Tha cothrom ann fhathast a’ chànan ath-leasachadh sna h-eileanan

Tha sinn dualtach a bhith a’ smaoineachadh nuair a thig e gu cùisean cànain is culturail gu bheil ar càirdean ann an Èirinn fada air thoiseach, gu bheil an glasach nas uaine dhan Ghàidhlig air taobh thall Sruth na Maoile.

Tha gu leòr ri ionnsachadh bho ar caraidean Eirinneach nuair a thig gu mar a tha iad a’ dèiligeadh leis a’ chànan.

[English-language version below]

Ach, dìreach mar an seanfhacal, chan eil an suidheachadh idir cho todharach is a tha e a’ coimhead.

Gu cinnteach, tha a’ Ghaeilge gu math nas fhaicsinniche ann an iomadach dòigh ann an Èirinn agus tha tòrr aige sin ceangailte ri eachdraidh is poileataigs.

Ach, nuair a bheirear sùil air cùisean gu mionaideach, chì thu gu bheil na h-aon duilgheadasan aca thall ann an sin, leis mar a tha an cànan a’ crìonadh anns na sgìrean traidiseanta far an robh i uaireigin nàdarrach is bicheanta.

An-dràsta, thathas a’ beachdachadh air Bile nan Cànan Albannach agus a thuilleadh air àite ann an reachdas a thoirt dha Albais, thathas cuideachd a’ meòrachadh air “sgìrean cànanach brìghmhor” a chruthachadh airson na Gàidhlig.

Tha a’ bhuidheann iomairt Misneachd air a ràdh gu bheil e tàmailteach cho beag fiosrachadh ’s a tha an cois seo, ach tha iad fhèin air molaidhean prataigeach a chur air adhart. Agus san t-seagh sin, tha gu leòr ri ionnsachadh bho ar caraidean Èirinneach nuair a thig e gu mar a tha iadsan a’ dèiligeadh ris an dearbh rud.

Air feadh Gaeltacht na h-Èireann – sin na sgìrean air an iar bho Dhùn na nGall sìos gu Ciarraighe – tha lùghdachadh ann an àireamhan luchd na Gàidhlig agus na seann dhaoine a’ bàsachadh gu ìre nas motha na tha de luchd-labhairt ùr a’ nochdadh. Ach roghnaich iad rudeigin a dhèanamh agus b’ e sin lìonradh farsaing de dh’oifigearan Gàidhlig a stèidheachadh anns na coimhearsnachdan.

Tha Misneachd ag ràdh gu bheil na molaidhean aca-san a’ leantainn an siostam ann an Eirinn, le "planaichean cànain coimhearsnachd agus co-dhiù aon oifigear làn-ùine anns gach sgìre”. Mhol iad, ann an Alba, buidseat de £150,000 a chur ma choinneamh gach oifigear, sin £2.7 millean airson na h-Alba, bho nach biodh na h-oifgearan ach anns na àitichean far an robh an cànan làidir gu tràidiseanta.

Às aonais càil mhionaideach anns a’ Bhile, tha seo feumail; tha e prataigeach agus chan eil e ag iarraidh cus nuair a thig e gu airgead.

Tha faisg air ceithir bliadhna ann a-nis bho nochd an aithisg, “Èiginn na Gàidhlig anns na Coimhearsnachdan Dùthchasach”, a thuirt gun tigeadh an cànan a-mach à bith ann an deich bliadhna mar chànan coimhearsnachd anns na h-eileanan mura tigeadh atharrachadh bunaiteach. Bidh an ceann-uidhe sin gu math nas fhaisge mus bi Bile ùr ann an gnìomh.

Mar a thuirt Màrtainn Mac a’ Bhàilidh bho Mhisneachd: “Gun teagamh, seo an cothrom mu dheireadh againn airson siostaman-taice a chur an sàs a chuidicheas na coimhnearsnachdan Gàidhlig anns na h-eileanan. Tha fios againne a tha a' fuireac anns na coimhearsnachdan cho cugallach ‘s a tha cùisean. Tha sinn a’ cur feum air taic sa bhad.”

English-language version:

There is often a tendency to assume that when it comes to matters of cultural and linguistic expression that our Celtic cousins on the other side of the Irish Sea are somewhat ahead of the game, a case of the Gaelic grass being greener over on the Emerald Isle.

But as with the message that underlies the parable, the reality is different; the ground is not as fertile as what’s viewed from a distance. While the native language of the Irish Gael certainly enjoys a higher profile than its equivalent here – a consequence of politics and history – the statistics on the ground show that the situation has a great deal in common with Scotland in one crucial aspect: that is that the language is diminishing in its traditional heartlands in the west, in communities where it was once the natural means of communication.

Right now, the Scottish Government is consulting on a Scottish Languages Bill which, other than making legislative provision for Scots for the first time, also calls for the creation, when it comes to Gaelic, of “areas of linguistic significance”. The grassroots campaign group Misneachd decried the Bill’s “lack of detail”, but just as nature abhors a vacuum, they have helpfully provided some real practical proposals to fill the void. And in this sense, they say there is much to learn from the experience of our Irish friends when dealing with similar challenges.

With the linguistic dynamics of the Irish Gaeltacht – the west coast from Donegal down to the Ring of Kerry – showing a worrying decline in the number of native speakers, there was a need to act and so a network of locally based development officers were established. Misneachd believe this is the model to aspire to, with their proposals “based on the system of language planning in Ireland”, with defined areas having “a community language plan and at least one full-time development officer”.

They suggested that for the designated “areas of linguistic significance in Scotland”, predominantly the Western Isles, a budget of £150,000 should be allocated to each local area (council ward), amounting to a total of £2.7 million for Scotland as a whole. In the absence of any firm proposals being contained in the Bill itself, it seems eminently sensible, practical and, at an additional £2.7 million per year, not hugely budget busting, even in the current climate.

Published now nearly four years ago, the acclaimed academic report, “The Gaelic Crisis in the Vernacular Communities”, predicted that the language would disappear as a community language in its traditional island communities within the space of ten years. Given the length of time it normally takes for legislation to pass through parliament, even with firm proposals agreed, that decade deadline looms large.

As Martainn Mac a’ Bhailidh from Misneachd stated: “This is undoubtedly our last chance to secure additional support structures for Gaelic as a language of the community in the islands. Those of us who live in these communities know how precarious the situation is. We urgently need support.”