[Dòmhnall] Siuthad, innis dhuinn cà’il sin ma-thà? Càite …?
[Coinneach] Col Uarach far an, far an do thogadh mi. Baile a thàinig a-mach à strì às dèidh a’ chiad chogaidh. Bha na raiders ann. ’S e mo sheanair fear dhiubh. Tha … Bha feadhainn aca beò fhathast nuair a bha mise beag. Tha cuimhne agam, dh’ainmichinn dhut ann an seo iad an-dràsta. Tha ... fear a rugadh ’s a thogadh ann am baile far, cha robh dealan againn anns an taigh nuair a bha mi beag, cha robh bùrn againn a’ ruith. Tha cuimhne agam air a’ chiad rathad, rathad teàrr, fhaighinn dhan bhaile. Fhios agad, cha b’ urrainn dha a bhith na bu shìmplidhe bho aon shealladh ach air an làimh eile bha daoine timcheall orm a bha eòlach air feadh an t-saoghail agus dè tha sin a’ ciallachadh? Tha mi a’ creid’ gu bheil thu a’ faighinn togail ann am measg fìor bhunaitean nam freumhan agad. Tha fhios agad càite a bheil iad ach an dèidh sin tha do shùilean ’s dòcha air am fosgladh ’s air an leudachadh le daoine a bha eòlach air iomadh àite air feadh an t-saoghail.
[Dòmhnall] Uill mar a h-uile duine, chaidh thu gu Sgoil Steòrnabhaigh agus chaidh thu ...
[Coinneach] Ò cha robh a h-uile duine a’ dol gu Sgoil Steòrnabhaigh.
[Dòmhnall] Ò cha robh, cha robh, cha robh.
[Coinneach] Cha robh idir.
[Dòmhnall] Cha robh ri do latha-sa!
[Coinneach] Cha robh na mo latha-sa! Chaidh mise a Sgoil Steòrnabhaigh ach ’s ann a chaidh mise a Sgoil a’ Bhac gu an t-seachdamh bliadhna ’s bha againn an uair sin ri dà dheuchainn a shuidhe. Bha agad ri intelligence test a shuidhe agus am qualifying agus tha mi a’ smaoineachadh, bha mu dheich duine fichead tha mi a’ smaoineachadh anns a’ chlas againn, a’ smaoineachadh air an t-seachdamh bhliadhna ann an Sgoil a’ Bhac agus tha mi a’ smaoineachadh gur e sianar againn a fhuair a Sgoil Steòrnabhaigh. Mar sin cha robh mise anns an àrd-sgoil ann an Sgoil a’ Bhac a-riamh.
[Dòmhnall] Bha thu, bha thu … ceann gu leòr ort airson a dhol a Steòrnabhagh.
[Coinneach] Ò chan eil fhios agamsa an robh no nach robh! A-rithist bha mi a’ fàgail a’ mheasaidh a bha sin aig daoine eile.
[Dòmhnall] Uill mheas iad gun robh ’s chaidh thu ann.
[Coinneach] Chaidh.
[Dòmhnall] ’S às an sin chaidh thu gu Oilthigh Obar Dheathain.
[Coinneach] Chaidh.
[Dòmhnall] Nise, tha cuimhne agam thu a bhith ag ràdh rium gur tu a’ chiad duine à Col Uarach a fhuair cead oilthighe. Dè thug ort an ceum sin a ghabhail?
[Coinneach] Cò aige a tha fhios, a Dhòmhnaill. Cha robh, cha robh planaichean mòra mar sin agam. Cha robh, ged a bha ’s dòcha daoine ann a bha a’ feuchainn do stiùireadh cha robh mise a’ dèanamh cus èisteachd ri stiùireadh an uair sin, no ’s dòcha fiù ’s an-diugh fhèin.
[Dòmhnall] Fhathast.
[Coinneach] Ach tha cuimhne agam fhathast a bhith, às dèidh an t-siathamh bhliadhna ’s mi air gu leòr dheuchainnean fhaighinn troimhe airson a dhol dhan oilthigh ’s a-staigh an rathad ris an chanadh iad Calum Spid aig an robh sgoil mhath e fhèin ’s e ag obair air an fheur ’s e a’ cantainn rium “dè tha thu a’ dol a dhèanamh?” ’s thuirt mi “chan eil càil a dh’fhios agam” ’s thuirt e “chan eil e ro anmoch fhathast dhut”. Nise, deireadh an Iuchair a bha seo ’s “nach eil?”. “Chan eil” ars’ esan so dh’fhalbh mi ’s chuir mi air falbh airson foirm-iarrtais airson Oilthigh Obar Dheathain ’s taobh a-staigh dà mhìos bha mi ann an Oilthigh Obar Dheathain.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2011.
