Gàidhlig / English
Mac-Talla: Camanachd ann an Lunnainn

Mac-Talla: Camanachd ann an Lunnainn

Posted by Andrew on Monday 8 August 2016
Gaels have gone all over the world in the last three centuries, and where they migrated to they took their language and culture along with them. That’s how we have a Canadian Gaelic newspaper, Mac-Talla, and in the pages of that paper we get numerous insights of how Gaelic culture spread in every place they ended up. In this article from 1893, a Gael in London going by the name of ‘Cabar-Feidh’ sends word about the Gaels of that city playing the ancient Gaelic sport, shinty, and having a big ceilidh afterwards:
 
SHINTY IN LONDON.
 
Connected to the revival that is happening to everything Gaelic, there is every likelihood that the ancient game of Shinty will be promoted to the first place among the Gaelic games, and the astonishing thing is that it ever lost that place, for I do not know of any other game which is so suitable for putting every part of the body to use. There is more than enough work for the hands, the feet, the body, and the eyes, and anyone who is lacking in one of these should not expect to prosper in this game. We had a big day of it in this city last Friday, when there was a friendly struggle between two clubs: - “The North London Shinty Club” (which I spoke of briefly a few weeks ago) and “The London Scots Shinty Club.” The latter club had only recently been formed and as such this was the first match of this kind that was ever seen in London. Fifteen men played on each side and played for an hour and a half.
 
They had not been playing long when it could be seen that the best of the day would be had by the old club. Although they didn’t look as strong and heavy as their opponents they were lively, fast, and so good at passing the ball from one man to the next that they hardly gave the other team a chance to get near the goal posts. They had the upper hand all the while and when the whistle was blown at full time they had scored five times without the others having managed the same at all. As such the win went to the North London Club with five goals. A large crowd gathered to see the match and it was plain to see that most of them were Gaels, for they could be heard on each side greeting each other in the old language or shouting at a particular player “Hit it boy, good on you” or other words of that kind. Seven pipers were on the field and when the game was over they struck up and led the crowd to a large hall where a dinner was prepared, and a merry night was spent there with Gaelic dancing and songs. Everything was done civilly, happily with the day’s work.
 
Long live the ancient customs of our fathers.
 
CABAR-FEIDH.
 
London April 4th 1893
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