Grandfather Mountain Gaelic Song and Language Week 2010
Grandfather Mountain Gaelic Song and Language Week 2010
Come to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, a state rich in Gaelic heritage. Enjoy Scottish Gaelic language classes for beginner, intermediate, and advanced speakers and singing classes covering a range of traditional Gaelic song forms, including waulking, or milling, songs and mouth music.
This year’s Grandfather Mountain Gaelic Song and Language Week will run from July 4th through the 9th. The course will consist of language and song classes at graduated levels. Other activities include special interest sessions in the afternoon, an evening cèilidh, Gaelic videos, a silent auction, hikes in the beautiful surrounding mountains and the North Carolina Gaelic Mòd which is held during the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games the weekend following.
The workshop is housed at Lees-MacRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Information about the cost of tuition, room, and board is available on the Registration Form.
We are pleased to announce the following instructors for 2010:
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This year, we welcome Beathag Mhoireasdan back to Grandfather Mountain as a teacher at the Gaelic Song and Language Week and as adjudicator at the North Carolina Mòd. Beathag comes from the Isle of Lewis, where Gàidhlig was her first language. She is experienced in teaching all ages, but a major part of her work has been teaching Gaelic to adults. She is a regular tutor at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Cùrsa Inntrigidh and Advanced Course (Distance Learning) as well as for the regular short courses. She teaches Gaelic language workshops all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe and is especially well known for her Gaelic drama workshops, having been actively involved in stage drama for almost twenty years. She also has long experience in radio drama and television both as an actress and scriptwriter. She has written several children's books in Gaelic, and being a fluent speaker of Irish, has translated four books from Irish into Scottish Gaelic. Beathag has presented many workshops on Gaelic song, including waulking songs. She has been an adjudicator and workshops presenter at the Vancouver Mòd and at the American National Mòd in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. She has also regularly adjudicated at the Royal National Mòd in Scotland. For more information go to http://www.beathag.co.uk |
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Michael Mackay began studying Scottish Gaelic in 1997 and has become fluent through the help of ACGA-sponsored events and through the teachers and native speakers he has met through the organization. He has appeared on the BBC Radio nan Gàidheal station for occasional news interviews on Aithris na Maidne and the Coinneach Mòr program, and has appeared on television news programs such as an Là and Eòrpa. He contributes to the Internet podcast program Gaelcast, together with Liam Cassidy and Ed Bradshaw. Michael has been teaching Gaelic to students across the country, both on behalf of ACGA and via Skype on the Internet. |
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Mary MacMillan was born and brought up on the island of South Uist in the Western Isles of Scotland. Gaelic is her first language. She has been singing Gaelic songs all her life and was a regular singer at the local Uist Mòd and ceilidhs from the age of 5. As a teen she competed and sang nationally. After leaving school Mary graduated as a primary teacher. Gaelic singing is an important part of her life and although she has continued with her career in Gaelic medium education, she regularly sings at ceilidhs and festivals throughout Scotland and Ireland, and is an experienced fèis tutor. In 2007, she won the Traditional Singing Gold Medal at the Lochaber Mòd and the following year she was runner up in the Pan Celtic Festival in Donegal Town, Ireland. Mary sings mostly songs collected from South Uist tradition bearers, but is interested in a wide range of songs, both contemporary and traditional. She is one of the singers featured (along with her younger brother Gillebride MacMillan, Seumas Campbell, and Margaret Callan) on the CD “An Lorg nam Bàrd - In the Footsteps of the Bards: Traditional Gaelic Singing from the Uists” and has sung with the renowned waulking group “Bannal”. This is her first time in the USA. |
Cìsean [Fees] |
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All instruction, lodging for 5 nights and 3 meals a day from Sunday evening dinner to Friday lunch are included. There are options for tuition only for those not staying at the college and family members not attending classes as well. Both single and double rooms are available and anyone wishing one can have a single room at the same price as a double. Cafeteria meals are quite good and provide a good selection to cater to most diets. A salad bar is offered at almost every meal and an ice cream bar is always available as well. Further meals and additional dorm room nights are available for a reasonable charge from the college for those staying for the Highland Games. |
Clàr-Ùine [Schedule] |
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Check in will take place from 2:00 to 5:00 on Sunday afternoon. Dinner will be available for those who arrive before 6 pm. Classes will begin Monday and run through noon on Friday. There are a variety of special interest sessions being planned for the afternoon and opportunities for fellowship with other Gaelic learners in the evening. Fiosrachadh Tèicneolach [IT]
Those wishing to bring laptops, the wireless network at Lees-MacRae College will be available; however, in order to connect to it, one must have already downloaded or be willing to download from Lees-MacRae the current version of Microsoft Live Update and an active anti-virus program. We are told that if you do not have either of these that you may download them from Lees-MacRae College. They provide a free download of AVG Anti-virus, by Grisoft. |
Siubhal [Travel] |
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If you will be flying the nearest airports are Tri-Cities, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Take a look at the Town of Banner Elk Web site. Van Service:
From Charlotte Airport to Lees-McRae College Banner Elk Contact Dan with Air Haven Limo 828-265-2504 Directions to Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC, from Johnson City, TN, and the Tri-Cities Airport area: NOTE: These directions are not the same as Mapquest or Yahoo! but are better suited to those not familiar with mountain driving. · Take Interstate 77 north. Follow this until the junction with US Highway 421. · Then take US Highway 421 West until you reach Boone, NC. You are almost there now. · Simply take Highway 105 south in Boone until you get to the Scottish Shopping Village of Tyncastle where you will see a big sign for Grandfather Mountain. · There will also be signs there telling you to turn right on Highway 184 to get to Banner Elk. Banner Elk is only a few miles from there and the town is so small you cannot miss the college. When you come to the T-junction at the traffic light (the only one in Banner Elk), turn left. A block up the road you will see a large parking lot on the right. When you are almost past the parking lot, turn left into the college and drive up the road to the stop sign. Turn left at the stop sign and you will see Virginia Hall on your right. Scenic directions: From Charlotte Douglas International Airport, take I-485 to I-85 West. Take I-85 to 321 North, at Exit 17. Follow 321 through Hickory and Lenoir to Boone. At Boone, turn left onto Rte 105 at large intersection. Take Rte 105 approximately 15 miles and turn right at the traffic light onto Rte 184 (Tynecastle Hwy). Stay on Rte 184 until it ends at Rte 194 in Banner Elk. Turn left. Lees-McRae College is on the left. |
An Aimsir [The Weather] |
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Temperatures usually range in the low 60’s to mid 80’s during July. The weather is normally beautiful and cool. However, it can be hot, and it can be cold. It is advisable to bring both a fan for your room and a blanket for your bed. Shorts and lightweight long pants are both appropriate as are short sleeved t-shirts and light weight sweaters. A raincoat or umbrella is also advised just in case the weather doesn’t cooperate. |
Rudan Feumail [Useful Things] |
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Dorm Room Items:
Personal Items:
Classroom items:
Other items:
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The workshop ends just as the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games (July 8 - 11) are getting underway down the road in MacRae Meadow on Grandfather Mountain. As usual there will be a Gaelic tent at the games, and the North Carolina Gaelic Mòd will take place at the games on Saturday, July 10, 2010. If you would like to stay over for the Games and for the Gaelic Mod on Saturday of the Games, contact Kris Stewart with Lees-McRae College at 828-898-3311 to make a reservation for Friday and/or Saturday. If you don't reach him, leave a message and some way for him to get back with you. Be sure to mention that you are attending the Gaelic workshop the week before.
