Skip to main content

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.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Two Innovators in Lucerne: Eduard and Franz

by MJ Malleck// Today I’ve pulled a blank souvenir postcard depicting the town of Lucerne and Mount Pilatus in the distance. The town of Lucerne sits on the fourth largest lake in Switzerland, near to Mt. Pilatus, where legend says a dragon once lived. Perhaps the visitors took the 4,618-meter-long cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad (a village close to Lucerne by train) to the mountain peak. With a gradient of 48% (meaning it gains 48 feet in elevation for every 100 feet forward, disregarding the incline) it is the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. When engineer Eduard Locher suggested putting a railway on Mount Pilatus he was mocked, but his masterpiece was exhibited at the 1889 World Fair in Paris and is still in use today. He cleverly devised his system using two horizontally rotating cogwheels. Most of these systems (also called rack railway, or rack-and-pinion) put the toothed rail underneath the train, between the running rails. On flat surfaces, friction is enough.   ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Azaleas to thank you; weeds in New York City

 by MJ Malleck  Today’s postcard is more of a Thank You card, sent from Owen Sound, Ontario to General Delivery in Kincardine, Ontario. The writer dates it “Thursday” and the postmark is unclear, but stamps in Canada were 8 cents in 1972. Thursday, June 22, 1972, is my guess. Kincardine is a beach town, and cottagers would be there by the end of June, although Lake Huron might not be warm enough to swim in. “Hi. Many thanks for the help on Sunday – what a day! I stayed up on Monday and finally got the oven cleaned. Do you want me to order up your draperies yet? Love. C. “ Owen Sound is north of Kincardine, on Georgian Bay. If the writer “stayed up” somewhere, they perhaps have a cottage north of Owen Sound, perhaps in Tobermory or even further. Their friend would understand the work involved in opening and closing a summer place. Only a fellow cottager would offer to help get a place ready. Does C sew and make drapes for her friends? The illustration on the card are flow...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ehrwald, Austria: Hats Off to Pensions, Borders in the Air

Today’s postcard is from Ehrwald, Austria. February 19, 1958. It says: “ Dear Phil & Charlotte, Enjoying a skiing and sight-seeing holiday in Western Austria. The kids are enjoying the snow, we had so little of it in France. Our Pension is called Daheim, and it is like a ski lodge and much cheaper than staying at a hotel. Expect to go up to the top of Germany’s highest mountain on a cable car soon and intend to go to Innsbruck tomorrow. Took some ski lessons from a read Austrian ski champ but I still get stiff & sore. Must be getting old! Best Regards from Austria, Ted & Mildred.” Hard to know who wrote it and who is stiff, Ted or Mildred, as in 1958 women might have written correspondence but signed husband’s name first. (As it is also addressed to a couple, man’s name first.) This is pre-Air BnB era, so I am interested in the idea of a Pension being cheaper than a hotel. Apparently, from Fodor’s Travel, I learn that a pensione (spelt correctly with an e on the end i...
Post a Comment
Read more