Jenga and Yahtzee! Well done to everybody who came along, and if all goes according to plan, we’ll be back next month for another round! 🙂
With thanks to everyone who gave us a hand with the prep, and the tidying up at the end. See below for lots of nice wee pics ⬇️
Love to all
Your team @ An Lòchran xx
COINNEAMH SAN T-SAMHAIN
NOVEMBER ’23 MEETUP!
[Gàidhlig]
Air Di-Sathairne, 11 an t-Samhain, b’ e an t-àm ceart a-rithist gus coinneamh dhà-chànanach eile a chur air bhonn aig ionad An Lòchran 👍🏼 Tha mi toilichte innse dhuibh gun robh an tachartas soirbheachail, le 16 daoine a’ tighinn a-steach agus a h-uile aoigh a’ gabhail spòrs fad 3 uairean a thìde 🙂
Thòisich sinn leis an fhòrmat àbhaisteach, le bhith a’ cur an aithne a chèile sa Ghàidhlig. An uair sin, chluich sinn geama eadar-theangachaidh, mar sheòrsa de warm-up 😉 Bha aig na h-aoighean ri obair còmhla ann an ceithir sgiobaidhean airson 11 seantansan eadar-theangachadh bho Ghàidhlig gu Beurla. Mar a chithear ann an dealbh #1 gu h-ìosal (⬇️), bha na ciad seantansan gu math furasta, ach dh’fhàs e na bu duilghe 😁 Seo an abairt mu dheireadh a bh’ aca ri fuasgladh:
An ann a dh’aona-ghnothach a rinn thu sin?
A bheil fhios agaibh-se dè tha sin a’ ciallachadh? Bha fios aig aon sgioba a-mhàin, agus ’s ann mar sin a fhuair iad a h-uile puing a bha ri faighinn 👍🏼
Às dèidh seo agus eacarsaich-labhairt a rinn sinn gus cothrom a thoirt don a h-uile duine a’ Ghàidhlig aca a chleachdadh ann an seagh còmhraidh, ghabh sinn fois, ’s mise a’ gabhail òrduighean tì agus cofaidh ann an Gàidhlig a-mhàin ☕🫖 Seòrsa de chafaidh beag Gàidhlig a bh’ ann, mar a chithear ann an dealbhan #3 - #5 gu h-ìosal 📸
’S ann tionndadh Gàidhlig de gheama bhon t-sreath TBh Turnabout (às na 90an) a chluich sinn an uair sin. Anns a’ gheama seo, bha aig a h-uile sgioba 12 faclan a lorg taobh a-staigh 2 mhionaid, ’s iad a’ tomhas a-rèir clues a bha iad a’ faighinn bhuam-sa. Cò an sgioba a bhuannaich mu dheireadh thall? 🤔 Uill, feumaidh sibh sùil a thoirt air a’ bhideo YouTube gu h-ìosal! A’ chiad bhideo a rinn sinn aig an tachartas seo, mu dheireadh thall! Le fo-thiotalan cuideachd:
Às dèidh dhuinn crìoch a chur air a’ gheama, rinn sinn eacarsaich Ghàidhlig eile far an do sgrìobh a h-uile duine leabhar-latha sa Ghàidhlig, ’s cuideigin bhon a h-uile bòrd a’ leughadh a-mach na sgrìobh e/i/iad 📖 Cuideachd, bhruidhinn mi mu dhòigh-ionnsachaidh no dhà a tha mise air cleachdadh air an t-slighe gu fileantachd; bha mi a’ moladh ghoireasan mar An Litir Bheag (ìre: B1) agus Litir do luchd-ionnsachaidh (ìre: B2) le Ruairidh MacIlleathain còir, goireasan mìorbhaileach a mholainn-sa don a h-uile neach-ionnsachaidh! Le beagan cabadaich sa Ghàidhlig agus sa Bheurla, bha e 5f an uair sin agus bha a’ choinneamh seachad.
Taing mhòr, mhòr don a h-uile duine a bha ann! Dèanamaid ar dìcheall airson Gàidhlig ionnsachadh agus a chleachdadh, ge b’ e càite a bheil sinn agus dè an àrainneachd làitheil a tha timcheall oirnn fhìn.
[English]
On Saturday 11th November, it was time to host another bilingual meetup at An Lòchran hub 👍🏼 I’m happy to report that the event was a success, with 16 people in, and all attendees having fun for 3 hours 🙂
We started off with the usual format, introducing ourselves in Gaelic. After that we played a wee translation game, as a kind of warm-up 😉 Here, attendees had to work together in four teams to translate 11 sentences from Gaelic into English. As you can see in pic #1 below (⬇️), the first few sentences were pretty easy…but it got harder 😁 Here’s the last of the 11 expressions they had to solve:
An ann a dh’aona-ghnothach a rinn thu sin?
