Sruth

sruth@globalceilidh.com

              27 · Cèit · 2026 · Nº 006
            

A daily current for the Scottish Gael — and anyone eavesdropping.

Fàilte

Fàilte air ais, a chàirdean.

By now you've probably noticed that sruth. has developed a slight identity problem. We set out to build a respectable daily current of Gàidhlig news, culture, music, and learning and somewhere along the way, someone left the gate open and our collection of ne'er-do-wells agus na mì-rùnaich wandered into the newsroom.

So before the lawyers arrive, we'd like to apologize. well... not really. Sorry - not sorry covers it... enjoy!

First comes Aimhreit Ghlic — satire, sketches, parody adverts, and the sort of Gaelic mischief that seems sensible right up until somebody explains it.

Then there are Na Sàraichean.

Meet Iain MacSàrachadh agus Fionnag NicSàrachadh... Na Sàraichean: a black-and-white couple stranded in a Technicolor world. They love each other to the point they can't stand to be around each other.

— The Editors
(currently trying very hard to lock that gate to minimize the damage. Càit a bheil a' ghlas?

pssst... Be sure to foward sruth. to a friend. Maybe 2? How 'bout 3? Oh, just forward to your whole contact list... they'll all thank you!

pssst... pssst... (no we haven't sprung a leak!) Send some feedback our way as well. Suggestions? Comments, Concerns? Let's have it. We have big shoulders! Hey - it's a condition. Quit with the body shaming already!

Peas!

Check it out

This Week

Podcast

Barrachd Fiosrachaidh — Coin Barrachd Fiosrachaidh — Coin Sgrìobhte agus air a dhèanamh le Àdhamh Lees (Gàidhlig)

Feumaidh sinn a bhith onarach. When the episode opened with a tractor turning over, bha sinn deiseil. Hands on knees, lung capacity checked, fully prepared to break into a rousing chorus of Einnsean, Tractar agus Bhann in the full spiorad of Dotaman. Bha sinn air rehearsadh. Bha sinn dealasach.

Ach - bha an cuspair mu dheidhinn coin.

Gu dearbh. Coin. Not tractors. Not vans. Not einnsean. Coin.

A-nis — full disclosure. Tha sinn eòlach air Àdhamh. He's a cabadaich acquaintance from way back through Colaiste na Gàidhlig. Tha Àdhamh air a bhith na fhear-ionnsachaidh Gàidhlig glè inntinneach — one of the most genuinely interesting ones we've encountered in all our years of bumbling around this cànan.
What makes Àdhamh remarkable is that dh'ionnsaich e a fhuaimneachadh le bhith a' leughadh Am Bìoball os àird. Air camara. Air YouTube. Which is either the bravest or the most unhinged approach to ionnsachadh cànain we've ever witnessed. Possibly both. Go find those videos if they're still out there. Glè inntinneach gu dearbh.

Tha Barrachd Fiosrachaidh air a bhith ga dhèanamh fad còrr is bliadhna, agus tha sin ri fhaicinn — not in a labored way, but in the way that something carefully tended shows. The production is clean, the Gàidhlig is accessible, and the subject matter is warm and càirdeil. Dìreach mar an creutair fhèin.
Ma tha na ciad dà episod nan comharra air an àite sam bi seo a' dol — tha e a' dol gu àite math. Tha Àdhamh air rudeigin luachmhor a thogail.
Ach tha aon cheist fhathast gun fhreagairt:
Ciamar a bhios tu ag ràdh Chihuahua sa Ghàidhlig?

Meal do naidheachd, Àdhamh. Éist ris — tha e airidh air gach mionaid.

Podcast

Michelle Learns Gàidhlig Le Michelle Hughes (English... mostly)

We'll be honest — we knew Michelle before her podcast fame as well. We met her at the NYC Tartan Week Mòd in 2025, back when she was just another person standing in a room full of people pretending they understood more Gàidhlig than they actually did. Tha sinn uile air sin a dhèanamh. We've all done it, but Michelle pulled it off. She has an incredible signing voice and were it not for half of Oban showing up to steal the show, she had the blue ribbon in the bag.

