Siar agus Aniar 4
We went to a mini trad session with the children at Scoil Mhic Dara.
Amongst other activities, I actually played a couple of tunes with a couple of great musicians and about 10 children. I was not even at children’s level! And, because I am so reknown as a singer, I was insanely moved to sing “M’en allant à Saulnierville Station” and “Vivre à la Baie”!
The kids seemed to love the story about “M’en allant à Saulnierville Station” – what’s not to love… exploding gas tanks and all! My fiddling is rusty but I did it because the entire adventure about Siar agus Aniar is about me growing and pushing myself. Joanne did 3 great Gàidhlig songs. Some of the children got up and did some Irish dancing and sean-nós dancing.
What absolutely caused my heart to melt was when they all sang the song Cailleach an Airgid (also know as Sí do Mhaimeó í which is about a grandmother who spent all her money gambling!) Being in a room with 100 children with such cultural confidence filled my heart with joy.
l experience linguistic insecurity when…
- l don’t dare take risks because l don’t know how to express myself properly.
- l don’t dare speak because l feel judged.
- I am convinced I will never become fully proficient in my second official language.
- My perfectionist nature and anxiety don’t allow me to make mistakes.
- l am more concerned with proving rather than improving my linguistic performance.
- https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/tools/jobaids/linguistic-insecurity-eng.aspx
We talk alot about linguistic insecurity in Acadian circles. The truth is that as Acadians, we are often caught between an oral, traditional culture and a modern global western culture. We stumble with insecurity between the two but really trip up when it comes to integrating that culture into a modern context. Thus, we feel insecure. Watching bright eyed and rosy cheeked children singing a traditional song was amazing. Watching the young boy of about 10 years old do a sean-nós dance whilst wearing sneakers was also a beautiful image of how traditions move into the future.
Have a listen to the song!
Cumann an Ghleanna 
Wow, sounds like a grand adventure complete with learning, sharing and getting in touch with roots oth foreign and local. Perhaps, though, there is no significsnt difference, distance aside.
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