New Gaelic Song CD for Children

Tobar an Dualchais has launched a CD of Gaelic songs and rhymes suitable for young children. For the CD, entitled ‘Seinnibh Còmhla Rinn’ (Sing with Us), TAD has curated some of the best material for children from its website. The CD and accompanying booklet promises to be a fantastic educational resource for Gaelic school and nursery children across the country.

New versions of the songs were recorded by three groups of school children: Gaelic-medium pupils at Plockton Primary School; Còisir na h-Òige BSGI (the Inverness Gaelic Primary School choir); and four pupils who attend Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu (Glasgow Gaelic School).

Flòraidh Forrest, TAD’s Director, commented: “It has been a pleasure to engage with pupils in Gaelic-medium education to make the CD and we really appreciate the efforts of the teachers and children who have been involved. Some of the songs and rhymes on the CD are well known but others won’t be so familiar to children, so it’s great that they get the opportunity to learn these, and hopefully one day pass them on to their own families.

In addition to the 20 songs performed by school pupils, the original versions also appear on the CD. Most of the original recordings on the CD were made in the 1950s and 60s in people’s homes across the Highlands and Islands.

The CDs were funded with assistance from Bòrd na Gàidhlig and are being distributed to Gaelic-medium toddler groups, playgroups, pre-school groups and primary schools across Scotland.

Barbara Smith, a Gaelic-medium teacher at Plockton Primary School, added: “It has been a great experience for the children to record songs for the CD and they were very excited to listen to the recordings of themselves. The pupils put a lot of work into learning the songs and it’s great to hear the results. We hope that it will be a valuable resource for other children and that the various groups who use the CD will enjoy it just as much as we have enjoyed taking part.”