Telynores Gwen Màiri: Y Gymraes o’r Alban / Harpist Gwen Màiri: The Welshwoman of Scotland

Beth yw hi i fod â hunaniaeth Geltaidd ddeuol, ac i berfformio cerddoriaeth draddodiadol o ddiwylliannau Cymreig a Scots? Yma mae’r delynores Gwen Màiri yn rhannu ei phrofiadau…

What is it like to have a dual Celtic identity, and to perform traditional music from the Welsh and Scots Gaelic cultures? Here the harpist Gwen Màiri shares her experiences…

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Ym mis Ebrill 2018, o ganlyniad erthygl yn y wasg genedlaethol, dechreuwyd hashnod newydd. Roedd yr erthygl dan sylw yn cynnwys amrywiaeth o ystrydebau ac ymosodiadau blinedig ac hen ddadleuon diffygiol yn erbyn yr iaith Aeleg. Nid yn unig ynglŷn ag ariannu'r iaith ond hefyd yr iaith ei hun, a'i siaradwyr. Ymateb Trydar, gydag awyrgylch hynod o bositif, oedd #IsMiseGàidhlig gyda'r nod o herio honiad yr awdur fod yr iaith Gaeleg yn iaith farw ac ymddangosodd casgliad hyfryd o straeon bywyd 280 cymeriad. Mewn ymgais hwyrnosol i ychwanegu fy nghefnogaeth, ysgrifennais cyfraniad bach fy hun yn gyflym ac ni feddyliais mwy amdano.	In April 2018, an article in the national press sparked a new hashtag. The article in question cobbled together an assortment of tired stereotypes and insults and old, long-defunct arguments against the Gaelic language. Not just the funding of the language but the language itself, and its speakers. In response, in a very positive spirit, #IsMiseGàidhlig appeared on Twitter with the aim of challenging the writer’s assertion that Gaelic was a dying language and a beautifully collection of 280 character life stories appeared. In a late night attempt to stand up and be counted I quickly added my own contribution and thought nothing more of it.
I’m a Welsh-speaking Scottish harpist, worked many years in a Gaelic speaking environment and have published a bilingual book of clàrsach music. My children are in GME (fluent in Gaelic and Welsh). Still improving my Gaelic but can’t imagine life without it! #IsMiseGàidhlig
Dydw i ddim fel arfer yn ysgrifennu unrhyw beth arbennig o ddiddorol ar Twitter, felly ro'n i’n synnu bod hwn yn eithaf poblogaidd i gymharu â fy mhrofiad blaenorol.	I don’t make a habit of writing anything particularly interesting on Twitter so it took me by surprise that this tweet became quite popular, at least, compared to my previous small-fry Twitter experience!
Yn yr Aeleg, nid ydych yn gofyn os yw rhywun yn siarad yr iaith, rydych yn gofyn a oes ganddynt yr iaith. A bheil Gàidhlig agaibh? Efallai bod fy Ngaeleg yn loetran o gwmpas rhywle y gellid ei alw'n ganolradd ar ddiwrnod da (ac un o'r dyddiau hyn rydw i'n addo cofrestru fy hun mewn cwrs eto. Plîs poenwch fi amdano!) ond mae e’n sicr yn rhan o’m mywyd. Mae gen i ganeuon, mae gen i gerddoriaeth, mae gen i ffrindiau, mae gen i waith cartref y plant, mae gen i'w gwasanaethau ysgol a'u cyngherddau. Mae gen i enwau lleoedd sydd bellach yn gwneud synnwyr i mi, mae gen i hanes sydd â mwy o ystyr, mae gen i ddiwylliant sydd yn gyfoethog ac yn lliwgar ac yn gwella fy myd. Tha Gàidhlig agam. #IsMiseGàidhlig	In Gaelic, you don’t ask if someone speaks the language, you ask if they have it. A bheil Gàidhlig agaibh? My Gaelic may be loitering around somewhere which might be called intermediate on a good day (and one of these days I promise to enrol myself in a course again. Please hassle me about it!) but I certainly have it in my life. I have songs, I have music, I have friends, I have the kids’ homework, I have their assemblies and concerts. I have place names which now make sense to me, I have history which has more meaning, I have culture which is rich and colourful and enhances my world. Tha Gàidhlig agam. #IsMiseGàidhlig
