[Hugh Dan] Camanachd – gur roghainn spòrs e e, Càit a bheil coimeas ris san Eòrpa? Mar a thuirt am bàrd. Uill cha robh cus camanachd anns na Hearadh far am buineadh an teaghlach againne ach ’s ann an seo air Sràid Glenkingie, an Caol a’ Ghearastain, a thogadh mi. Fhuair mi mo chiad chaman bho fhear a bha càirdeach dhomh, Niall MacIllFhinnein, a bha a’ fuireach air an aon shràid.
[Hugh Dan] Tha mo mhàthair an-diugh air gluasad bhon t-seann dhachaigh gu Inbhir Lòchaidh.
[Hugh Dan] A bheil sibh a-staigh?
[Màthair Hugh Dan] Nach tu tha dèanamh strainnsear dhìot fhèin.
[Hugh Dan] Chan eil. Thig a-mach. Càit’ a bheil thu? Tha thu sin. Ciamar a tha thu?
[Hugh Dan] Tha deagh chuimhne aicese air mo chiad cheumannan le caman.
[Hugh Dan] An e sin a’ chiad caman a bh’ agam ge-tà?
[Màthair Hugh Dan] ’S e sin a’ chiad chaman a fhuair thu riamh.
[Hugh Dan] ’S co às a thàinig sin?
[Màthair Hugh Dan] Bha Niall an sàs anns a’ chamanachd. Ach chan fhaigheadh tu de cheannach caman an uair sin, ged a dheigheadh tu air do bheul fodhad, air m’ onair chan fhaigheadh agus bha Niall, thachair gun robh e aige, is ghabh e thruas agus sgreamh dhìotsa anns an èiginn anns an robh thu agus dh’fhalbh e dhachaigh is thàinig e leis an siud is chuir e do smiogaid air mullach a’ mhaide
[Hugh Dan] Ach bha sin fada ro mhòr. Dè thachair an uair sin? Cha b’ urrainn dhomh cluich leis an siud.
[Màthair Hugh Dan] Thug e pìos eile dheth. Bhiodh tu a’ falbh às dèidh a h-uile duine aig am faiceadh tu bata, ’s g’ e b’ e clach no buntàta bha thu a’ toirt slaic dha leis an sin. ’S bha Niall an uair sin a’ gabhail a leithid de thàmailt nach robh fear ceart agad.
[Hugh Dan] Dè cho tric ’s a bhitheamaid a’ cluich camanachd, ma-thà?
[Màthair Hugh Dan] Ò, bha sibh a’ dol a-mach air an rathad mhòr siud fad an t-siubhail. Cha robh an còrr ann a bhiodh sibh a’ dèanamh.
[Hugh Dan] Cha robh - fhad ’s is fhiosrach mi – cus ùidh aig m’ athair ann an camanachd. Rè ùine, bha ùidh gu leòr aig mo mhàthair ann ’s i a’ toirt rabhadh dhomh a h-uile turas a bhithinn a’ falbh, a bhith falbh le drathais ghlan orm gun fhios nach landainn anns an ospadal an oidhche sin ’s mi air mo ghoirteachadh. Sin an saoghal a bh’ againn ann an Caol a’ Ghearastain aig an àm sin ’s cha robh ann ach ceum an rathaid às an seo gu bhith cluich bho moch gu dubh ann am pàirc na sgoile, ceum an rathaid air falbh. Bha mi tòrr na bu shùbailte anns na làithean sin na tha mi an-diugh.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Lean gu Dlùth, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2009.
[Hugh Dan] “Shinty – the choice of sports. Where is anything like it in Europe?” As the bard said. Well there wasn’t much shinty in Harris – where my family come from – but it was here on Glenkingie Street in Fort William that I was brought up. I got my first shinty stick from Niall MacLennan, a relation who lived on the same street.
[Hugh Dan] My mother has since moved from the old house to Inverlochy.
[Hugh Dan] Are you in?
[Mrs MacLennan] Aren’t you making a stranger of yourself!
[Hugh Dan] I’m not. Come out. Where are you? You’re there. How are you?
[Hugh Dan] She remembers my first steps into shinty well.
[Hugh Dan] Was that the first shinty stick I had, though?
[Mrs MacLennan] Yes. That’s the first one you ever had.
[Hugh Dan] And where did that come from?
[Mrs MacLennan] Niall was involved with shinty but you couldn’t buy sticks back then supposing you begged – trust me, you couldn’t. Niall happened to have one and he felt sorry for you and pitied the situation you were in so he went home and came back with that and stuck the stick under your chin.
[Hugh Dan] But that was far too big. What happened after that? I couldn’t play with that.
[Mrs MacLennan] He took another bit off it. You would be chasing after everyone you saw with a stick and be it a stone or a potato, you would give it a whack. Niall was embarrassed you didn’t have a proper one.
[Hugh Dan] How often did I play shinty then?
[Mrs MacLennan] Oh, you went out on that big road all the time. You didn’t do anything else.
[Hugh Dan] As far as I’m aware, my dad didn’t have much of an interest in shinty. After a while, though, my mum did. Every time I went to play she would warn me to make sure I had clean underwear on in case I ended up in hospital that night. That’s the world we lived in in Fort William, just a stone’s throw away from the school pitch where we played from dawn until dusk. I was a lot more supple then than I am now.
This programme, Lean gu Dlùth, was first broadcast in 2009.
