A major photographic competition, administered by the Colmcille project, aimed at capturing the lives of speakers of Scottish or Irish Gaelic or of the life of the Scottish Gaidhealtachd/Irish Gaeltacht, has been launched by the Minister for Gaelic Michael Russell MSP.

A keen photographer himself with a long-term interest in various aspects of the history of photography, as well as being accustomed to being at the sharp end of a lens in his Ministerial role, Mr. Russell will be one of the judges casting his eye over the entrants for the 2009 competition.

Prizes of up to £2,000 are available in the competition which is for either colour or monochrome photographs depicting any aspect of the life of speakers of Scottish or Irish Gaelic or of the life of the Scottish Gaidhealtachd/Irish Gaeltacht.

There will be five prize-winners in all, in two categories:

ADULT (16+) First prize £2000 /€2200; Second prize £750/€ 850; Third prize £500/€ 565 and JUNIOR (5-15 on 31/08/09) First prize £ 500/€565: Second prize £ 250/€280. 

Each prize-winner will also receive a framed copy of the Tìr Cholm Chille map.

Launching the competition in Edinburgh, the Minister said: “This is an excellent initiative which will focus on some of the most interesting and attractive aspects of Scottish and Irish life including our landscape, culture and heritage.  I would like to commend Colmcille for taking forward this initiative.  Colmcille has an important role to play in promoting the shared Gaelic language and culture of Ireland and Scotland and this competition provides another opportunity to celebrate and promote this.  I look forward to hearing how the competition progresses and to judging the entries.”

Colmcille, (formerly Iomairt Cholm Chille, The Columba Initiative) is jointly managed by Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Foras na Gaelige as part of their mainstream activities. Mairi Murray, Colmcille’s Development Officer in Scotland said: “Since we launched this competition in its first format three years ago, we have been hugely encouraged by the innovation and imagination shown by entrants. The competition offers people within the Gaelic communities of Scotland and Ireland a great opportunity to capture their own environments, work situations, family occasions and the magnificent environments in which we all communicate. It is a great opportunity for amateur photographers to have their work recognised and offered to a wider audience through the calendars and other materials we produce through Colmcille and I have no doubt that this year will offer as a great selection and a significant challenge for the judges.”

Photographic entries for the competition must be submitted by 6pm, Monday 31st August, 2009.

There can be no doubt that in recent years the Edinburgh Mod has been a great success. New events have been added, competitor numbers have increased and the opportunity for young people to take part in this fantastic local cultural event has never been better.

It is clear, however, that the current format for the Mod will not sustain future growth and development. Talks have been underway with a view to looking at how the Mod can be allowed to build on previous successes. Initially, these discussions centred on the need for the Mod to be held over two days but it became apparent that other issues also required attention. As a result, a decision has been made to reschedule the Edinburgh Local Mod from September to April. There is never an absolutely ideal time of year to hold an event of this type but April has been agreed as the most suitable time based on the following factors.

• Inclusion of Gaelic Learners from the 5 primary schools taking part in the GLPS programme
• Clas 1 pupils will have more time to prepare

It is worth pointing out that the inclusion of Gaelic learners from across Edinburgh is at the very core of the ethos of the Mod, that being the promotion and development of Gaelic to the wider community.

• The third weekend in April will avoid Easter Holidays and the May Bank Holiday Weekends.
• September was too soon after the Summer holidays giving the organisers less time to prepare. This also had an impact on the application process
• April is outwith the Pipe Band Competition season so there should be little or no impact on the piping entrants

In addition to moving the Mod to April other changes to the format, including the addition of competitions on Saturday, A new Mod Logo and new prizes, are also planned.

As a result of this decision there will be no Edinburgh Mod in September 2009. While this will obviously be a disappointment for many people, the short timescale from September to April would prohibit completing any significant changes to, and re-branding of, the new Edinburgh Mod if the September Mod was to go ahead. It should be pointed out at this stage that a Mod related event will take place in September, with the details being announced as soon as these are finalised. The dates of the new Edinburgh Mod in April 2010 will also be announced as soon as possible.

The organisers are confident that these changes will secure the ongoing growth and development of the Edinburgh Mod and will allow for more exciting developments in the future.

Edinburgh Local Mod Organising Committee

How does this Gaelic Language Plan affect our children?

The City of Edinburgh Council’s Gaelic Language Plan (as detailed below) will probably stipulate that Gaelic Medium Education be expanded in Edinburgh but may not actually state that a Gaelic School in Edinburgh be opened, leaving Tollcross GME a Unit within the current primary school.  However, with 32 children registered for pre-nursery next year and the English side of the school thriving, this can only mean capping – 7 children could be turned away from the Gaelic Unit next August.

After 20 years of primary GME you would expect to see the number of Gaelic speakers in Edinburgh grow and develop, yet the majority of teenagers who have come through the current system don’t seem to be engaging with the increasing opportunities to speak the language.  Many declare they have lost their enthusiasm for it as it was not developed adequately in secondary school.

A primary Gaelic School for Edinburgh has got to be our top priority – to ensure all Gaelic Nursery children are enrolled into a Gaelic Primary class and to increase the mass of fluent speakers amongst the younger generation – but a focus on Secondary Gaelic provision is also required and Comman nam Parant is looking into setting up a project group of parents for whom this is a particular area of interest.

James Gillespies High School staff have been particularly receptive of late to improving their Gaelic provision so it makes sense to continue the good work and keep everyone up to date as things progress.

Latest on the Council’s Gaelic Language Plan:

Edinburgh Council has been working on its Gaelic Language plan for a number of years and under the Gaelic Act 2005 has to submit it to Bord na Gaidhlig by 31st August 2009.

This plan aims to support Gaelic in education, arts & leisure and community affairs as well as raising the profile of Gaelic and providing more opportunities for its use. It’s probably no exaggeration to say that its content and implementation are vital for the future of Gaelic and Gaelic-Medium Education in Edinburgh.

Problem

Their draft plan is very nearly ready, but before it is submitted it must go out to the community for consultation and responses.  However, delays at Council level mean this consultation will not happen until after the summer holidays now, so an extension of the submission date will be applied for.

How Comann nam Parant aims to simplify the response process for parents

A summary of the Education section will be provided as this is the part of the Plan which will affect our children most.

Witten guidance and templated responses to help parents understand the best response techniques will be organised.

An open, informal but well-planned event at the start of next term where parents will get a presentation summarising the key points of the Plan and have access to the templated responses will be organised – so that parental feedback can be completed on the night if preferred.

The important factor here is the number of responses from parents to demonstrate our understanding of Council work involving Gaelic.

Update on the Feasibility Study

The Council received the Feasibility Study Report on Gaelic in Edinburgh and met to liaise with parental and community representatives on 1st April for further consultation.

The report has to go through some quality-assurance processes before it can be published, and this may not happen for a few months yet. This is at least partly because the Gaelic plan is currently the most urgent priority.

However, we are assured that the draft plan does take account of the findings of the feasibility study, and that those findings are helpful in supporting the development of Gaelic-medium education.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has funded a new library service enabling the Central Children’s Library and the Fountainbridge Library in Edinburgh to add hundreds of new Gaelic children’s books to their collections.

Named Nead na Gàidhlig, or Gaelic Nest by pupils from the Gaelic Medium Unit at Tollcross, this is a fantastic resource for the city and for our children to enjoy.