[Mairi Rodgers – Preseantair] Nis, saoil a bheil fios aig duine agaibh càite bheil prìomh bhaile nan ròidean uisge ann an Alba. ‘S ann ann an Cathair Cheann Tulaich agus iad a’ comharrachadh an urraim seo le bhith a’ cumail sreath de thachartasan sònraichte fad na seachdain. Thòisich Fèis Chanàl Cathair Cheann Tulaich a-raoir le taisbeanadh mu eachdraidh nam pufairean. Seo Kerr Gibb.
[Kerr Gibb – Neach-aithris] Chaidh Canàl Fhoirthe is Chluaidh a thogail cha mhòr dà cheud gu leth bliadhna air ais, a’ toirt gnìomhachas agus obraichean do Chathair Ceann Tulaich agus tha an canàl fhathast na phàirt chudromach de bheatha a’ bhaile. ‘S ann air an adhbhar seo, gach bliadhna, a bhios comhairle Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear a’ cumail Fèis Chanàil sa bhaile.
[Kerr Gibb – Neach-aithris] Chuir mòran eòlas air na Puffers agus an obair a rinn iad tro sgeulachdan Niall Rothach mun Vital Spark agus an sgiobair Para Handy. Chaidh an taisbeanadh ‘Puffers - An Illustrated History’ a lìbhrigeadh le Cailean Castle.
[Cailean Castle] Well the talk tonight is all about puffers and it’s very appropriate because we’re actually here in Kirkintilloch where most of the puffers were actually built. There were two yards on the Forth and Clyde Canal here – J&J Hay’s and Peter McGregors and this canal and this town built up a reputation for building puffers for the best part of 100 years, so it’s a piece of local history but it’s also about vessels that were very much loved by the people of the West of Scotland. They provided a lifeline to remote communities, not just on the Clyde but the Highlands and Islands as well up to as far as the Outer Hebrides.
[Kerr Gibb – Neach-aithris] Chaidh innse mu na slighean a dhèanadh na bàtaichean agus mu bheatha a’ chriutha, le dealbhan a ghlac aire an luchd-èisteachd.
[An t-Urr Dòmhnall Mìcheal MacAonghais] Oh chòrd an òraid rium uabhasach math. Bha e cho comasach an neach-labhairt, Cailean Castle - an e sin an t-ainm a bh’ air? Agus bha uiread de dh’eòlas aige air na puffers agus na h-àitichean agus mu dheidhinn cho innleachdach ’s a bha iad cuideachd agus na rudan a bhiodh iad a’ dèanamh. Bha e dìreach iongantach, bha e math dha-rìribh. Oh dh’ionnsaich mi tòrr. Cha robh cus eòlais agamsa air gin de na rudan sin ged a tha fios agam gu robh canals cudromach agus obair nan soithichean cudromach airson mar a dh’fhàs Glaschu agus dh’fhàs an sgìre far an robh mi fhèin ann am Maryhill. Cha robh mi eòlach air dìreach mar a bha iad dol a-steach cho faisg air a h-uile càil agus mun bhuaidh a bh’ aca air a h-uile càil.
[Kerr Gibb – Neach-aithris] Tha taisbeanaidhean den leithid a’ gabhail àite gach feasgar agus thig an fhèis gu crìoch air an deireadh sheachdain le dà là de thachartasan aig a’ mharina. Kerr Gibb, BBC An Là, Cathair Ceann Tulaich.
[Mairi Rodgers – Presenter] Now, I wonder if anyone knows where the canal capital of Scotland is? It’s in Kirkintilloch and they are celebrating this honour by holding a series of special events this week. The Kirkintilloch Canal Festival launched last night with an exhibition about the puffers. Here’s Kerr Gibb.
[Kerr Gibb – Reporter] The Forth and Clyde Canal was built more almost two hundred and fifty years ago, bringing industry and employment to Kirkintilloch, and the canal is still an important part of life in the town. It’s for this reason that East Dunbartonshire Council annually hold the town’s Canal Festival.
[Kerr Gibb – Reporter] Many learnt about the puffers and the work they did through Neil Munro’s stories about the Vital Spark and its skipper Para Handy. The exhibition ‘Puffers – An Illustrated History’ was produced by Colin Castle.
[Cailean Castle] Well the talk tonight is all about puffers and it’s very appropriate because we’re actually here in Kirkintilloch where most of the puffers were actually built. There were two yards on the Forth and Clyde Canal here – J & J Hay’s and Peter McGregors and this canal and this town built up a reputation for building puffers for the best part of 100 years, so it’s a piece of local history but it’s also about vessels that were very much loved by the people of the West of Scotland. They provided a lifeline to the remote communities, not just on the Clyde but the Highlands and Islands as well up to as far as the Outer Hebrides.
[Kerr Gibb – Reporter] The journeys made by the boats and what life was like for the crew was told, with images to capture the attention of the audience.
[Rev Donald Michael MacInnes] I enjoyed the speech very much. The speaker was very competent, his name was Colin Castle and he had a lot of knowledge about puffers, the places they travelled to, how inventive they were and the things they did. It was very interesting, it was excellent. I learnt a lot, I didn’t know much about many of those things although I knew that canals and the work the vessels did were important in the growth of Glasgow and the area I was brought up in, Maryhill. I wasn’t aware how much they impacted on everything.
[Kerr Gibb – Reporter] Exhibitions like this are taking place each afternoon and the festival will close at the weekend with two days of events at the marina. Kerr Gibb, BBC An Là, Kirkintilloch.