Do you know what this means? Only one team got it right, and in so doing they got full marks on the day 👍🏼
After this, and after a spoken exercise we did to give everyone a chance to practice their Gaelic in a conversation setting, we took a wee break, with me taking tea and coffee orders in Gaelic only ☕🫖 A kind of wee Gaelic café, I guess, as you can see from pics #3 - #5 below! 📸
The game we played next was a Gaelic rendering of a game from the TV series Turnabout, which was aired in the 90s. In this game, the four teams had 2 minutes to guess 12 words based on clues I was giving them (in Gaelic, of course). Which team won in the end? 🤔 To find out, you’ll have to watch the YouTube video below! The first video we’ve ever recorded at this event - finally! With subtitles too.
After we’d finished the game, we did another Gaelic exercise were everyone wrote a diary entry in Gaelic, with one person from each table reading out what they’d written 📖 I then spoke about 1-2 learning tips that I’ve used on my journey to achieving fluency; I recommended services such as An Litir Bheag (level: B1) and Litir do luchd-ionnsachaidh (level: B2) by the great Roddy MacLean himself 🙂 Fantastic services that I would recommend to any learner! With some Gaelic and English chat, we got round to 5pm and thus another meetup drew to a close.
A big THANK YOU to everyone who was there! Let’s do our best to learn and use the Gaelic language, no matter where we are or what environment we might find ourselves in daily.
Le gaol agus meas
Andy agus an sgioba aig An Lòchran xx
OIDHCHE GHEAMAICHEAN-BÙIRD
BOARD GAMES NIGHT!
Air Di-Haoine, 17 an t-Samhain, thàinig deichnear a-steach airson pàirt a ghabhail ann an oidhche gheamaichean-bùird eile 🎲🎲 Chaidh na geamaichean àbhaisteach a chluich, ach bha e cho spòrsail ris a h-uile turas, gu dearbh! 🙂
’S e Ciste Ulaidh na h-Alba (geama mìorbhaileach le Stòrlann), Jenga agus Ludo na prìomh-gheamaichean a chluich sinn. Fhad ’s a bha na geamaichean a’ dol, bha a h-uile duine a’ dèanamh an dìcheall gus cabadaich sa Ghàidhlig cuideachd 👍🏼 Is math a rinn a h-uile aoigh! 👏🏼
Tha sinn a’ dèanamh fiughair ris an ath thuras, a bhios anns an Dùbhlachd no anns a’ bhliadhna ùir, is dòcha. A thaobh sin, na gabhaibh dragh - cuiridh sinn fios thugaibh tro phost-d neo air na meadhanan sòisealta againn, Facebook agus Insta. Ma tha sibh a’ cleachdadh na goireasan sin, bhiomaid fada nur comain nan leanadh sibh sinn an sin!
Le taing mhòr do dh’Ilse a chur obair chruaidh a-steach gus an oidhche a chur air bhonn 👍🏼 Bha i spòrsail!
Le gaol
An sgioba agaibh @ An Lòchran xx
HAMMY SGÌTH: SRUTH AR DUALCHAS
A SPECIAL EVENING WITH HAMMY SGÌTH
Air a’ chiad latha dhen Dùbhlachd, bha sinn air leth fortanach fàilte a chur air a’ cheòladair agus riochdaire hip-hop Hammy Sgìth! 🎤 ’S e co-obrachadh eadar Hammy fhèin agus Tobar an Dualchais a bh’ anns an tachartas seo, mar a chì thu ann an cuid de na dealbhan gu h-ìosal ⬇️⬇️
Bhruidhinn Hammy mu iomadh rud inntinneach, m.e. eachdraidh ath-mheasgachadh ceòl agus an teicneòlas ceangailte ris. Sheall e dhuinn an obair chruthachail aige fhèin ceangailte ri dualchas nan Gàidheal agus na clàraidhean as fheàrr leis air Tobar an Dualchais. Cuideachd, thug Hammy seachad a chuid bheachdan mun dòigh-smaoineachaidh a bh’ aig na daoine a bha a’ dèanamh clàraidhean ann am meadhan an 20mh linn.
Às dèidh an tachartais fhèin, bha raffle ann le diofar sheòrsaichean de dhuais - nam measg, CDs le Niteworks (Obair Oidhche), lèintean-t leis an aon chòmhlan, agus botail fìon. Bu toil leinn 🎉 meal do naidheachd 🎉 a ràdh don a h-uile aoigh a choisinn na duaisean!
