Ceallaigh's Blog

I've been less than consistent with my Activism Updates and ConLangs 101 series posts, so I thought I'd write a quick note and let you know where they stand.

The Activism Updates will resume in August, when I return to work. I expect my first entry will be of the linkspam variety, followed thereafter by another book review two weeks after that and then back on a once-every-two-weeks schedule.

I'm working on the next ConLangs 101 entry right now, to be entitled ConLangs 101: Units of Speech and Writing. I should have it up within the week. I'm also planning one last entry in the series after that entitled ConLangs 101: The Primordial World Sea People. I expect I'll have it up before the end of the month1.

Tonight is the first board meeting for Dìleab: The Association for Intergenerational Language Transmission in Nova Scotia. This organization is spear-headed by Dr. Emily McEwan-Fujita, who has asked me to sit on the board primarily as a technical advisor and web site developer. This is an exciting opportunity for me and for Triskele Media, because it means that I have the opportunity to integrate more fully into the Gaelic community here, and my business has the opportunity to work with Gaelic organizations.

Later this month, Dìleab will be co-sponsoring a lecture by Dr. Leanne Hinton entitled, 'Bringing the Language Home: Language Revitalization in the Family', which will coincide with Dr. Hinton's visit to Nova Scotia. If you're local, I hope you'll come.

I'll post more on this as time passes, and I have more to tell.

I'm delighted to report that my poem entitled, "When I arrived, this is what She said" will appear in the Fall 2011 issue of the very fine poetry journal Goblin Fruit.

I've been asked to provide a reading of the piece, so I think I'm going to head to Peggy's Cove and see if my iPad can successfully record my voice against the sound of the ocean hitting the rocks there.

The traditional Scottish Gaelic milling group I sing with, An Cliath Clis, will be recording its second live CD at the annual An Cliath Clis milling frolic in late April. I'll be singing two songs for the CD, Alasdair Mhic Cholla and Coisich a Rùin. The CDs will be $20 each, and they'll be as close as you can get to authentic Gaelic song without passing the cloth yourself.

It also looks like I'll be offering a presentation about the preservation/revival of Gaelic in Nova Scotia at the Celtic Gathering Canada 2011 in Mansfield, Ontario. I delivered two presentations at the first Celtic gathering two years ago; a survey of Celtic languages and a bodhrán workshop.