Mae gen i hefyd fy mamiaith. Er fy mod wedi cael fy ngeni a’m magu yn yr Alban, diolch i fy mam Gymreig, Cymraeg oedd iaith ein cartref. Cefais fy magu yn ei barddoniaeth a'i chân, y gynghanedd ym mhob sgwrs, dywediadau ac arferion a pherthnasau. Mae gen i gadeiriau eisteddfodol a rhes o lwyau pren ar y wal, barddoniaeth ar ddarnau o bapur ac mewn llyfrau bach a charthen ar fy ngwely. Pan gafodd fy mab hynaf ei eni, daeth y geiriau a’r caneuon a ddysgais yn y Gymraeg nôl i mi ac fe barhaus i siarad ag ef (ac yna ei frawd iau) yn Gymraeg yn unig. Fel yn yr Aeleg, pan fyddaf yn ymweld â Chymru, mae popeth yn ei le. Mae pob enw, pob tref a phentref, pob afon a mynydd, pob person ac anifail, deryn a phryfyn, i gyd i’w brofi trwy’r Gymraeg.	I also have my mother-tongue. Although I was born in Scotland and have never lived anywhere else, thanks to my Welsh mother, the language of our home was Welsh. I grew up immersed in its poetry and song, the cynghanedd in each conversation, sayings and doings and relationships. I have carved chairs and a rack of wooden spoons on the wall, barddoniaeth on scraps of paper and in small books and a carthen on my bed. When my eldest son was born, the words and songs that came to me were Welsh and I continued to speak to him (and then his younger brother) only in Welsh. As with Gaelic, when I visit Wales it all slots into place. Each name, each town and village, each river and mountain, each person and animal, bird and insect, all experienced through Cymraeg.
Pan adewais fy nghartref yng ngogledd-dwyrain Fife am Glasgow ar ôl gadael yr ysgol, rhannais fflat gyda llawer o bobl o Loegr â ddaeth yn ffrindiau da i mi. Bryd hynny sylweddolais faint o’m "Saesneg" oedd mewn gwirionedd yn Scots, gyda’i gymysgedd lliwgar o ddylanwadau Eingl-Sacsonaidd, Gaeleg, Norseg (ac eraill). Addurnwyd fy mhlentyndod â Scots a cyfoethogwyd ein lleferydd, ac yn aml cafwyd disgrifiad llawer mwy cryno. Y trueni yw, er ein bod ni i gyd wedi ein hannog i adrodd barddoniaeth Albanaidd, yn aml Burns, ac i ganu caneuon yn Scots, byddem bron yn sicr o ffeindio unrhyw ymdrech i'w gynnwys mewn gwaith ysgol wedi e’i danlinellu mewn pen coch.	When I left my north east Fife home for Glasgow after leaving school, I shared a flat and became good friends with many people from England. At that point I realised how much of my “English” was actually Scots, with its colourful mixture of Anglo-Saxon, Gaelic, Norse (and others). My childhood was decorated with Scots which enriched our speech and often offered a much more succinct description of a subject. The pity is that while we were all encouraged to recite Scots poetry, often Burns, and sing songs in Scots, any attempt to include it in school work would almost certainly be underlined in red pen.
Mae'n rhaid i mi gyfaddef, trwy’r reddf naturiol i fod yn ddealladwy, bod y defnydd â wnaf o Scots wedi lleihau yn ystod y blynyddoedd. Mae Scots Glasgow yn wahanol i Scots yng ngogledd-dwyrain Fife ac mae fy ffrindiau yma o bob rhan o'r DU a thu hwnt, felly rydw i wedi ymgartrefu mewn Saesneg eithaf cyffredinol. Serch hynny, mae’n werth cyflwyno’r gair rydych chi am ei ddefnyddio i’ch ffrindiau.	I have to admit that over the years and through a natural instinct to be understood, my use of Scots has diminished. The Scots in Glasgow is different to the Scots in north east Fife and my friends here are from all over the UK and beyond so I’ve settled into a fairly middle-of-the-road English. Of course, sometimes it’s definitely worth teaching your friends the word you want to use.
