As appearing in "The Griogarach"
(the Newsletter of the Clan Gregor Society Western USA Chapter)
Translated, this means: "No Gaelic... then you are not a Gael!" A harsh judgment, but a fair one, since being Gaelic is a linguistic rather than a racial, cultural or geographical distinction. A distinction that proved historically important more than once when the unity of our people was achieved through common language. I am speaking now of William Wallace who had the Gaelic. And of Robert The Bruce whose mother was a Gael. Bruce's brother, Edward I (I like to think of him as Edward, The Slightly Incompetent) was asked to lead the Irish Gaels. Heaven knows that under Bruce, Scotland was as united as it ever was going to be!
In spite of today's linguistic map, Gaelic was not confined to the Highlands; look at the place names all over the western lowlands, from Galloway to Ayrshire, and in some places to the east. We were there. So what happened to our native tongue? Well, that's one of those tales that is shrouded in an enigma and related to the Scots trading monopolies in the burghs, as well as the fact that the invading deedholders spoke Scots (a form of Middle English). Money talked even then.
The Gaelic language has been under assault from about the 12th century, but it met with serious political persecution about four hundred years later. In 1567, the Bishop of the Isles, John Carswell wrote:
And so the persecutions began in earnest. The last native speaker of Manx (a close cousin of Scots Gaelic of the Galloway region) died in 1974. The tongue was dying in Scotland and Ireland too, in spite of being declared the official language in Ireland and its defense by several Scots Gaelic poets and historians. It was virtually dead in Scotland everywhere except the remote Highlands and Isles, by the Reformation.
Is my annoyance showing? Perhaps my indignation is misplaced. As a clan, we have lost so much that the destruction of an old language may seem to be just a footnote on the list of our tragedies. But it seems to me that taking away our language was yet another wedge driven between us and the spirit of our ancestors, and I want it back!
Thank heavens for the modern age! Due to a concerted effort, and the wonders of the information age, you can now learn Gaelic from tapes, videos, the Gaidhlig gu Leor TV series, and even on the Internet at the Cànan Home Pages. Given this new and exciting technology, it is not surprising that 52% of the active Gaelic-learning students are in North America! Care to join in the fun?
It may be awhile before Gaelic is re-enthroned as an official language in Scotland (and thanks to the tourists' dollars, English will never go away), but at least the native speakers can get their utility bills printed in Gaelic... So, be of good cheer. It isn't necessary that everyone grapple with this rather, um... "challenging" language: I am happy to donate the sweat of my brow on behalf of our Chapter. But, so far, it's been lots of sweat for only moderate fluency. I shall persist though.
Okay! So who broke my counter ALREADY?!?
