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