An Cùrsa Comais
In the academic year 2024-25 I went to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye to study Gaelic. I did An Cùrsa Comais which is an immersive course taught almost entirely in Gaelic and with a lot of time in the classroom.
Now I've finished the course I wanted to write about my experience of it and also my experience of the college in the hope that I could give some practical information to anyone doing or thinking of doing the course in future. I also wanted to write about it as a way of recording the experience!
Most people when they start the An Cùrsa Comais have done An Cùrsa Inntrigidh which is an online course run by Sabhal Mòr. Some might also have done a Higher in Gaelic and I was quite surprised to find a few had come through Gaelic Medium Education. There was also a new course called An Cùrsa Drochaid which ran for 7 weeks in the summer before I started and was aimed at complete beginners (although in reality not all of the participants were complete beginners). I think I was the only person who had only done Duolingo, a week's short course at Sabhal Mòr in 2023 and the Cearcal Comhraidh with Duncan MacNeil in the Corran Halls every Saturday for about a year and a half.
So I turned up feeling somewhat underprepared, and in fact although I had only had one week of formal teaching, Duolingo stood me in good stead for vocabulary, some of the structures and a bit of a knowledge of the verb tenses. Also I knew how to say quite a few things fairly well (which got me through my interview with Murchadh) but I felt my speaking floundered a bit while I was there (more on that later).
Yes, there is an interview to be accepted onto the course... This was done via Zoom and Murchadh and I chatted for half an hour in Gaelic - I would REALLY love to hear this conversation again because I obviously did well enough to get accepted but I can only really remember talking about the weather, saying I went up mountains and repeating 'tha m' inntinn bàn' (my mind is blank!!) over and over again.
I managed to get a student loan from SAAS, and in early September 2024 I packed my stuff into my friend Beady's car, including many bags of apples which I had picked off my tree that day, and we drove to Torridon for a weekend of hillwalking and then onto Sabhal Mòr where I discovered that I was going to be living in the Tùr. I was pleased about this because it seemed to me the coolest of all the accommodation options. I had heard it was the party place but that wasn't the case while I was there! In fact I learnt later that Floor 4 where I lived and Floor 5 were reserved for mature students! I had a view of the trees and if I craned my neck I could also see the sea. The view from the kitchen was breathtaking though - looking across the Sound of Sleat to the mountains of Knoydart and across to Mallaig and to the left Beinn Sgritheall.
Accommodation
View from the kitchen on the fourth floor of An Tùr
A few practical notes. The kitchens in the Tùr are pretty basic with cupboards, a microwave, a toaster, fridge, small freezer, sink and table. There is no oven or hob so you can't really cook your own food (you aren't supposed to anyway because people who live in the Tùr eat in the canteen). There are basic plates, bowls, cups, glasses and cutlery but some people brought their own. I brought my own cups but that was all. I really like a proper coffee so brought a mini cafetiere and someone else on our floor brought a coffee frother which made a big difference to our lives! If coffee is important to you on a daily basis, bring everything with you if you can!
The bedrooms have a single bed (2 single beds if you're in Block A or B) with the bedding and pillows provided. I am VERY fussy about my pillow so I brought my own. There is ample storage space and a bedside table with a small lamp and a desk with a chair and shelves above. Two things which I didn't bring with me initially, but were essential, were another lamp for the desk and a hairdryer. I also brought a clothes airer later on because I didn't like having to tumble dry my clothes. The rooms are warm enough that things dry quickly.
There is a small laundry room - in the Tùr it is on the ground floor, with 2 washing machines and a tumble dryer. Doing washing was a bit stressful because we could only use the laundry room in the evenings or after 10am on the weekend. It was often hard to find a machine empty and if you left your clothes in the machine even for 5 minutes after the machine had finished someone might well have have taken your clothes out and dumped them somewhere. I took to setting timers and waiting down there for the machines to finish! Also, take your own washing powder/pods/liquid. You can buy pods from the college shop but they are a £1 each.
Other useful things are command hooks for the back of the bathroom door (I hung my washbag on it) and for the back of the wardrobe doors for coats/scarfs etc. I am a hook lover and don't know how people managed without these! Also I took fairy lights which made me feel happy every day. It's a good idea to take a plant too, although we were given emotional support spider plants when we arrived and I really appreciated that!
Otherwise just things you'd expect to need - clothes, toiletries, books, stationery, white tack if you want to put a few cards/photos on your walls. Some people took bedspreads too but I didn't bother. You can buy notebooks, pencils, folders and basic stationary in the college shop as well as books, alcohol, gifts, hoodies and T-shirts, cards, chocolate and crisps etc.
