To mark Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2024, Eden Court staff and creatives from our past and present programmes share their reflections on this year's World Gaelic Week theme: your language, your opportunity.
Sally Swanson
Gaelic Musical Theatre practitioner
Tha mo chànan, mo chothrom fìor dhomhsa oir tha a’ Ghàidhlig, agus Eden Court, air iomadh cothrom sònraichte a thoirt dhomh, gu h-àraidh sa bhliadhna a dh’fhalbh.
Tha e na thoileachas mòr dhomh gun deach iarraidh orm sreath de bhùthan-obrach teàtar-ciùil Gàidhlig a stiùireadh aig Eden Court. Le bhith faicinn luchd-labhairt òga na Gàidhlig a’ faighinn toileachas ann an seinn, dannsadh agus cleasachd tha mi air bhioran airson teàtar is telebhisean na Gàidhlig san àm ri teachd. B’ fhèarr leam fhèin gun robh a leithid de chlas ann nuair a bha mi a’ fàs suas ann an Inbhir Nis.
Tha mi moiteil ag ràdh gu bheil Eden Court cuideachd air taic a thabhann dhomh ann a bhith a’ leasachadh teàtar-ciùil ùr sa Ghàidhlig. Rinn mi bùth-obrach fad seachdain ag obair air seo an-uiridh agus nì mi fear eile sa Mhàirt agus tha iad air mo chuideachadh le bhith a’ lorg maoineachadh gus an urrainn dhomh co-obrachadh le daoine cruthachail Gàidhlig eile.
Seachdain na Gàidhlig sona dhuibh uile air a’ Ghàidhealtachd a tha uabhasach fortanach gu bheil Eden Court agus ealain Gàidhlig leantainneach air ur stàirsnich!
My language, my opportunity rings true because the Gaelic language, and Eden Court, have brought me many exciting opportunities, especially in the last year.
I'm delighted to have been asked to lead the ongoing series of Gaelic musical theatre workshops at Eden Court. Seeing young Gaelic speakers find joy in singing, dancing and acting makes me excited for the future of Gaelic theatre and television, and I can't help but think how I would've wished for such a class when I was growing up in Inverness.
I'm proud to say that Eden Court has also offered valuable support in the development of my new Gaelic-language musical. They hosted my previous workshop and will be hosting my next one in March, and have helped me source funding to collaborate with other Gaelic creatives.
Happy Seachdain na Gàidhlig to all the Highland Gaels who are lucky to have Eden Court, and its continuing Gaelic art, on their doorstep!
Emma Watson
Building + Estates Manager
I enjoy the challenge of learning new things, so it's been great to give Gaelic a go at work over the past year with lunchtime language workshops and Gaelic awareness sessions with Roddy Maclean.
Gaelic is very much still part of our culture and it feels good to play even a small role in keeping it present in our everyday lives, whether it's a simple feasgar math to a colleague or - for the brave among us! - getting up on the Under Canvas stage to bilingually greet our audiences.
Calum MacLèoid
Writer + Eden Court Connect member
Leis gu bheil gam fhaicinn fhèin nam sgrìobhadair Gàidhlig, seach sgrìobhadair nobhailean no dràma, tha mi an còmhnaidh fosgailte ri meadhanan ùra fheuchainn.
Gu tric, cuiridh mi tagraidhean a-steach airson rudan nach eil mi deiseil air a shon aig àm a’ thagraidh. ‘S e sin na rinn mi le an sgeama taic a thug orm an dealbh-chluich Stornoway, Quebec sgrìobhadh. Aig an àm, cha robh mi fiù’s air sealladh a’ sgrìobhadh airson na h-àird-ùrlair.
Tha cus dùbhlain agus bacaidhean romhainn mar-thà mar sgrìobhadairean mhìon-chànain, chan urrainn dhuinn bhith cur riutha le bhith dì-misneachail.
Lìon Stornoway, Quebec an OneTouch Theatre an-uirigh, oidhche nach tèid a chuimhne dhomh rim bheò.
I think of myself as a Gàidhlig writer, rather than a writer who works in only one medium. This helps me explore different kinds of writing.
I often apply for things I don’t feel ready for at the time I make the application. That’s what I did when I put in for the scheme that led to me writing my play Stornoway, Quebec. At that point I had never written so much as a scene for the stage.
Writers working in minoritised languages already face too many challenges and restrictions, we should never add to them by ruling ourselves out of any opportunities.
Last year Stornoway, Quebec filled the OneTouch Theatre, and I’ll remember that night as long as I live.
Shanon Richardson
Marketing Coordinator
Tha ùidh air a bhith agam sa Ghàidhlig bhon a bha mi san sgoil ach cha deach mi an-sàs ann aig an àm sin. Nise, mar neach-leantainn ceòl traidiseanta agus ag obair air Under Canvas gach bliadhna, bha an FOMO Gàidhlig air a dhol suas gu mòr...
O chionn ghoirid fhuair mi cothrom tòiseachadh air Gàidhlig ionnsachadh le Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Chan eil mi air a bhith ionnsachadh ach airson sia mìosan, ach mar-thà tha e na iongnadh dhomh gun urrainn dhomh cabadaich le oileanaich eile agus a bhith a’ leanntainn agus a’ faighinn tlachd às na meadhanan Gàidhlig.
’S e na tha cho math mu dheidhinn a bhith ag ionnsachadh na Gàidhlig, chan eil e gu diofar mura cleachd thu i gus do dhreuchd adhartachadh no ceum a chosnadh - faodaidh tu dìreach ionnsachadh airson spòrs no seach gu bheil e a’ ciallachadh rudeigin dhut.
Tha e air a bhith iongantach dhomh ceangal a dhèanamh ri mo chultar fhìn ann an dòigh nach robh comasach dhomh roimhe. A bharrachd air sin, tha mi gu math pròiseil annam fhèin gu bheil mi a’ dol air ais gu na seann chlàraidhean Runrig agus gu dearbh (seòrsa de) tuigse fhaighinn air dè tha iad ag ràdh!
I've been curious about Gaelic since I was at school but never took the plunge. Now being a trad music fan and working on Under Canvas each year, the Gaelic FOMO had really ramped up...
I was recently given the opportunity to start studying Gaelic with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. I've only been at it for six months, but already I'm amazed that I can chat with my classmates and begin to access and enjoy Gaelic media.
The beauty of learning Gaelic is that it doesn't matter if you never use it to enhance your career or earn a degree - you can just learn for the fun of it or because it means something to you.
It's been an amazing way for me to connect with my own culture in a way that was never fully possible before. Plus, I get to feel a certain smugness about going back to Runrig's earlier albums and actually (kind of) understanding what they're saying!
Coinneach Macleod
(Hebridean) Baker, author + TV presenter
Tha iomadach cothrom air a bhith agam na mo bheatha air sgàth a' Ghàidhlig agus tha mi gu math proiseil a bhith nam phàirt de choimhearsnachd nan Gàidheal.
The language of Gaelic has given me such wonderful opportunities that I would never have had otherwise and I am so proud to be part of the Gaelic community.
