If you would like to learn about how the symbiosis of Gaelic language and landscape operates in its natural context, please join CHARTS Gaelic Culture Officer Àdhamh Ó Broin in Argyll around Beltane to visit sacred spots, make offerings to the land and explore simple ritual practice.

‘Dùthchas Beò, Revitalising Reciprocity With The Gaelic Landscape’ will address themes of living indigeneity, what Gaelic ceremonial practice can look like, and whether land-based ritual has a practical application in today's world, reprising May 2024’s event supported by The Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network.

This interactive session will be led by CHARTS Gaelic Culture Officer Àdhamh Ó Broin, a tradition-bearer and activist who has spent 15 years reclaiming and revitalising the native language and lore of Central Argyll and embodying its value system, bringing his children up as first-language Argyll Gaelic speakers.

At the end of the session, Zoë Prosser from the Glasgow School of Art will invite you to engage in a short creative reflective activity. This will contribute to a wider project about the future of reciprocity with land across Scotland. This will be followed by a chance to break bread and share thoughts after the event at the George Hotel in Inveraray.

Bithidh fàilte chridheil romhaibh!

(A hearty welcome awaits)

Adgenda

11.00am meet at Loch Coille Bharr Car Park.

11.05am walk to Kilmory Oib in Knapdale

4.00pm finish at Kilmory Oib

4.00pm onwards breaking bread at the George Hotel. Please note that this is optional. If you wish to eat with us, please bring cash or a card to pay at the George Hotel.

What you will need

Due to the geographical situation of this event, transport by car is required. We encourage car sharing where possible.
Please note that Dùthchas Beò will take place outside; we suggest waterproof clothing and shoes. Please dress for all seasons and bring a towel and change of socks, as some activities may be performed barefoot to foster a connection with nature.
Please also bring something to offer to the land. Ideally, this should be food or drink, certainly perishable, and, importantly, something that you would otherwise have enjoyed. This will be offered during the day. Please also bring a receptacle to gather water.
The event will run for approximately 5 hours at Kilmory Oib in Knapdale, and you may wish to bring something to eat for lunchtime. Àdhamh will be fasting until the end of the event for spiritual connection, but this is not a requirement unless you would prefer to do so.

About Àdhamh Ó Broin

Over the last decade, Àdhamh has had the privilege of stepping into ceremony with dozens of guests from all around the indigenous world; the Maori of New Zealand, the Mohawk of Six Nations Ontario and the Karajá of Brazil's Amazon Rainforest, to name but a few! These experiences have assisted and inspired the process of re-establishing a working, reciprocal relationship with the land whose dialect, Àdhamh, has diligently retrieved from extinction through long hours spent with the last of the area's native Gaelic-speaking elders.

This event is supported by The School of Innovation and Technology at Glasgow School of Art as part of (Re)Designing Landscape Stewardship, which is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Future Observatory. The project is led by Dr Michael Pierre Johnson and Zoë Prosser, Research Fellows at The School of Innovation and Technology at Glasgow School of Art.

CHARTS Oifigear Cultair Ghàidhlig is funded by Bòrd na Gàidhlig and supported by Argyll and Bute Council.

Dùthchas Beò, Revitalising Reciprocity With The Gaelic Landscape