"Glaonn na duibheagáin ar a chéile le torann do chuid easanna."

What can the Diaspora do to help the Celtic cultures in the Old Countries?

As has been often discussed, the word "Celtic" means culture. All cultures rely on the survival of their languages to survive. There are six countries in Europe that still retain cultures that are "Celtic", which means some number of their people speak a "Celtic" language. Those countries are Alba (Scotland), Breizh (Brittany), Cymru (Wales), Eire (Ireland), Kernow (Cornwall), and Mannin (Isle of Man). Those are the "home countries". In some areas the languages are slowly making a come back. In some though, the the language sits very close to extinction. If the Celtic language of these areas die, so will Celtic culture in those lands.

O cuimhnichibh nach trèig sibh i,
Gach Gàidheal tha 'n-diugh beò,
Cha dèan i chaoidh 'ur sàrachadh,
Ach blàths tha innt' gu leòr,
Nuair bhios sibh anns na fàsaichean,
Fo àmhghar neo fo leòn,
Bidh rann de dh'òran Gàidhlig dhuibh
Nas fheàrr na botal mòr

Please do not forsake your language,
I plead with each Gael today,
It will never let you down,
But will always be your stay,
When you tread life¹s lonely pathway,
In distress or troubled mood,
A verse of Gaelic song will cheer you
As no bottle ever could.

Aithne Do 'n Oige
Calum Mairead, Arnol, Lewis.

The purpose of the Clannada empowers it to preserve Gaelic culture. This is something it does chiefly amongst the Díchur through researching and teaching, as well as working to develop and sustain Traditional Gaelic communities amongst the Díchur. The Clannada hopes to begin also addressing Brythonic cultures in the near future. Thus, the cultures, and their languages, are being preserved in real communities amongst the Díchur.

While we can certainly work to preseve the cultures even while we live here, it is most certainly unwise to interfere with the lives of those who still live in the home countries. John DeVoy was a native born Irishman who came to New York to raise political and financial support for Ireland. Since he no longer lived in Ireland he declined to interfere in those matters which would affect those living in Ireland but not him in New York. We in the Clannada who are neither residents or citizens of Ireland, or other Celtic Homeland, feel the same way. We can give support to those who do live in the home countries. However, we must remain careful not to cross the line between support and interference.

So the question then becomes, how can we who feel this burning desire to help do so?

1. One of the best things we can do is to help preserve a Gaelic language, any Gaelic language. In other words, learn a language, and through that learning preserve it. "Tír gan teanga tír gan anam" (A Land Without A Language Is A Land Without A Soul) is the motto of Daltai na Gaelige (Students of the Irish Language).

2. Contact your nearest Clannada na Gadelica representative and become involved in learning more about traditional Gaelic culture, and working with others to form a traditional community. Being involved in actual Gaelic culture no matter where you live provides for the preservation of the culture by insuring that it remains a living and vibrant thing.

3. Personally ask your friends and relatives in Ireland, Scotland, or other Celtic home land how you can help if you haven't done that already.

4. Write to An Comunn Gaidhealach Ameireagar and tell them you want to do more to preserve Gaelic culture. They will probably put you right to work!

5. Support publishers such as Fios Feasa and whose orders often ship faster than Amazon orders. Give dual-language books as presents. There are also other wonderful companies in the Home Countries which need your support.

6. Subscribe to the independent news services in the Home Countries-- they want your support very much. The Irish Independent News is but one example.

7. Support the Celtic League, which assists the six Celtic nations in their struggle to secure political, cultural, social, and economic freedom. They publish the journal "Carn". They also have an American website.

8. Those of us who have web sites might make them bilingual, using not just the standard English, but also a Gaelic or other Celtic language.

9. There is a strong desire to help the extant Celtic cultures to survive. It is important to let it be known how we can help our ancestral cultures survive. So if you have a website please feel free to link to this page. Feel free to either use a textual link or save one of the images below and use that image on your website to use as the link to this page.

Go raibh maith agat!/Topadh Leat!
Iain MacAnTsaoir

Interesting News Article:
Nationalists and the Irish Language in Northern Ireland: Competing Perspectives

Glaonn na duibheagáin ar a chéile le torann do chuid easanna.
(Deep calls unto deep at the roar of Your waterfalls.)

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