[Hugh Dan] Camanachd – gur roghainn spòrs e e, Càit a bheil coimeas ris san Eòrpa? Mar a thuirt am bàrd. Uill cha robh cus camanachd anns na Hearadh far am buineadh an teaghlach againne ach ’s ann an seo air Sràid Glenkingie, an Caol a’ Ghearastain, a thogadh mi. Fhuair mi mo chiad chaman bho fhear a bha càirdeach dhomh, Niall MacIllFhinnein, a bha a’ fuireach air an aon shràid.
[Hugh Dan] Tha mo mhàthair an-diugh air gluasad bhon t-seann dhachaigh gu Inbhir Lòchaidh.
[Hugh Dan] A bheil sibh a-staigh?
[Màthair Hugh Dan] Nach tu tha dèanamh strainnsear dhìot fhèin.
[Hugh Dan] Chan eil. Thig a-mach. Càit’ a bheil thu? Tha thu sin. Ciamar a tha thu?
[Hugh Dan] Tha deagh chuimhne aicese air mo chiad cheumannan le caman.
[Hugh Dan] An e sin a’ chiad caman a bh’ agam ge-tà?
[Màthair Hugh Dan] ’S e sin a’ chiad chaman a fhuair thu riamh.
[Hugh Dan] ’S co às a thàinig sin?
[Màthair Hugh Dan] Bha Niall an sàs anns a’ chamanachd. Ach chan fhaigheadh tu de cheannach caman an uair sin, ged a dheigheadh tu air do bheul fodhad, air m’ onair chan fhaigheadh agus bha Niall, thachair gun robh e aige, is ghabh e thruas agus sgreamh dhìotsa anns an èiginn anns an robh thu agus dh’fhalbh e dhachaigh is thàinig e leis an siud is chuir e do smiogaid air mullach a’ mhaide
[Hugh Dan] Ach bha sin fada ro mhòr. Dè thachair an uair sin? Cha b’ urrainn dhomh cluich leis an siud.
[Màthair Hugh Dan] Thug e pìos eile dheth. Bhiodh tu a’ falbh às dèidh a h-uile duine aig am faiceadh tu bata, ’s g’ e b’ e clach no buntàta bha thu a’ toirt slaic dha leis an sin. ’S bha Niall an uair sin a’ gabhail a leithid de thàmailt nach robh fear ceart agad.
[Hugh Dan] Dè cho tric ’s a bhitheamaid a’ cluich camanachd, ma-thà?
[Màthair Hugh Dan] Ò, bha sibh a’ dol a-mach air an rathad mhòr siud fad an t-siubhail. Cha robh an còrr ann a bhiodh sibh a’ dèanamh.
[Hugh Dan] Cha robh - fhad ’s is fhiosrach mi – cus ùidh aig m’ athair ann an camanachd. Rè ùine, bha ùidh gu leòr aig mo mhàthair ann ’s i a’ toirt rabhadh dhomh a h-uile turas a bhithinn a’ falbh, a bhith falbh le drathais ghlan orm gun fhios nach landainn anns an ospadal an oidhche sin ’s mi air mo ghoirteachadh. Sin an saoghal a bh’ againn ann an Caol a’ Ghearastain aig an àm sin ’s cha robh ann ach ceum an rathaid às an seo gu bhith cluich bho moch gu dubh ann am pàirc na sgoile, ceum an rathaid air falbh. Bha mi tòrr na bu shùbailte anns na làithean sin na tha mi an-diugh.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Lean gu Dlùth, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2009.
[Hugh Dan] “Shinty – the choice of sports. Where is anything like it in Europe?” As the bard said. Well there wasn’t much shinty in Harris – where my family come from – but it was here on Glenkingie Street in Fort William that I was brought up. I got my first shinty stick from Niall MacLennan, a relation who lived on the same street.
[Hugh Dan] My mother has since moved from the old house to Inverlochy.
[Hugh Dan] Are you in?
[Mrs MacLennan] Aren’t you making a stranger of yourself!
[Hugh Dan] I’m not. Come out. Where are you? You’re there. How are you?
[Hugh Dan] She remembers my first steps into shinty well.
[Hugh Dan] Was that the first shinty stick I had, though?
[Mrs MacLennan] Yes. That’s the first one you ever had.
[Hugh Dan] And where did that come from?
[Mrs MacLennan] Niall was involved with shinty but you couldn’t buy sticks back then supposing you begged – trust me, you couldn’t. Niall happened to have one and he felt sorry for you and pitied the situation you were in so he went home and came back with that and stuck the stick under your chin.
[Hugh Dan] But that was far too big. What happened after that? I couldn’t play with that.
[Mrs MacLennan] He took another bit off it. You would be chasing after everyone you saw with a stick and be it a stone or a potato, you would give it a whack. Niall was embarrassed you didn’t have a proper one.
[Hugh Dan] How often did I play shinty then?
[Mrs MacLennan] Oh, you went out on that big road all the time. You didn’t do anything else.
[Hugh Dan] As far as I’m aware, my dad didn’t have much of an interest in shinty. After a while, though, my mum did. Every time I went to play she would warn me to make sure I had clean underwear on in case I ended up in hospital that night. That’s the world we lived in in Fort William, just a stone’s throw away from the school pitch where we played from dawn until dusk. I was a lot more supple then than I am now.
This programme, Lean gu Dlùth, was first broadcast in 2009.