[Dòmhnall] Mòideart, dè seòrsa sgìre a bha sin nuair a bha sibh ag èirigh suas, Fergie? Sgìre gu math Gàidhealach tha fhios.
[Fergie] Ò aidh, nuair a bha mise òg ann am Mòideart bha na ratios … dh’abrainn-sa na daoine a bha a’ bruidhinn Gàidhlig, bhiodh e mu ninty five …
[Dòmhnall] Às a’ cheud.
[Fergie] Às a’ cheud. An-diugh bhiodh tu fortanach ma tha còig!
[Dòmhnall] Atharrachadh mòr.
[Fergie] Ò atharrachadh, atharrachadh mòr.
[Dòmhnall] Agus an robh, tha fhios gun robh ceòl ’s òrain ’s dannsa gu leòr a’ dol an uair sin.
[Fergie] Bha. Bha na dannsaichean a bh’ againn, bha iad anns an talla aig Mingearaidh agus Àth Tharracail agus bha, ’s e ceòl Gàidhealach a bh’ ann air fad, fad na h-ùine. Bha band uamhraidh math anns an àite aig an àm ud, Roshven Ceilidh Band, Fearchar MacRath agus a chòmhlan, agus sin agad an rud a thug dhòmhsa an impetus airson tòiseachadh.
[Dòmhnall] Agus an robh sibh, am biodh sibh ag èisteachd ri ceòl air an rèidio ’s eile?
[Fergie] Ò bha. Bha, bha, bha dance music ann aig an àm sin cuideachd agus, ach cha b’ urrainn dhuinn fhaighinn idir leis na monaidhean agus a h-uile sìon mun cuairt oirnn, ach bha, chan eil fhios a’m dè a’ Ghàidhlig a th’ air seo, freak of nature. Bha direct line ann bho Rèidio Èireann.
[Dòmhnall] Às Èirinn?
[Fergie] Aidh. Agus bha mise, bha mi ag èisteachd ris a’ cheòl sin fad na h-ùine agus bha e a’ còrdadh uamhraidh rium a chionn bha meall dheth coltach ris a’ cheòl againn fhìn.
[Dòmhnall] Seadh gu dearbh.
[Fergie] Bha.
[Dòmhnall] ’S cuin a fhuair sibh a’ chiad bhogsa?
[Fergie] Uill bha mi aig an taigh. Bha na sùilean agam, bha conjunctivitis agam agus fhuair m’ athair, Seonaidh, fhuair e am bogsa beag a bha seo bho Forbes, J T Forbes Perth. Agus tha cuimhne agam bha, deich notaichean a bha e agus bha e ga phàigheadh a h-uile mìos, deich tastain a h-uile mìos, agus ’s e meall airgid a bha sin a chionn ’s e post a bh’ ann agus dh’abrainn-sa bha am pàigheadh a bh’ aige a h-uile seachdain bhiodh e mu thrì notaichean. That was it.
[Dòmhnall] ’S bha sibh an sàs anns an t-saoghal ciùil Ghàidhealaich a bha sin ma-tha ’s tòiseachadh a’ dol an sàs …
[Fergie] Ò bha.
[Dòmhnall] ’S geamaichean Gàidhealach cuideachd. Ciamar a chaidh sibh an sàs anns na geamaichean?
[Fergie] Uill bha mi ann an Sgoil Àrd a’ Ghearstain, fhios agad, agus bha mi a’ taghadh spòrs daonnan agus ’s e a’ ruith agus a’ leum, sin agad na rudan a bha mi nas fheàrr air.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2011.
[Donald] Moidart, what sort of area was that when you were growing up, Fergie? Surely a very Highland area.
[Fergie] Oh aye, when I was young in Moidart the ratios were … I would say the people that spoke Gaelic, it would be about ninety five …
[Donald] Percent.
[Fergie] Percent. Today you would be fortunate if there is five!
[Donald] A huge change.
[Fergie] Oh a change, a huge change.
[Donald] And was, surely there was plenty of music and songs and dancing then.
[Fergie] Yes. Our dances were, they were in the hall at Mingary and Acharacle and there was, it was all traditional music, all the time. There was a terribly good band in the area at that time, Roshven Ceilidh Band, Fergus MacRae and his band, and that is what gave me the impetus to start.
[Donald] And were you, would you listen to music on the radio and suchlike?
[Fergie] Oh yes. There was dance music at that time too and, but we could not get it at all because of the mountains and everything around us, but there was, I do not know the Gaelic for this, a freak of nature. There was a direct line from Ireland Radio.
[Donald] From Ireland?
[Fergie] Aye. And I was, I listened to that music all the time and I thoroughly enjoyed it because a lot of it was similar to our own music.
[Donald] Indeed.
[Fergie] Yes.
[Donald] And when did you get the first accordion?
[Fergie] Well I was at home. My eyes were, I had conjunctivitis and my father, Johnnie, he got this little accordion from Forbes, J T Forbes Perth. And I remember, it cost ten pounds and he paid it every month, ten shillings every month, and that was a lot of money because he was a postman and I would say his weekly pay would have been about three pounds. That was it.
[Donald] And you were involved in that traditional music world and starting to get involved …
[Fergie] Oh yes.
[Donald] And Highland games too. How did you get involved in the games?
[Fergie] Well I was in Fort William High School, you know, and I always chose sport and it was running and jumping, those were the things that I was better at.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2011.