Campus Shop
Food
Shopping is important even if you are being catered for (I had a stash of teas, coffee, oat milk, crisps, chocolate and cereal and usually a bottle of Prosecco). There is a fantastic shop in Armadale (Bùth Armadail) which sells everything you need and also petrol. There is also the Co-op in Broadford which is quite large and there's a big petrol station there too. If you don't have a car, the college runs bus trips there once a week or you will probably find someone who will give you a lift! It takes about 40 minutes to walk to the shop in Armadale from the main campus, either along the road (pavement most of the way) or a path through the trees.
If you decide to take the catered option (most people do) then there are 3 meals a day in the canteen. Breakfast is from 8am -9.30am during the week and between 10am - 12noon on weekends. During the week it is toast, cereals, porridge etc. On weekends there's a cooked breakfast which was one of my highlights of the week!
Lunch is from 12.30pm during the week (no lunch on weekends) and dinner is 5pm to around 6pm. I found that was too early for me, but you do get used to it. Some people had takeaway boxes so they could eat later. The food is VERY good. Always a meat/fish option and a vegetarian option. If you are vegan or coeliac or have any other dietary requirements you will be catered for. Although I am not vegetarian I nearly always had that option (I eat very little meat).
It is a good idea to take the catered option in first year because it is a really good way to get to know people. Sometimes I found all the people and noise a bit overwhelming but on the whole it was a good fun experience.
Transport
My wee car in South Uist (Uibhist a Deas)
When I arrived at Sabhal Mòr I didn't have a car. It is possible to live there without a car, but in fact by Christmas I decided I really did need one as during the winter public transport is scaled back. There is a bus to Broadford but not really often enough to be useful so you would need to get a lift or hire a taxi to get there, where you can catch buses further afield. There is also a train station in Kyle of Lochalsh but likewise that is very difficult to get to without a car. I took a taxi back to campus once on a Saturday and it cost £60. I think it is £50 during the week. There are ferries from Armadale to Mallaig but these are infrequent in winter and not very useful. There is a train from Mallaig to Fort William. I was sometimes able to catch this on a Friday and then a bus to Oban from Fort William, but there was no way back on a Sunday so getting home for the weekend was difficult. I was also aware that when I did my Work Experience in South Uist in the February it would be extremely difficult without a car, especially because you have to vacate your room for 3 weeks while you are away, unless you are working locally and staying on campus.
I also wanted to get out and about and explore the area and go hillwalking so I needed a car for that.
Having said all that people did manage and there is usually someone willing to give you a lift.
Speaking Gaelic on Campus
When I arrived I expected everyone to be speaking Gaelic all the time, and I was VERY nervous about that as my speaking was so limited. It turned out not to be the case. You are strongly encouraged to speak Gaelic but especially at the beginning we rarely did because we were all getting to know each other and there's a limit to how far you can get with people when all you can confidently say is how are you, I live in Oban, I went up a mountain and I have two daughters! As the course went on we did try harder but ultimately we were often so tired after classes that our brains wouldn't co-operate. The classes are almost all in Gaelic and speaking English is discouraged. More on that later!
What to do while you're there
The first week is very busy with lots going on - craft making workshops, visits to the library, I think there was a ceilidh (the campus pub/venue Talla Mhòr was open every night if I remember rightly). After that we mainly made our own entertainment with watching films in the CNO, going swimming at the beach and going out for coffee etc. I also went kayaking one day which was organised by the college and I loved this.
I was already a keen hillwalker when I arrived so it was important for me to meet other people who were also keen and I was really lucky in this respect. The weather was great when we started at Sabhal Mòr and before too long I was doing Ciste Dubh, a Munro in Kintail with 3 really lovely people. The weather wasn't always suitable and people weren't always available so I did quite a lot of walking on my own; walking up all the Marilyns in Sleat and doing Blà Bheinn on a particularly lovely winter's day. I am also a keen sea swimmer and loved that the beach is so close to campus (a 10 minute walk) so we swam all through the year. When the work load became stressful it was really important to clear the head! It was always lovely coming back to my room for a hot shower and cup of tea.
Me at the summit of Blà Bheinn
Portree is the nearest big town with a cinema, climbing wall and lots of lovely shops. I didn't go often though.
There were a few clubs to join - I went to a book club held in the library which I enjoyed, and there was badminton etc. There is also a small gym on campus. As the course goes on you will probably find you have less and less time to do things anyway as it did get quite intense!
There are also opportunitites to go out in the evenings to the EI (a local pub) or other local events in the college bus. We also went to see Wicked in Portree on the bus!
An Cùrsa Comais
An Cùrsa Comais class 2024-5 with one of our teachers, the legend Iain Urchardan. Unfortunately he has now retired.