[Donald] Go on then, tell us where that is then? Where …?
[Kenny] Upper Coll where, where I was raised. A village that came to be from a battle after the First World War. The raiders were there. My grandfather was one of them. There are … There were some of them still alive when I was little. I remember, I could name them here for you just now. A person who was born and raised in a village where, we didn’t have electricity in the house when I was little, we didn’t have running water. I remember getting the first road, tar road, into the village. You know, it couldn’t have been simpler in one sense but on the other hand I was surrounded by people that knew about the world and what does that mean? I think that you get an upbringing amongst your true roots. You know where they are but even so your eyes are perhaps opened and broadened by people who knew many’s a place throughout the world.
[Donald] Well like everyone, you went to school in Stornoway and you went …
[Kenny] Oh not everyone went to school in Stornoway.
[Donald] Oh no, no, no.
[Kenny] Not at all.
[Donald] Not in your day!
[Kenny] Not in my day! I went to school in Stornoway but I actually went to Back School until primary seven and we then had to sit two exams. You had to sit an intelligence test and the qualifying and I think, there was about thirty people in our class I think, I think in primary seven in Back School and I think that it was six of us that got to school in Stornoway. So I was never in high school in Back School.
[Donald] You were, you were … clever enough to go to Stornoway.
[Kenny] Oh I don’t know if I was or not! Again I left other people to assess that.
[Donald] Well they deemed that you were and you went.
[Kenny] Yes.
[Donald] And from there you went to Aberdeen University.
[Kenny] Yes.
[Donald] Now, I remember you saying to me that you are the first person from Upper Coll that got a university degree. What made to follow that path?
[Kenny] Who knows, Donald. I didn’t have any great plans as such. There wasn’t, although there were people who tried to guide you I didn’t really listen to guidance then, or perhaps even today.
[Donald] Still.
[Kenny] But I still remember being, after sixth year and having passed enough exams to go to university I went into the road that they called Calum Spìd who was well educated himself and he was working at the hay and him saying to me “what are you going to do?” and I said “I have no idea” and he said “it isn’t too late for you yet”. Now, this was the end of July and [I said] “isn’t it?”. “No” he replied so I went and sent away for an application form for Aberdeen University and within two months I was at Aberdeen University.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2011.
[Dòmhnall] Siuthad, innis dhuinn cà’il sin ma-thà? Càite …?
[Coinneach] Col Uarach far an, far an do thogadh mi. Baile a thàinig a-mach à strì às dèidh a’ chiad chogaidh. Bha na raiders ann. ’S e mo sheanair fear dhiubh. Tha … Bha feadhainn aca beò fhathast nuair a bha mise beag. Tha cuimhne agam, dh’ainmichinn dhut ann an seo iad an-dràsta. Tha ... fear a rugadh ’s a thogadh ann am baile far, cha robh dealan againn anns an taigh nuair a bha mi beag, cha robh bùrn againn a’ ruith. Tha cuimhne agam air a’ chiad rathad, rathad teàrr, fhaighinn dhan bhaile. Fhios agad, cha b’ urrainn dha a bhith na bu shìmplidhe bho aon shealladh ach air an làimh eile bha daoine timcheall orm a bha eòlach air feadh an t-saoghail agus dè tha sin a’ ciallachadh? Tha mi a’ creid’ gu bheil thu a’ faighinn togail ann am measg fìor bhunaitean nam freumhan agad. Tha fhios agad càite a bheil iad ach an dèidh sin tha do shùilean ’s dòcha air am fosgladh ’s air an leudachadh le daoine a bha eòlach air iomadh àite air feadh an t-saoghail.
[Dòmhnall] Uill mar a h-uile duine, chaidh thu gu Sgoil Steòrnabhaigh agus chaidh thu ...
[Coinneach] Ò cha robh a h-uile duine a’ dol gu Sgoil Steòrnabhaigh.
[Dòmhnall] Ò cha robh, cha robh, cha robh.
[Coinneach] Cha robh idir.
[Dòmhnall] Cha robh ri do latha-sa!
[Coinneach] Cha robh na mo latha-sa! Chaidh mise a Sgoil Steòrnabhaigh ach ’s ann a chaidh mise a Sgoil a’ Bhac gu an t-seachdamh bliadhna ’s bha againn an uair sin ri dà dheuchainn a shuidhe. Bha agad ri intelligence test a shuidhe agus am qualifying agus tha mi a’ smaoineachadh, bha mu dheich duine fichead tha mi a’ smaoineachadh anns a’ chlas againn, a’ smaoineachadh air an t-seachdamh bhliadhna ann an Sgoil a’ Bhac agus tha mi a’ smaoineachadh gur e sianar againn a fhuair a Sgoil Steòrnabhaigh. Mar sin cha robh mise anns an àrd-sgoil ann an Sgoil a’ Bhac a-riamh.