[Dòmhnall] Mòideart, dè seòrsa sgìre a bha sin nuair a bha sibh ag èirigh suas, Fergie? Sgìre gu math Gàidhealach tha fhios.
[Fergie] Ò aidh, nuair a bha mise òg ann am Mòideart bha na ratios … dh’abrainn-sa na daoine a bha a’ bruidhinn Gàidhlig, bhiodh e mu ninty five …
[Dòmhnall] Às a’ cheud.
[Fergie] Às a’ cheud. An-diugh bhiodh tu fortanach ma tha còig!
[Dòmhnall] Atharrachadh mòr.
[Fergie] Ò atharrachadh, atharrachadh mòr.
[Dòmhnall] Agus an robh, tha fhios gun robh ceòl ’s òrain ’s dannsa gu leòr a’ dol an uair sin.
[Fergie] Bha. Bha na dannsaichean a bh’ againn, bha iad anns an talla aig Mingearaidh agus Àth Tharracail agus bha, ’s e ceòl Gàidhealach a bh’ ann air fad, fad na h-ùine. Bha band uamhraidh math anns an àite aig an àm ud, Roshven Ceilidh Band, Fearchar MacRath agus a chòmhlan, agus sin agad an rud a thug dhòmhsa an impetus airson tòiseachadh.
[Dòmhnall] Agus an robh sibh, am biodh sibh ag èisteachd ri ceòl air an rèidio ’s eile?
[Fergie] Ò bha. Bha, bha, bha dance music ann aig an àm sin cuideachd agus, ach cha b’ urrainn dhuinn fhaighinn idir leis na monaidhean agus a h-uile sìon mun cuairt oirnn, ach bha, chan eil fhios a’m dè a’ Ghàidhlig a th’ air seo, freak of nature. Bha direct line ann bho Rèidio Èireann.
[Dòmhnall] Às Èirinn?
[Fergie] Aidh. Agus bha mise, bha mi ag èisteachd ris a’ cheòl sin fad na h-ùine agus bha e a’ còrdadh uamhraidh rium a chionn bha meall dheth coltach ris a’ cheòl againn fhìn.
[Dòmhnall] Seadh gu dearbh.
[Fergie] Bha.
[Dòmhnall] ’S cuin a fhuair sibh a’ chiad bhogsa?
[Fergie] Uill bha mi aig an taigh. Bha na sùilean agam, bha conjunctivitis agam agus fhuair m’ athair, Seonaidh, fhuair e am bogsa beag a bha seo bho Forbes, J T Forbes Perth. Agus tha cuimhne agam bha, deich notaichean a bha e agus bha e ga phàigheadh a h-uile mìos, deich tastain a h-uile mìos, agus ’s e meall airgid a bha sin a chionn ’s e post a bh’ ann agus dh’abrainn-sa bha am pàigheadh a bh’ aige a h-uile seachdain bhiodh e mu thrì notaichean. That was it.
[Dòmhnall] ’S bha sibh an sàs anns an t-saoghal ciùil Ghàidhealaich a bha sin ma-tha ’s tòiseachadh a’ dol an sàs …
[Fergie] Ò bha.
[Dòmhnall] ’S geamaichean Gàidhealach cuideachd. Ciamar a chaidh sibh an sàs anns na geamaichean?
[Fergie] Uill bha mi ann an Sgoil Àrd a’ Ghearstain, fhios agad, agus bha mi a’ taghadh spòrs daonnan agus ’s e a’ ruith agus a’ leum, sin agad na rudan a bha mi nas fheàrr air.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2011.
[Donald] Moidart, what sort of area was that when you were growing up, Fergie? Surely a very Highland area.
[Fergie] Oh aye, when I was young in Moidart the ratios were … I would say the people that spoke Gaelic, it would be about ninety five …
[Donald] Percent.
[Fergie] Percent. Today you would be fortunate if there is five!
[Donald] A huge change.
[Fergie] Oh a change, a huge change.
[Donald] And was, surely there was plenty of music and songs and dancing then.
[Fergie] Yes. Our dances were, they were in the hall at Mingary and Acharacle and there was, it was all traditional music, all the time. There was a terribly good band in the area at that time, Roshven Ceilidh Band, Fergus MacRae and his band, and that is what gave me the impetus to start.
[Donald] And were you, would you listen to music on the radio and suchlike?
[Fergie] Oh yes. There was dance music at that time too and, but we could not get it at all because of the mountains and everything around us, but there was, I do not know the Gaelic for this, a freak of nature. There was a direct line from Ireland Radio.
[Donald] From Ireland?
[Fergie] Aye. And I was, I listened to that music all the time and I thoroughly enjoyed it because a lot of it was similar to our own music.
[Donald] Indeed.
[Fergie] Yes.
[Donald] And when did you get the first accordion?
[Fergie] Well I was at home. My eyes were, I had conjunctivitis and my father, Johnnie, he got this little accordion from Forbes, J T Forbes Perth. And I remember, it cost ten pounds and he paid it every month, ten shillings every month, and that was a lot of money because he was a postman and I would say his weekly pay would have been about three pounds. That was it.
[Donald] And you were involved in that traditional music world and starting to get involved …
[Fergie] Oh yes.
[Donald] And Highland games too. How did you get involved in the games?
[Fergie] Well I was in Fort William High School, you know, and I always chose sport and it was running and jumping, those were the things that I was better at.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2011.