Beairteas: Air Bhioran!
We were delighted to work in partnership with Tobar an Dualchais | Kist o’ Riches to deliver Beairteas to schools across the Isle of Skye in 2024-25. Tutors Flòraidh Forrest and Marion MacKay delivered sessions to Second Level pupils in Sleat, Broadford, Portree, Dunvegan, Staffin and Kilmuir, teaching them about the practice of knitting and its long history in the Highlands and Islands. They learned how to knit simple patterns as well as key vocabulary and songs, old and new, connected to the work.
As the sessions were so well-received in Skye, we have taken this project across the Minch to schools in Comhairle nan Eilean Siar for 2025-26, under the tutelage of 10 members of the local waulking group in Barra, and former teachers Catriona Black and Catriona Macintyre in Uist schools.
You will find some of the resources collected and created by Flòraidh and Marion, and used across the islands in the delivery of this project, below.
2023-24: Sgeulachdan an Taobh Siar
Two schools on the west side of Lewis have recently taken part in Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s Beairteas, an intergenerational programme where community-based fluent Gaelic speakers are matched with schools and community groups to strengthen their Gaelic language skills. Last term, students from Sgoil Bhreascleit and Sgoil Shiaboist were taught stories orally, in line with the Gaelic storytelling tradition and have created visual guides to accompany these tales, showcasing their interpretations through beautiful artwork. These visual aids aim to preserve and remember the local stories in a unique and engaging way.
As well as having gained a deeper understanding for their local area’s oral tradition, the pupils’ learning has resulted in an exciting new Gaelic resource. On behalf of all pupils who took part, as well as project leader Christine Macleod and assistant tutor, Donna Barden, Fèisean nan Gàidheal is delighted to launch Sgeulachdan, Rannan & Tòimhseachain an Taobh Siar (Stories, Verses & Riddles from the West Side), a collection of traditional stories, rhymes, and riddles from the west side of Lewis which offer a taste of the area’s rich cultural heritage.
The pupils were recorded retelling their stories by Keith Morrison from Wee Studio in Lewis. A playlist of the videos is available below, along with the written tales and the children’s visual guides found here.
Sgoil Bhreascleit | Breasclete School Playlist
Sgoil Shiaboist | Shawbost School Playlist
2021-22: In collaboration with e-Sgoil
A playlist of recordings from our 2021-22 sessions are available to view below, starting with Mairead MacLeod (Na h-Òganaich) and Norrie MacIver (Skipinnish).
Information on each guest can be downloaded from the sidebar on the right hand side of the page.
Strengthening the Gaelic skills of young people
- Do you speak Gaelic?
- Do you have personal or professional knowledge of a specialist subject or an interesting pastime?
- Do you have a story to tell about Gaelic in your daily life?
- Would you be interested in helping to strengthen young people’s Gaelic skills?
Through our Fèisgoil service, with support from the Scottish Government, Fèisean nan Gàidheal is now seeking assistance from Gaelic speakers to establish Beairteas.
What is it?
Beairteas is an intergenerational programme to match community-based fluent Gaelic speakers with schools and community groups. Their richness of language, specialist knowledge of Gaelic culture and many other subjects about which they could speak in Gaelic, would provide a valuable resource for pupils. This would complement the sterling work being done by teachers in Gaelic education.
Why?
Gaelic education is very successful and an essential component in growing a new generation of Gaelic speakers. Teachers work extremely hard to immerse children in the language and deliver a range of subjects through the medium of Gaelic.
Gaelic speakers involved in almost any walk of life have a tremendous amount to offer Gaelic education. The Curriculum for Excellence encourages work and engagement with people in communities.
Beairteas aims to complement schoolwork, offering opportunities for children to communicate in Gaelic with people other than their teachers. Engaging them with Gaelic speakers with specialist knowledge of the work they do or have done, as well as any interesting pastimes in which they may have been involved, will strengthen the language skills of the young people giving them a breadth of vocabulary they may not pick up through their daily schoolwork.
You may be a police officer, involved in the health service, community work or a trade. You may have specialist knowledge of Gaelic songs, history, traditional stories, war, sport or working in other countries. You may be involved in fishing, crofting, gardening, photography, weaving, cooking or almost anything in which you could engage young people through the medium of Gaelic.
Would you be willing to be involved?
If you would enjoy working with young people and are passionate about the revitalisation of Gaelic, we would like to hear from you. Work will be paid, but dependent on schools engaging with the Beairteas scheme. As a first step we would like people to register to be part of Beairteas by filling in this form.
A leaflet can be downloaded from the right hand side of the page. If you have any questions, please call Eilidh Mackenzie, Fèisgoil Manager on 01463 225559 or e-mail any queries to beairteas@feisean.org.