[Dòmhnall] Bha thu, bha thu … ceann gu leòr ort airson a dhol a Steòrnabhagh.
[Coinneach] Ò chan eil fhios agamsa an robh no nach robh! A-rithist bha mi a’ fàgail a’ mheasaidh a bha sin aig daoine eile.
[Dòmhnall] Uill mheas iad gun robh ’s chaidh thu ann.
[Coinneach] Chaidh.
[Dòmhnall] ’S às an sin chaidh thu gu Oilthigh Obar Dheathain.
[Coinneach] Chaidh.
[Dòmhnall] Nise, tha cuimhne agam thu a bhith ag ràdh rium gur tu a’ chiad duine à Col Uarach a fhuair cead oilthighe. Dè thug ort an ceum sin a ghabhail?
[Coinneach] Cò aige a tha fhios, a Dhòmhnaill. Cha robh, cha robh planaichean mòra mar sin agam. Cha robh, ged a bha ’s dòcha daoine ann a bha a’ feuchainn do stiùireadh cha robh mise a’ dèanamh cus èisteachd ri stiùireadh an uair sin, no ’s dòcha fiù ’s an-diugh fhèin.
[Dòmhnall] Fhathast.
[Coinneach] Ach tha cuimhne agam fhathast a bhith, às dèidh an t-siathamh bhliadhna ’s mi air gu leòr dheuchainnean fhaighinn troimhe airson a dhol dhan oilthigh ’s a-staigh an rathad ris an chanadh iad Calum Spid aig an robh sgoil mhath e fhèin ’s e ag obair air an fheur ’s e a’ cantainn rium “dè tha thu a’ dol a dhèanamh?” ’s thuirt mi “chan eil càil a dh’fhios agam” ’s thuirt e “chan eil e ro anmoch fhathast dhut”. Nise, deireadh an Iuchair a bha seo ’s “nach eil?”. “Chan eil” ars’ esan so dh’fhalbh mi ’s chuir mi air falbh airson foirm-iarrtais airson Oilthigh Obar Dheathain ’s taobh a-staigh dà mhìos bha mi ann an Oilthigh Obar Dheathain.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2011.
[Donald] Go on then, tell us where that is then? Where …?
[Kenny] Upper Coll where, where I was raised. A village that came to be from a battle after the First World War. The raiders were there. My grandfather was one of them. There are … There were some of them still alive when I was little. I remember, I could name them here for you just now. A person who was born and raised in a village where, we didn’t have electricity in the house when I was little, we didn’t have running water. I remember getting the first road, tar road, into the village. You know, it couldn’t have been simpler in one sense but on the other hand I was surrounded by people that knew about the world and what does that mean? I think that you get an upbringing amongst your true roots. You know where they are but even so your eyes are perhaps opened and broadened by people who knew many’s a place throughout the world.
[Donald] Well like everyone, you went to school in Stornoway and you went …
[Kenny] Oh not everyone went to school in Stornoway.
[Donald] Oh no, no, no.
[Kenny] Not at all.
[Donald] Not in your day!
[Kenny] Not in my day! I went to school in Stornoway but I actually went to Back School until primary seven and we then had to sit two exams. You had to sit an intelligence test and the qualifying and I think, there was about thirty people in our class I think, I think in primary seven in Back School and I think that it was six of us that got to school in Stornoway. So I was never in high school in Back School.
[Donald] You were, you were … clever enough to go to Stornoway.
[Kenny] Oh I don’t know if I was or not! Again I left other people to assess that.
[Donald] Well they deemed that you were and you went.
[Kenny] Yes.
[Donald] And from there you went to Aberdeen University.
[Kenny] Yes.
[Donald] Now, I remember you saying to me that you are the first person from Upper Coll that got a university degree. What made to follow that path?
[Kenny] Who knows, Donald. I didn’t have any great plans as such. There wasn’t, although there were people who tried to guide you I didn’t really listen to guidance then, or perhaps even today.
[Donald] Still.
[Kenny] But I still remember being, after sixth year and having passed enough exams to go to university I went into the road that they called Calum Spìd who was well educated himself and he was working at the hay and him saying to me “what are you going to do?” and I said “I have no idea” and he said “it isn’t too late for you yet”. Now, this was the end of July and [I said] “isn’t it?”. “No” he replied so I went and sent away for an application form for Aberdeen University and within two months I was at Aberdeen University.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2011.