In 2023-4 there were 7 students doing An Cùrsa Comais. In 2024-5, the year I went, there were 26. This is obviously a massive difference. One of the first things that struck me on the first day was the differences in the speaking abilities of the class. There were a few students who were completely fluent which I wasn't expecting - they had gone through Gaelic Medium Education. There were also a few who had Gaelic in the family so had had more exposure to it. I had been told that everyone would get to the same level at the end of the course, and we would all catch up with the students doing Gàidhlig is Conaltradh (which is the first year course for fluent speakers). This is definitely not the case. On the whole the more ability you have coming in, the better you will be at the end (at speaking anyway). Some people definitely did come on massively with their speaking, and they were generally people who had done a lot of speaking in Gaelic during their work experience - working in a school for example. Or were just really good at picking it up!
Having said that though, my understanding of Gaelic and my knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and pronunciation did improve a lot. I was told by a few people that I needed to stop worrying about getting things wrong when I was speaking, and to just say things to be understood, but I'm afraid my brain doesn't work like that - as I was constantly learning the correct way to express myself it felt really important for me to get it right! I find all too often that my mind just goes blank when I try to speak which is very frustrating. I realise that it will come with practise as long as I keep going!
The structure of the course is Gaelic lessons every morning. Because our class was so large we were split in two, and three mornings a week we did classes in our smaller groups, and the teachers did the same lesson to each class then swapped over. In the afternoons we had pronunciation classes, a class looking at Gaelic literature and classes to do with our work experience.
Modules
Snow at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
As part of An Cùrsa Comais there are two modules that are compulsory - Work Experience and, in the second semester, Saoghal na Gàidhlig (World of Gaelic). There is another module as well, but you have a choice of three. The three module options consist of Music (Ceòl), Language in the Community (Cànan sa Choimhearsnachd), and Literature (Litreachas). To do the music module you need to be already at a high level with singing or playing a musical instrument (or both) and there is an audition to get onto that module. The Language in the Community module consists of trips out on the college bus to places of interest on Skye and then writing up essays and pieces of work afterwards (I didn't do that course so I'm a bit vague on it!).
Both Music, and Language in the Community started in the first semester. I chose the Literature module which starts in the second semester. None of us knew that we would be mixed together with the fluent speakers from the class upstairs and would be expected to give a presentation in Gaelic about poetry, in front of the class, as well as write a 2500 word essay. I do know this now, but I would still choose the module given the choice again. Although absolutely terrifying, managing to do the presentation in front of the whole class (I had to read it off a sheet of paper though) was one of my proudest moments of the year.
Exams
I don't know why but I didn't even know we would have exams! We did have exams. There are two written exams at the end of the first semester (you are allowed to take a dictionary into these) and a speaking one where you have 20 minutes to record a conversation with a friend. I found the speaking one to be the hardest thing of all because as soon as we pressed record my mind went blank and I just made silly mistakes.
In the second semester the workload is really ramped up with two pieces of work to do for each module (including two Powerpoint presentations), another speaking exam the same format as before, Dà Òraid where you write a formal and an informal piece of news and then record yourself reading it out, and three written exams in the final week (again dictionaries are allowed). It was a lot! We all got quite stressed but we got through it, and the relief when we finished was so good! Then it's just a wait for the results.
It is an immersive teaching method and at the beginning of the course I didn't always know what was going on although we were given worksheets every day to look at in class and after class. However by the end I got to the point where I could understand nearly everything fairly effortlessly.
Work Experience
Me and the wonderful Chrissie
Definintely one of the highlights of the course. Our teacher Iain was very good at matching people with the right place. I said I wanted to go to an island and was offered to work at Ceòlas in South Uist (Uibhist a Deas). I stayed with a wonderful woman called Chrissie and it was just three weeks of laughs and eating staying with her! I also took advantage of being in South Uist to explore the area, walking up 4 Marilyns (hills with a prominence of at least 500 feet) and wandering along the beaches. We had a lot of strong wind (bha i garbh!) and sometimes I could hardly open the car door. Everyone was very welcoming at Ceòlas but I found it very hard to speak Gaelic there - again my mind just kept going blank! Please bear in mind that you have to vacate your room at Sabhal Mòr for the three weeks of Work Experience. I just took everything with me.
Speaking Gaelic
One of the main problems I had with the course is the lack of structured speaking classes. We did have classes where converstations were encouraged (we had to speak about what we did at the weekend or a programme we had watched on BBC Alba, or ask questions to fellow students) and this was good for confidence in speaking in front of the class, but I can't say I learnt much from it. I have the kind of brain where I want someone to test me, get me to reply to questions using the correct version of the verb, use repetition, drum it into me! Also see where I was struggling (I'm not the only one to struggle with what tense of 'that' I need to use, or the little connecting words and phrases, or which version of 'to' to use; gu or do or a or chun or dhan or don etc (msaa)). Some of us set up an evening group where we would turn over a word written on a piece of paper and then have to speak about it for a minute without pausing or worrying about the grammar, and that was fun but we needed more.