[Mairi Rodgers – Preseantair] Nis, saoil a bheil fios aig duine agaibh càite bheil prìomh bhaile nan ròidean uisge ann an Alba. ‘S ann ann an Cathair Cheann Tulaich agus iad a’ comharrachadh an urraim seo le bhith a’ cumail sreath de thachartasan sònraichte fad na seachdain. Thòisich Fèis Chanàl Cathair Cheann Tulaich a-raoir le taisbeanadh mu eachdraidh nam pufairean. Seo Kerr Gibb.
[Kerr Gibb – Neach-aithris] Chaidh Canàl Fhoirthe is Chluaidh a thogail cha mhòr dà cheud gu leth bliadhna air ais, a’ toirt gnìomhachas agus obraichean do Chathair Ceann Tulaich agus tha an canàl fhathast na phàirt chudromach de bheatha a’ bhaile. ‘S ann air an adhbhar seo, gach bliadhna, a bhios comhairle Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear a’ cumail Fèis Chanàil sa bhaile.
[Kerr Gibb – Neach-aithris] Chuir mòran eòlas air na Puffers agus an obair a rinn iad tro sgeulachdan Niall Rothach mun Vital Spark agus an sgiobair Para Handy. Chaidh an taisbeanadh ‘Puffers - An Illustrated History’ a lìbhrigeadh le Cailean Castle.
[Cailean Castle] Well the talk tonight is all about puffers and it’s very appropriate because we’re actually here in Kirkintilloch where most of the puffers were actually built. There were two yards on the Forth and Clyde Canal here – J&J Hay’s and Peter McGregors and this canal and this town built up a reputation for building puffers for the best part of 100 years, so it’s a piece of local history but it’s also about vessels that were very much loved by the people of the West of Scotland. They provided a lifeline to remote communities, not just on the Clyde but the Highlands and Islands as well up to as far as the Outer Hebrides.
[Kerr Gibb – Neach-aithris] Chaidh innse mu na slighean a dhèanadh na bàtaichean agus mu bheatha a’ chriutha, le dealbhan a ghlac aire an luchd-èisteachd.
[An t-Urr Dòmhnall Mìcheal MacAonghais] Oh chòrd an òraid rium uabhasach math. Bha e cho comasach an neach-labhairt, Cailean Castle - an e sin an t-ainm a bh’ air? Agus bha uiread de dh’eòlas aige air na puffers agus na h-àitichean agus mu dheidhinn cho innleachdach ’s a bha iad cuideachd agus na rudan a bhiodh iad a’ dèanamh. Bha e dìreach iongantach, bha e math dha-rìribh. Oh dh’ionnsaich mi tòrr. Cha robh cus eòlais agamsa air gin de na rudan sin ged a tha fios agam gu robh canals cudromach agus obair nan soithichean cudromach airson mar a dh’fhàs Glaschu agus dh’fhàs an sgìre far an robh mi fhèin ann am Maryhill. Cha robh mi eòlach air dìreach mar a bha iad dol a-steach cho faisg air a h-uile càil agus mun bhuaidh a bh’ aca air a h-uile càil.
[Kerr Gibb – Neach-aithris] Tha taisbeanaidhean den leithid a’ gabhail àite gach feasgar agus thig an fhèis gu crìoch air an deireadh sheachdain le dà là de thachartasan aig a’ mharina. Kerr Gibb, BBC An Là, Cathair Ceann Tulaich.
[Mairi Rodgers – Presenter] Now, I wonder if anyone knows where the canal capital of Scotland is? It’s in Kirkintilloch and they are celebrating this honour by holding a series of special events this week. The Kirkintilloch Canal Festival launched last night with an exhibition about the puffers. Here’s Kerr Gibb.
[Kerr Gibb – Reporter] The Forth and Clyde Canal was built more almost two hundred and fifty years ago, bringing industry and employment to Kirkintilloch, and the canal is still an important part of life in the town. It’s for this reason that East Dunbartonshire Council annually hold the town’s Canal Festival.
[Kerr Gibb – Reporter] Many learnt about the puffers and the work they did through Neil Munro’s stories about the Vital Spark and its skipper Para Handy. The exhibition ‘Puffers – An Illustrated History’ was produced by Colin Castle.
[Cailean Castle] Well the talk tonight is all about puffers and it’s very appropriate because we’re actually here in Kirkintilloch where most of the puffers were actually built. There were two yards on the Forth and Clyde Canal here – J & J Hay’s and Peter McGregors and this canal and this town built up a reputation for building puffers for the best part of 100 years, so it’s a piece of local history but it’s also about vessels that were very much loved by the people of the West of Scotland. They provided a lifeline to the remote communities, not just on the Clyde but the Highlands and Islands as well up to as far as the Outer Hebrides.
[Kerr Gibb – Reporter] The journeys made by the boats and what life was like for the crew was told, with images to capture the attention of the audience.
[Rev Donald Michael MacInnes] I enjoyed the speech very much. The speaker was very competent, his name was Colin Castle and he had a lot of knowledge about puffers, the places they travelled to, how inventive they were and the things they did. It was very interesting, it was excellent. I learnt a lot, I didn’t know much about many of those things although I knew that canals and the work the vessels did were important in the growth of Glasgow and the area I was brought up in, Maryhill. I wasn’t aware how much they impacted on everything.
[Kerr Gibb – Reporter] Exhibitions like this are taking place each afternoon and the festival will close at the weekend with two days of events at the marina. Kerr Gibb, BBC An Là, Kirkintilloch.