Anns an fharsaingeachd, taing mhòr don a h-uile duine (13 daoine, uile gu lèir!) a thàinig a-steach - gu h-àraid do Hammy fhèin 👍🏼 Seo video beag a chlàr sinn air an oidhche agus ceangal do sheanail YouTube aig Hammy:
Tha sinn a' dèanamh fiughair ris an ath thachartas shònraichte a chuireas sinn air dòigh ann an ionad na Gàidhlig againn.
Le gaol
An sgioba @ An Lòchran xx
COINNEAMH SAN DÙBHLACHD
DECEMBER ’23 MEETUP!
[Gàidhlig]
Am mìos sa chaidh, chuir sinn coinneamh na Gàidhlig all levels air bhonn aig An Lòchran airson an turas mu dheireadh ann an 2023. Bha timcheall air dusan an làthair, seo geàrr-chunntas beag de na rinn sinn!
Thòisich sinn leis an eacarsaich a nì sinn a h-uile triop, ’s sinn a’ cur an aithne a chèile ann an Gàidhlig. Às dèidh sin, chluich sinn geama air an robh Dè Tha Mi Ag Iarraidh? - geama a chluich sinn ann an dà phàirt. Ann am pàirt a h-aon, bha aig na h-aoighean ri tomhas dè air an robh mi a-mach am measg 6 rudan làitheil a bh’ air a’ bhòrd. Ann am pàirt a dhà, bha na h-aoighean fhèin a’ toirt tuairisgeul air dè bha iadsan ag iarraidh ’s iad a’ taghadh pìosan pàipear à poit air an robh dealbhan eadar-dhealaichte rim faicinn.
Air sàilleabh ’s gur e an Dùbhlachd a bh’ ann, b’ fheudar dhuinn bruidhinn mu dheidhinn biadh na Nollaig cuideachd 😉🎄 Agus sin na rinn sinn mar ath-eacarsaich ’s a h-uile duine ag obair ann am buidhnean beaga. ’S e Dè an seòrsa biadh as toil leat? a’ cheist air an robh i stèidhichte (dealbh #2 ⬇️).
Ghabh sinn fois fad an ath 15 mionaidean. Bha tì, cofaidh agus greimeannan-bìdh rim faighinn, ach tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig a-mhàin, gu follaiseach! ☕🫖🍪 Agus an uair sin, rinn sinn an eacarsaich a bu spòrsaile dhen latha - sgrìobh sinn sgeulachd bheag còmhla! Thòisich mise leis a’ chiad seantans, ach cha robh mi deiseil airson na lean e…
An-dè, ghabh mi an trèana gu Glaschu. Bha cus deoch orm, ach bha mi dòchasach. Bha e tràth sa mhadainn agus bha an t-acras orm.
Bha cailleach a’ coimhead orm agus chuala mi i ag ràdh, “Obh obh!” Bha drathais air mo cheann agus cha robh briogais orm. “Mo chreach!” ars a’ chailleach. “Carson a tha drathais air ur ceann?”[amsaa. 😁]
An nochd an sgeulachd againn an ath-dhoras ann an Comhairle nan Leabhraichean? Cò aig a tha brath…
Co-dhiù, chuir sinn crìoch air an tachartas le bhith a’ sgàradh an seòmar ann an dà phàirt - a’ chiad phàirt airson cabadaich sa Bheurla agus an dàrna leth airson cabadaich sa Ghàidhlig. Mus do rinn sinn sin, ge-tà, sgaoil mi tiop-ionnsachaidh a th’ air a bhith gu math cuideachail dhomh fhìn tro na trì bliadhnaichean ’s gu leth sa chaidh. Tha mi a-mach air dòigh-ionnsachaidh bhogaidh, agus seo na ceumannan ma tha ùidh agad:
Tadhail air learngaelic.scot;
2. Lorg video (no faidhle-fuaim) aig ìre rud beag nas àirde na do chuid Ghàidhlig-sa;
3. Èist iomadach turas ris a’ chiad 45 diog (10-15 tursan). Is dòcha gun tuig thu suas ri 30%;
4. Èist ris a-rithist, ach an turas seo, leugh an tar-sgrìobhadh Gàidhlig fon video cuideachd. Le bhith a’ lìonadh na beàrnan, is dòcha gun tuig thu suas ri 75% a-nis;
5. Ma tha rudeigin fhathast ann nach eil thu a’ tuigsinn, leugh an t-eadar-theangachadh gu Beurla -
a-nis, bu chòir dhut 100% a thuigsinn!6. OK, seo am pàirt neònach 😎 Bu chòir deagh chuimhne a bhith agad a-nis air a h-uile facal san 45 diog sin. Nise: nad cheann, smaoinich air suidheachadh anns a bheil thu fhèin nad neach a tha a’ bruidhinn sa bhideo. Dèan aithris dhen 45 diog sin, gus an urrainn dhut a h-uile rud a ràdh gu foirfe agus gu fileanta!
