About

Back in 2004, after much dithering, I finally signed up for Sabhal Mòr Ostaig’s Cùrsa Inntrigidh, a distance learning beginner’s course in Gaelic designed (as the title implies) to act as an entrance course for a full degree in the Gaelic. I spent the next couple of years doing not just the 3 ‘earannan’ in this course, but also ‘earann 4′ (which has mutated into An Cùrsa Adhartais). I also attended a level 4 summer school for a week at the college. This weblog was started during that course in summer 2005, and has been (very) sporadically maintained since then as it takes a fair bit of time to update properly.

Since passing An Cùrsa Inntrigidh I can now, if I had the time and money (sigh), take a full course in the Gaelic. Sadly, I’ve not been able to take any further courses in the Gaelic, due to a number of factors, not least of which are:

• lack of time and above all money (these courses aren’t cheap)
• living in the East Midlands, not a known Gaelic heartland
• lack of courses to take – An Cùrsa Adhartais is basically a rebadged Earann 4 with cultural knobs on

So I try to keep my Gaelic at least ticking over at a distance through the various online sites with Gaelic material, such as Ruaridh MacIlleathain’s Litir do Luchd-Ionnsachaidh, but it’s bloody hard. I hope, one day soon, to move North of the Border to civilisation and continue my studies up there, as there are are Gaelic courses and learner groups all over the place in Scotland these days, plus you can listen to BBC’s Rèidio nan Gaidheal which is at least passive contact with native speakers.