Retiring Runrig inspire Gaelic school resource

A new schools resource which celebrates the contribution Runrig has made to the Gaelic language and culture has been launched by Gaelic educational resources organisation Stòrlann Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig.

The unit is a part of Stòrlann’s Fileanta resources for fluent Gaelic speakers in secondary school, although it can also be used with some learner classes.

It became available to schools in August, a few days before the band played their farewell concerts at Stirling City Park, and it was back to Stirling for the official launch on Thursday September 19 at Wallace High School.

Like all Fileanta resources for Gaelic classes, the Runrig unit is available exclusively online and had been planned before the band announced their retirement. It celebrates ‘the huge contribution’ they have made to the Gaelic language, culture and education.

The unit includes the text of nine songs, for literary analysis; seven passages for close reading; a class project for young people to write a Gaelic song of their own; and two interviews – an old BBC interview with Seonaidh Beag, the man who inspired the song The Cutter, and another with founding Runrig member Calum MacDonald, which was recorded especially for Fileanta. Mairi Macritchie, Stòrlann project officer for secondary school resources, said the reasons for choosing Runrig as a topic were simple: ‘They had just contributed so much to the Gaelic language and Gaelic culture. Their farewell concerts were evidence of that, as three generations of Gaels were there. The songs are a huge part of Gaelic history and the history of the Gaelic language.’

The unit can be found online at www.storlann.co.uk/ fileanta/leughadh-litreachas