🎇 Seall sin - tha thu dìreach air bruidhinn sa Ghàidhlig gu fileanta fad 45 diog! 🎆
Tha mi ag aideachadh gur e dòigh-ionnsachaidh mì-chumanta a tha seo. Ach tha i feumail ann an iomadh seagh. Tha an t-uabhas de videothan agus de dh’fhaidhlichean-fuaim rim faighinn air learngaelic.scot, le diofar bhlasan agus mu dhiofar chuspairean. Gabhaidh an dòigh-ionnsachaidh seo a chleachdadh ’s tu ag ionnsachadh nad aonar, agus cha bhi thu an crochadh ri daoine eile. Gabhaidh a dhèanamh san ùine shaoir agad fhèin, a-rèir nam planaichean agad fhèin. Agus gu dearbh - bheir e buaidh dheimhinneach air do chuid Ghàidhlig 👍🏼
Nach fheuch thu fhèin e? A bheil e a’ còrdadh riut? No nach eil? Cuir fios thugainn le post-d gu info@anlochran.com.
Taing mhòr dhan a h-uile duine a bha aig a’ choinneimh, agus taing a-rithist do Riccardo a thog na dealbhan gu h-ìosal! 📸 Bidh sinn air ais san Fhaoilleach le tachartas all levels eile.
Suas leis a’ Ghàidhlig! 💪🏼
Andy agus an sgioba aig An Lòchran xx
[English]
Last month, we set up an all-levels Gaelic meetup at An Lòchran for the final time in 2023. About a dozen people attended, here’s a wee summary of what we got up to!
We kicked off with our usual exercise of introducing ourselves to each other in Gaelic. Following this, we played a game by the name of Dè Tha Mi Ag Iarraidh? (What Do I Want?) - a game we played in two parts. In part one, attendees had to guess which one of 6 everyday objects I was talking about. In part two, the attendees themselves had to describe different objects that were on pieces of paper pulled out of a jar.
Since it was December, we just had to talk about Christmas food as well 😉🎄 And that’s what we did in small groups as part of the next exercise. The question we based this around was Dè an seòrsa biadh as toil leat? (What sort of food do you like? - see pic #2 ⬇️).
We took a wee break for the next 15 minutes. We served tea, coffee and snacks, but only if people ordered in Gaelic, of course! ☕🫖🍪 And then, we did the most fun exercise of the day - we wrote a wee story together! I started us off with the first sentence, but I wasn’t prepared for what came next…
An-dè, ghabh mi an trèana gu Glaschu. Bha cus deoch orm, ach bha mi dòchasach. Bha e tràth sa mhadainn agus bha an t-acras orm.
Bha cailleach a’ coimhead orm agus chuala mi i ag ràdh, “Obh obh!” Bha drathais air mo cheann agus cha robh briogais orm. “Mo chreach!” ars a’ chailleach. “Carson a tha drathais air ur ceann?”[etc. 😁]
Will our story appear next door at the Gaelic Books Council? Who knows…
Anyway, we ended the day by splitting the room into two halves - one for chatting in English and the other for chatting in Gaelic. Before we did this, however, I shared a learning tip that has helped me a lot during these past 3½ years. I’m referring to an immersion method, and here are the steps if you’re interested:
Visit learngaelic.scot;
2. Find a video (or sound file) that’s slightly above your own level of Gaelic;
3. Listen several times to the first 45 seconds (10-15 times). You might understand 30% of it;
4. Listen to it again, but this time, read along using the Gaelic transcript underneath the video. Use it to fill in the blanks; you may now understand 75%;
5. If there are still bits you’re not understanding, read the English translation - now, you should be at 100%!6. OK, now for the weird part 😎 You should be able to remember all 45 seconds of this. Now imagine that you are the person talking in the video. Recite those 45 seconds, until you can speak them perfectly and fluently!
🎇 Check you out - you just spoke fluent Gaelic for 45 seconds! 🎆
I admit that this method is uncommon. But it’s also useful in many aspects. There are a ton of videos and sound files on learngaelic.scot, with various accents and about different topics. You can use this method when learning on your own, and you won’t be dependent on having others there to practice your Gaelic on. You can use this method in your own free time, according to your own timetable. And trust me - it will have a positive effect on your Gaelic 👍🏼
Will you give it a go? Let us know if you like it - or if you don’t - by emailing us at info@anlochran.com.
Big thanks to everyone who came to the meetup, and thanks once again to Riccardo who took the pictures below! 📸 We’ll be back this January with another all-levels event.
Suas leis a’ Ghàidhlig! 💪🏼
Andy and the team at An Lòchran xx