Archive
Trilingual Trip
The recent short visit by the Guthan nan Eilean/Island Voices project to Ireland generated quite a range of recordings in various formats and genres – and in three different languages!
This online table brings them all together for ease of reference, with live clickable links to take you to the clip of your choice on the appropriate platform. That could be YouTube for video, or Ipadio for audio – or it could also be Clilstore if you want access to a wordlinked transcript while you watch and/or listen.
Clilstore is a learner-friendly platform being developed by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in partnership with other institutions in the “TOOLS” project. It’s still work in progress, so if learners or teachers have comments to make on how it could be improved please feed them back to us!
Interview with Gloria MacKillop in Berneray
Gloria MacKillop arrived 46 years ago to Berneray, the 'island of bachelors', to be a relief district nurse. Her plan to stay for three months and then go back to Australia fell apart when she met 'Splash', her husband to be. In this lively account Gloria tells us how she found unexpected family members in Scotland. She speaks about her first years on the island, how she learned to cope with boats, with crofting life, how life was before the causeway connected the island to North Uist, how Berneray became 'home' (even without 'cotton bushes' to hide).
Tommy agus Am Prionnsa
Tha Tommy Dòmhnallach a’ bruidhinn ri Gordon Wells mun obair rannsachaidh a tha e a’ dèanamh airson Stòras Uibhist. Mar a tha fhios aig mòran bha Am Prionnsa Teàrlach an seo ann an Uibhist is Beinn na Faoghla fad treiseag mus do theich e dhan Eilean Sgitheanach le cuideachadh Flòraidh NicDhòmhnaill. Tha Tommy airson sgeulachdan is òrain mu dheidhinn àite sam bith san robh am prionnsa a chruinneachadh, a dh’fhaodadh a dhol air làrach-lìn ùr a bhios tlachdmhor do luchd-turais, a bharrachd air muinntir na sgìre fhèin. Nach cuir sibh fios thuige ma tha sgeul agaibh fhèin ri innse!
Èistibh an seo:
(English explanation here on the Am Pàipear “Guthan: Voices” page.)
Màiri Innes on Na h-Eileanaich
Màiri talks to Gordon Wells in English and Gaelic about the local group “Na h-Eileanaich”.
She describes how they all met as youngsters through the local music summer school in South Uist, Fèis Tìr a’ Mhurain, progressing on to playing at the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway, and then to recording their own EP as well as featuring as the regular House Band at the monthly Taigh Ciùil at Taigh Chearsabhagh in North Uist.
Listen to the interview here, with a taste of Màiri’s guitar skills thrown in for good measure:
Here’s a YouTube slideshow the band put together with some of their foot-tapping music.
If you want to find out more about them here’s their Facebook page, and a link to their EP.
Interview with Sandra Humphrey, chair of the Uist Disability Access Panel
To listen to the interview, click here:
Sandra speaks about the aims of the Disability Access Panel, of how the group wants to help people find help and easy access when having to travel or visit public buildings and when using public transport. She explains how help is given at the airport in Benbecula and encourages people to go and inform themselves a few days before a flight - if possible.
Interview with Florence Pearson
Click to listen > Interview with Florence Pearson
Florence, artist and craft maker living in North Uist, shares how she came to live on the islands, her choice to settle here, how she experienced her childhood and teenage years and how things have changed in a few decades (like shops which don't exist any more or how she would walk two miles to the only phone box....).
Checkout Chat
Followers of Island Voices already know that Volker is a man of many parts. And Uist residents are mostly aware of his dedication to learning and using Gaelic. But who knew that his creative impulses extend also to scriptwriting? In another first for Island Voices, Volker has produced his own humorous take on a “chat at the checkout”.
Listen here:
Hebridean Tunes
Jill Friso, from the Netherlands, talks to Gordon Wells – mostly in English, but with some Gaelic and Dutch added for good measure – about her musical interests and aspirations, which led her to a course of study on Benbecula.
Jill has an interesting enterprise in mind – “Hebridean Tunes” – which she hopes will attract other visitors from near and far with similar interests to her own. You can visit the website here.
And you can also hear her playing her grandfather’s melodeon, the “button box”!
Listen here:
Guthan nan Eilthireach
Tha leabhar ùr air tighinn a-mach le Comunn Eachdraidh Bheàrnaraigh, a chaidh a sgrìobhadh le Pàdraig MacIlleChiar. ‘S e cuspair an leabhair “Sgeul nan eilthireach a dh’fhalbh à Beàrnaraigh na Hearadh”. Thàinig e a-mach ann an clò sa Bheurla leis an tiotal “The Story of Emigration from Berneray, Harris”, ach tha tionndadh Gàidhlig ann cuideachd ann an cruth “e-book”. Gheibhear an seo e air làrach Smashwords. A bharrachd air cuideachadh le daoine sa choimhearsnachd fhuair am pròiseact seo taic-airgid bho LEADER. 
Bhruidhinn Pàdraig ri Gordon Wells mu dheidhinn eachdraidh a theaghlaich fhèin agus mun leabhar agus mar a thàinig e gu bith. Tha pròiseact ùr inntinneach gu bhith aig Comunn Eachdraidh Bheàrnaraigh cuideachd. Tha Pàdruig ag ionnsachadh na Gàidhlig a-nis, ach ‘s ann sa Bheurla a tha e a’ bruidhinn an seo.
(Peter speaks in English here. You can find an English introduction on the Am Pàipear site.)
Island Voices Audio Podcasts
Although the core of the Island Voices materials archive remains the YouTube video collections, regular visitors will be aware that there is a large amount of audio material on the Island Voices Ipadio channel as well. And as more and more local participants start recording themselves there are more and more Ipadio channels starting up!
As of this month the original Island Voices audio channel has been linked into iTunes. This means that you can download the latest audio clips on that channel as podcasts, for repeated listening on your iPad, iPhone, or other preferred device – with or without an Internet connection. If you search for “Island Voices” in iTunes podcasts you will find the channel in the Education category (subcategory “Language Courses”), or you can click on the graphic or this link. You can also subscribe directly to the podcast page. Happy listening!
