New Gaelic worker for Tiree

Tiree has offered Highland musician and broadcaster Mary Ann Kennedy a job to help re-populate its gaelic speaking community.

 

The Inner Hebridean island has experienced a serious decline of more than half of its Gaelic speakers in the past 40 years, now just more than 30 per cent of the 650 people living there speak it.

 

To try and reverse that drop, the community development trust Urras Thiriodh put out a call for help on social media.

 

Trust chairperson Rhoda Meek, who is also a crofter, businesswoman and rural campaigner, wrote up her vision of what was needed and the call went out to see who could be interested in helping achieve it.

 

Instead of a rigid job description and hours being advertised, the Trust simply put out feelers for people interested in  working with them on various fronts - Gaelic being prominent among them - and invited expressions of interest.

 

"No off-putting application forms or formalities at first, just let’s have a chat and see what might work," said Rhoda.

 

The call reached Highland musician and broadcaster Mary Ann Kennedy, who wanted to find out more and has close ties with Tiree through her father Alasdair.

 

After discussions between herself and the Trust's General Manager Phyl Meyer, Mary Ann will now be working as part of a Gaelic team alongside Gaelic-speaking islander Lauren MacArthur.

 

Mary Ann will be working a hybrid combination of remote working and time in Tiree for two days a week, while Lauren will be expanding her existing role in the Trust to include days working on Gaelic-related projects.

 

Mary Ann said: “I grew up in Glasgow with parents from Tiree and Skye who made a

 

conscious decision to bring their family up as Gaelic-speakers and who were very active in the language over the years. I think, I hope, my dad would be proud of my decision to earn that legacy by coming to work in Tiree at a time when the language is in a very fragile state on the island.”

 

Phyl Meyer said Urras Thiriodh recognises how important Gaelic is to the culture, people and future of Tiree.

 

"We are excited to see how our new Gaelic team will work with islanders to celebrate and support their language. We are very grateful to Bòrd na Gàidhlig

 

for supporting this work.”

 

Rhoda Meek added: “The community is the soul of the language. If we lose that, we reduce Gaelic to an intellectual exercise. Having Mary Ann and Lauren, who belong to that community, working on this vital project, I believe we stand a chance of making a real difference.”

 

Mary Ann added: “This is about the community, and Lauren and I will be spending our initial time in making those vital connections. Our door is open and we really hope that folk will be up for talking to us and working with us to make things happen.”

 

Lauren, who hails from Sandaig in the west of the island, said: “I grew up with Gaelic around me in my family and in my school. I want to help make sure that my language has a place and a future in Tiree.”

 

 

Caption: Urras Thiriodh Gaelic team Lauren MacArthur (Cuidiche Coimhearsnachd),

 

Rhoda Meek (Urras Thiriodh Chair) and Mary Ann Kennedy (Leasaiche Gàidhlig).