Here's what you need to know about Michelle Hughes: she's a linguist. International studies. Speaks Japanese. Speaks Korean. Fluent in languages that make Gàidhlig lenition look like a light warm-up exercise. And then — mar a thachair — a Julie Fowlis song happened. Gu dearbh. One song. And now here we are.
That same summer of 2025, Michelle walked away with the top award at the National Mòd at Grandfather Mountain for Spoken Verse. Chan eil sin dona idir. Not bad at all.

Michelle Learns Gàidhlig covers the basics of ionnsachadh na Gàidhlig with refreshing honesty — the need for bogadh (immersion), the trials and tribulations of Duolingo (ugh — we said it, she said it, we're all saying it), and something that doesn't get discussed nearly enough in language learning circles: navigating all of this with ADHD.

Tha sinn a' tuigsinn, a Mhìchelle. Tha sinn uile sgapte. We feel you. We are absolutely all over the place as well. Always have been. The fact that we're attempting a language with fourteen irregular verbs, four cases, and consonants that vanish depending on grammatical mood is frankly a cry for help dressed up as cultural reclamation.
Ach sin mar a tha.

Follow the link. Start from the beginning. Na caill facal. You don't want to miss a word.

Meal do naidheachd, a Mhìchelle. Julie Fowlis would be proud.

Podcast

Na Big Gaels — Samhradh, Samhradh, Samhradh!

Tha na Big Gaels air ais. Taing do Dhia.

Summer is coming. The Big Gaels know it. You know it. And in the finest tradition of people who have opinions about sunshine, festivals, and exactly where to find the best pinnt in a hidden gem of a location — they have thoughts. Many thoughts. Loudly expressed thoughts. In both Beurla and Gàidhlig, sometimes in the same sentence.

Sin mar a tha. Tha sinn uile mar sin.

This is twenty minutes of pure, unfiltered samhradh energy. Fèisean-ciùil. Hidden gems. Cold pints in warm sunshine. Two Big Gaels planning their summers with the enthusiasm of people who have been waiting through a very long, very grey geamhradh and are absolutely done with it. Tha sinn dèidheil air an t-samhradh. Gu dearbh fhèin.

No agenda. No lenition anxiety. No tuiseal ginideach. Just laughter — the kind that goes from clàr-aodann gu clàr-aodann. Ear to ear. Wall to wall.

Twenty minutes. A grin guaranteed. No refunds if you speak Gàidhlig better afterward.

Éist ris. Now. Carson a tha thu fhathast an seo?

Na Sàraichean

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Facal an Là

What's Going On at GlobalCeilidh.com

A First Look — Just for Sruth Readers

Meet Ealasaid MacArthur and Fergus

Every sgioba (crew) has that one person who treats a trip to the supermarket like Paris Fashion Week. In Cros-Rathaid, that's Ealasaid MacArthur.

Born in New Jersey, living in Manhattan, and spiritually residing somewhere between Edinburgh, Balmoral, and a very expensive department store, Ealasaid firmly believes Scotland got almost everything right and the rest of the world has simply been making do ever since. If it's tartan, tweed, cashmere, single malt, or comes with a clan crest, she's interested. If it's not Scottish... well, you've probably heard the rest.

A Drexel-trained designer with impeccable taste and absolutely no reluctance to share it, Ealasaid can identify a fabric at twenty paces, redesign your sitting room before your tea arrives, and somehow leave you questioning every decorating decision you've made since primary school. Ask her opinion if you're brave. Ask twice if you're a gaisgeach (hero).

Fortunately, she's rarely alone.

Enter Fergus.

Part West Highland Terrier, part security system, part unsolicited life coach, Fergus accompanies Ealasaid everywhere. He is entirely convinced he owns Manhattan and merely allows the rest of us to remain there. His hobbies include judging strangers, inspecting handbags, and maintaining strict standards of public behaviour. Like many Highlanders, he has strong opinions and sees no reason to keep them to himself.

Together they're a formidable pair. Ealasaid delivers razor-sharp observations in flawless Gàidhlig. Fergus provides silent commentary from below knee height. Between them they've never met a social situation they couldn't improve—or a person they couldn't politely terrify.

You'll be seeing plenty of both of them at Scancy's. Whether Scancy's is ready for them remains very much an unanswered question. Slàinte mhath.

Ealasaid s Fergus

Parting Shot

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