Slighe Fonn na Bàrdachd le Màiri Callan

Slighe Fonn na Bàrdachd: Bho Bhalbhachd nan Duilleag gu Binn-ghuthan an t-Sluaigh – tachartas sònraichte a’ comharrachadh leabhar ùr a tha na thoradh air pròiseact mòr iomadh bliadhna le Màiri Callan, a’ cur fuinn ri seann òrain Gàidhlig. Cluinnear na fuinn ùra seo air an cluich is air an seinn le Alasdair MacIlleBhàin, Calum MacColla, Wilma Kennedy, agus bidh Màiri Anna NicUalraig sa chathair.

Chaidh pròiseact Màiri a bhrosnachadh tron tùs-bheachd gun robh bàrdachd Ghàidhlig air a dheànamh airson a seinn, agus gu bheil am facal air a sheinn a’ comharrachadh eachdraidh shòisealta is phoilitigeach na Gàidhealtachd le dèinead agus neart nas motha na an teacsa bhàrdachdail a bhith sàmhach air an duilleig. An dèidh mòran chruinneachaidhean foillsichte de bhàrdachd Ghàidhlig a rannsachadh, lorg Màiri stòras farsaing de rannan Gàidhlig a bha air an sgrìobhadh airson an seinn ach aig nach robh fuinn aithnichte: sgeòil nam bàrd gun an innse, sàmhach air duilleagan gun an tionndadh. Mar sin, chuir i roimhpe guth ùr a thoirt dha na bàird agus na sgeulachdan a sgaoileadh. Chuir i ceòl ri deich seann phìosan bàrdachd air caochladh chuspair agus ceòl fèin-taic clàrsaich do dhà dhe na dàin, an dòchas gun tòiseachadh daoine air an seinn às ùr. Tha obair Màiri a’ comharrachadh bàrdachd Iain MacCodruim, Sìleas na Ceapaich, A’ Chlàrsair Dhall, Màiri Nighean Alasdair Ruaidh, Iain Luim, Maighread Nighean Lachlainn agus Dhonnchaidh Bhàin.

Tha an Dr Alasdair MacIlleBhàin na cheòladair, na chleasaiche, na sgrìobhadair agus na òraidiche ann an Ainm-Eòlas aig Oilthigh Ghlaschu. ’S ann à Muile agus a’ Mhorbhairne a tha na daoine aige.

’S ann às a’ Ghearasdain a tha Calum MacColla. ’S e neach-sìde a th’ ann don BhBC, ach nuair nach eil e air an TBh, bidh e a’ cluich ciùil, gu h-àiridh a’ phìob agus a’ bhogsa putain. Bhuainnaich e Bonn Òir an t-Seann Nòis ann an Inbhir Nis ann an 2021, agus chòrd e ris a bhith a’ seinn na h-òrain air an àrd-ùrlair a chuala e bho athair, agus a sgrìobh bràthair a sheanair, Dòmhnall MacColla.

’S ann à Glaschu a tha Wilma Kennedy bho thùs ach tha i air a bhith ann am Broughty Ferry airson iomadh bliadhna a-nis. Chaidh a togail le Gàidhlig aig an taigh le measgachadh de Ghàidhlig an Eilein is Tiriodh. Choisinn i an dà bhonn òr airson seinn aig am Mòd Nàiseanta Rioghail, bonn òr a’ Chomainn an toiseach ann an 1991 agus an t-seann nòs ann an 2011. Na beachd chan eil dad nas fheàrr na bhith seinn no bhith seinn le daoine eile.

Thogadh Màiri Anna NicUalraig ann am ‘Baile Mòr nan Gàidheal’, Glaschu, le dàimh-teaghlaich do Thiriodh ’s dhan Eilean Sgitheanach. Tha cliù aig teaghlach a màthar a-thaobh dualchas is ceòl nan Gàidheal, ach fhuair i cuideachd oideachadh clasaigeach aig Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba agus an Royal Northern College of Music. Chuir i eòlas air craoladh ann an seòmar-naidheachd a’ BhBC, mas do thill i a dh’obair air a ceann fhèin ann an ceòl, ràidio is teilibhisean. Tha Màiri Anna na co-stiùiriche air an àras chruthachail Watercolour Music, agus a-sàs ann an iomadach pròiseact eile airson TBh Gàidhlig, nam measg a sreath soirbheachail ‘Rùrachd’ air biadh fhiadhain.

Tha sinn taingeil do Urras Brosnachaidh na Gàidhlig airson taic cho fithealaidh a chumail ris an tachartais seo.

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The Musical Journey of Verse: From Silent Page to the Melodious Voices of the People – special event celebrating the launch of a new book that is the result of years of meticulous research, putting new music to traditional Gaelic songs that have long since lost their tunes. These new melodies will be performed by Alasdair Whyte, Calum MacColla, Wilma Kennedy, and Mary Ann Kennedy will be chairing the evening.

Mairi’s project was inspired by the premise that Gaelic poetry was composed to be sung, and that the word sung celebrates the social and political history of Gaelic Scotland with greater intensity and passion than the poetic text silent on a page. Having researched the many published collections of Gaelic poetry, Màiri found an extensive body of Gaelic verse that was composed to be sung but for which there are no known melodies: the bards' stories untold, silent on unturned pages. She therefore set out to give the bards a new voice and to share their stories by composing melodies for ten poems and full clàrsach self-accompaniments for two of them. Màiri’s work celebrates the poetry of Iain MacCodrum, Sìleas na Ceapaich, An Clàrsair Dall, Màiri Nighean Alasdair Ruaidh, Iain Lom, Maighread Nighean Lachlainn agus Donnchadh Bàn.

Dr Alasdair C. Whyte is a singer, performer, writer and lecturer in Onomastics at the University of Glasgow. He belongs to Muile ~ Mull and A’ Mhorbhairne ~ Morvern.

Calum MacColla is from Fort William. He is a weatherman for the BBC, but when he is not on our screens, he is a musician, playing the bagpipes and the button accordion. He won the Traditional Gold Medal at the Royal National Mòd in Inverness in 2021, and he thoroughly enjoyed being on-stage and singing the traditional songs his father sang and his great-uncle, Donald MacColla, wrote.

Wilma Kennedy is from Glasgow originally, but has lived in Broughty Ferry for many years. She was raised with Gàidhlig at home, with a mix of Skye and Tiree Gàidhlig. She won two gold medals at the Royal National Mòd, first the An Comunn Gàidhealach Gold Medal in 1991, and then the Traditional Gold Medal in 2011. To Wilma, there is nothing better than to sing or to sing with others.

Mary Ann Kennedy is a Scottish Gael brought up in the urban diaspora of Glasgow, with roots in the islands of Skye and Tiree. Her mother’s family are well-known Gaelic tradition bearers, but she also trained as a classical musician at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She earned her broadcasting chops in BBC news, before returning to a freelance life combining music, radio and television. Mary Ann is co-director of the highly successful production house Watercolour Music in the Scottish West Highlands, involved in many projects for Gaelic TV including 'Rùrachd', her popular series on wild food foraging.

We are grateful to Urras Brosnachaidh na Gàidhlig for their generous support of this event.

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