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The loss of unwashed beaches and Gàidhlig



Today's postcard is unused, and it depicts an area of Scotland called Ganavan Sands, Oban, Argyllshire.
As usual I am struck by the coincidences: I am currently planning a vacation to Scotland, to visit my neice who married a Scotsman and lives there. Her last name is now Valentine - and this postcard's publisher is also Valentine!!

This is C102 of the Valentine's Scots Pictorial Series.
James Valentine was an original member of the Edinburgh Photographic Society and his company, James Valentine and Sons Ltd. produced postcards up until the 1960s. This one is likely from 1960 or 1963.
It shows a lovely seascape, and says this: "Ganavan Sands, Oban, Argyllshire - The strip of safe sand is the playground for visitors to the nearby busy holiday town of Oban."

When you Google Ganavan Sands you will see that a new development of upscale homes is being build with a seaside view. The website for the developer includes a virtual tour of different versions of the homes. So much for untouched sand.

Ganavan Sands was also the site, in WWII, of a Royal Navy submarine detection base.
One impact was the loss of the traditional Gaelic tongue. In the late 1800s, this harbour town acted as an economic and social bridge between the mainland communities of Lorn and the central Hebridean islands. This meant that Oban was always home of a considerable number of “exiles” from the stronger Gaelic-speaking island communities – a fact which strengthened the status of the language in this area for a long time. This changed especially since the war. Nowadays despite recent educational efforts the profile of Gaelic is still remarkably low in the town of Oban and its hinterland. In order to halt the decline or even start a revival much stronger emphasis has to be laid uponveducational provision from pre-school to secondary stages.

One of the other few areas of the world where Gaelic might still be spoken is in CANADA! Scots settlers brought the language to the Eastern provinces (Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, PEI), and in the 40s there was data that the Gàidhlig language survived.

Here are the words to "O Canada" in Gaelic.

O Chanada, dùthaich nan gaisgeach còir,
Crùn air do cheann de dhuilleag dhearg is òir. Bho chuan gu cuan le òran binn,
Do chliù nì sinn a luaidh,
Fo dhìon do sgéith tha saorsa ghrinn
Nach spìon an namhaid uainn.
O Chanada, dùrachd ar cridh',
Sonas le sìth is maitheas Dhè d'ar tìr.
Sonas le sìth is maitheas Dhè d'ar tìr.

Oban is in Argyllshire, and home to one of Scotland's popular summer highland games. The gathering was established in the 19th century to bring families together for socializing and as was the way of things, to compete. In 2010 they will be held August 26th. Oban's is unique in that many of the Track and Field events and Dancing competitions are for Scottish championship titles. The solo Piping, the competitions are for World championship titles. These are the pre-eminent global piping competitions and the only ones of this standard still to be held in the great outdoors. I will not get to the Oban games (sigh) but I plan to see the Pebble's games this fall.

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