Gaelic Shinty Team returns to Galway for Iomain Cholmcille 4 | |
09 September 2010 The national Gaelic shinty team Alba is returning to Ireland for an international match as part of the Iomain Cholmcille festival which takes place between the 8-11 October 2010 thanks to support from Colmcille, the group which encourages links between Gaels in Ireland and Scotland. Alba have also named their squad for the trip and it has a wide selection of club representation in it. The main aim of this project is to give young men the opportunity to speak Scottish and Irish Gaelic in a sporting context and it has been very successful in recent years. The enterprise started in 2007 with an international challenge between Micheal Breathnach GAA who represent the Gaels of Ireland and a selection of Scottish Gaelic speakers from acrros the country playing for the Corn Cholmcille in Oban. Alba visited Galway in October 2008 before the Irish came over for Iomain Cholmcille 3. The 2009 event was delayed until February 2010 whereupon it was held in Portree in the Isle of Skye. This event was fantastically successful and was the third running of the competition with youth coaching and Gaelic ceilidhs all integral to the event. The event was highly praised by many, including the Gaelic broadcaster Norman MacDonald, for raising the profile of Gaelic in the area. Alba manager, Eòghan Stewart has chosen a wide range of players from across Scotland for this fourth competition. As per usual there are several Sgitheanaich in the squad but for the first time every club from the North West Highlands is represented. Stewart, a Gaelic teacher at Portree High School said, “There are loads of players who have Gaelic around, especially thanks to the success of Gaelic Medium Education and I am very happy that there are some players from Kinlochshiel and Lochcarron involved this time. To tell you the truth, I could have two squads and I would like to run more events with shinty and Gaelic combined.” Stewart has chosen Aonghas “Nui” MacDonald from Skye as his assistant and they will be hoping to keep a hold of the cup they won in Portree in February. The squad also has a musical flavour with Kerr Gibb, Ewen Henderson, Donald MacDonald, Allan MacDonald and AB Connor amongst the talented musicians involved. The players will be performing at ceilidhs in Inverin and the Aran Islands when they are not playing and coaching. Stewart concluded “The Aran Islands are a true Gaeldom and we are looking forward to that part of the trip greatly. We all know that we are representing out culture and our language as much as we are representing our sport and we hope everyone will be proud of us.” “This is a very important opportunity for many of the boys and they all grab the opportunity to speak Gaelic. This project strengthens their Gaelic and their friendships and we are so thankful to Colmcille and to the Camanachd Association for the full support they give us each year.” Alba Squad Gilleasbuig MacDonald, David Grant, Kerr Gibb, AB Connor, Iain Nicolson, John Moir, (Skye Camanachd) Paul Duke, Sean MacLeod, Conor MacDonald (Camanachd Leòdhais) Kenneth Campbell (Tayforth) Donald MacDonald (Caberfeidh) Crisdean Finlayson (Lochcarron) James MacRae (Lochbroom) Duncan MacRae (Kinlochshiel) Keith MacDonald (Uist) Ewen Henderson (Ardnamurchan) Allan MacDonald (Glasgow University) Kenneth MacLeod, Donald Lamont (Aberdeen University) Manaidsearan: Eòghan Stewart, Aonghas MacDonald: |