There is a conversation group on a Monday evening but that didn't suit me because it was unstructured and I just ended up saying the same introductory things about myself over and over again. I found my speaking was best when I was making up a story because my brain was so distracted as to what would come next that it forgot to panic! Likewise in class I preferred it when we were able to work on our own quietly and maybe write a story or an article. Luckily I sat next to Freya and she was exactly the same so although we were supposed to work with our neighbours we soon learnt that we worked better alone! I needed time to absorb. I am very interested in the way people learn and it is definitely not the same for everyone. I want to explore this more and I need to work out what would help me and others like me. A lot of people thrived but I felt more and more that my speaking was getting worse and because we weren't supposed to speak English in class I just ended up being quiet! The point of expectation is an interesting one because I found some people much easier to speak to than others, again I think perhaps that I didn't want people to think I was a failure because I should be better by now! And being away from the college I am now someone who has a lot more Gaelic than most people and I need to be proud (moiteil) of this fact!
Being a Mature Student
Me at the summit of Bruach na Frithe with the Cuillin mountains behind me
I was 56 when I started An Cùrsa Comais and was the oldest student in the class. The next oldest was a year or two younger than me so we were able to get some of Murchadh's historical references (to do with popular culture from when we were young mostly!) There were a couple of people in their thirties, lots in their twenties and a lot of school leavers. I can honestly say that my age didn't really seem to make much difference. Once we all got to know each other we made friends based on personality not age. There are a fair few other mature students there too in other years. In some ways being a mature student is easier because we had our own homes/jobs etc. Some students didn't have a home to go back to which made it hard when the college was closed/we had to vacate our rooms for the Work Experience. It was definitely the right time for me to go as my children are grown up and apart from my plants I have no responsibilities!
Working at the College
I was lucky that I already had a job as a web designer which I was able to continue at the college (although at times I just didn't have time for it!), but that brought in some extra money. Some students got jobs working in the kitchen, or the library (you need to be pretty fluent for the library) or cleaning and there were also a couple of students working as part time caretakers.
Having Guests to Stay
This was a very pleasant surprise - the college make it very easy to have people to stay, providing a mattress, pillow and bedding for £10 per night. This is only needed in the Tùr and Bloc C as there are two beds in Blocs A & B. They can also eat in the canteen and pay (the prices are very competitive).
Highlights
Freya, me and Eve (and Piseag) dressing up. Thanks to Eve for the Polaroid!
So many highlights! The place itself (Sleit) is beautiful in its own right but the more dramatic parts of Skye are also not far away, as well as the mountainous areas on the mainland. When I look back on the year I remember sunrises and sunsets, moon rises over the mountains, the Northern Lights (Na Fir-chlis), swimming, sledding, friendships, fairy lights and blankets and 80s videos in the CNO, Valtos in Broadford village hall, watching Wicked with boxes of popcorn in Portree, coffee in Armadale Castle cafe, kayaking, wild garlic and bluebells, dressing up for halloween (I was a mermaid), bonfire night at the E.I. when we missed the fireworks and they put the bonfire out, coffee at Deli Gasta after a walk in the rain and steaming gently (in fact lots of coffees at Deli Gasta), Flora coming to stay, laughing at Murchadh's endless jokes, fish and chip night in the canteen, weekend fry ups and so much more!
Would I Do it Again?
Some of the lovely friends I made on the course! This was after our last exam on the beach...
Yes I would, without reservation. It was a lot harder than I was expecting academically and in terms of having to give presentations and the pressure of exams, but I liked stretching myself and it was very good for me to have some time away from my normal routine. Also I came out at the end feeling like someone had given me a key to unlock the code of another language - I don't think I could have got to this stage left to my own devices. It is a beautiful but very difficult language to learn properly for an English speaker as the grammar is very different from English. It's been a couple of months since I finished the course now and I am finding that although I am not speaking it much at the moment, it seems to be settling in my brain and the panic of speaking isn't so bad. I think perhaps that when I left the course I felt a huge expectation that after 9 months away people would expect me to be better at speaking, but that feeling is fading and I can chat away reasonably well, putting in the odd English word if I get stuck.
Anyway I am going back for second year! Everyone says that it is much less intense and that it's good for really establishing the grammar in your brain. I am hopeful that another year is just what I need to get to the level of fluency that I want.... Watch this space!
If you want more information about An Cùrsa Comais or any other course run by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, you can visit their website »
Tha mi duilich nach do sgrìobh mi am blog seo anns a' Ghàidhlig. Chan eil mi misneachail gu leòr aig an àm seo ach sgrìobhaidh mi e sa Ghàidhlig a dh’aithghearr!