Glaikit, wabbit, ashet (cyfeirio at yr Auld Alliance), oxter, ychydig o'm ffefrynnau ... ac nid oes sarhad gwell na baffie-pus!	Glaikit, wabbit, ashet harking back to the auld alliance), oxter are a few of my favourites… and there’s still no better insult than baffie-pus!
Astudiais y delyn bedal o dan hyfforddiant Karen Vaughan yn Academi Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama yr Alban (bellach, Conservatoire Brenhinol yr Alban) ac fe adeiladais yrfa o berfformio gyda cherddorfeydd proffesiynol, deuawdiau siambr, chwarae ar gyfer priodasau a dysgu. Roedd cerddoriaeth draddodiadol wastad yn rhan o’m mywyd, ond roedd e wir wedi fy nal pan anwyd fy mhlentyn cyntaf. Ffeindies fy hun yn cael fy nenu tuag at y clarsach yn hytrach na'r delyn bedal ac felly, dros y deng mlynedd diwethaf, mae fy angerdd wedi bod gyda cerddoriaeth gwerin. (Er gellir fy ffeindio tu ol telyn bedal yn aml o hyd!) Mae’n naturiol i mi ac rwyf yn mwynhau gweu fy nhreftadaeth gymysg gyda'i gilydd trwy gerddoriaeth.	I studied the pedal harp with Karen Vaughan at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and built a career of performing with professional orchestras, chamber duos, playing for weddings and teaching. Traditional music was always with me but really took hold of me when my first child was born. I found myself gravitating towards the clarsach rather than the pedal harp and so, over the last ten years, my passion has been on the folk side of things. (I can still often be found behind a pedal harp though!). It is natural and enjoyable for me to interweave the elements of my mixed heritage in music
Rwyf wedi cyhoeddi dau lyfr o gerddoriaeth yr Alban ar gyfer telynorion cynnar a thrwy fy ngwaith yn Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu, un ohonynt yn gwbl ddwyieithog (Gaeleg a Saesneg) tra bo’r llall yn cynnwys cerddoriaeth o bob cwr o’r Alban. Rwyf hefyd wedi cyhoeddi llyfr o gerddoriaeth sy'n tynnu ar draddodiadau Albanaidd a Chymreig ac mae'r gerddoriaeth sy'n dod allan o'm deuawd, Tornish, yn cynnwys dylanwadau o Gymru a’r Alban. Mae'n debyg bod fy arddull chwarae yn eithaf Albanaidd ond rwyf wedi canolbwyntio ar gerddoriaeth Gymreig ac wedi mwynhau cymryd rhan mewn nifer o brosiectau cyffrous Cymru dros y blynyddoedd.	I’ve published two books of Scottish music for beginner harpers and through my work teaching at Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu, one of them was entirely bilingual (Gaelic and English) while the other featured music from all over Scotland. I also published a book of music which draws on both Scottish and Welsh traditions and the music which emerges from my duo, Tornish, invariably features influences from both Scotland and Wales. My style of playing is probably quite Scottish but I’ve ended up concentrating on Welsh music and have had the delight of being involved in several exciting Welsh projects over the years.
Mae yna heriau, wrth gwrs; pellter a chyllid yw'r prif rai. Rydw i wedi cyfarwyddo â’r oriau hir ar yr M6 ond rwy'n dal i geisio gweithio allan y broblem o ariannu prosiectau sy’n perthyn i wlad nad ydw i'n byw ynddi.	There are challenges, of course; distance and funding being the main ones. I’ve got used to the long hours on the M6 but I’m still trying to work out a way around the problem of funding work which associates most strongly with a country I don’t live in!
Mae pobl yn gofyn i mi’n gyson os ydw i’n teimlo mwy fel Albanes neu Gymraes ac, yn bwysicach fyth, pwy rwy'n ei gefnogi yn y rygbi! Rwy’n bendant yn galw fy hun yn Albanes, ar ôl cael fy ngeni a'm magu yma, ond rwyf hefyd yn teimlo'n gartrefol iawn yng Nghymru. Rwy’n cofio clywed Georgia Ruth yn cyhoeddi fi ar y radio fel "Y Gymraes o Alban" - syndod syml! Byddaf yn llefan gymaint yn gwrando ar Dougie MacLean yn canu Caledonia â wnes i ar y diwrnod arall, yn sefyll yng nghanol dorf o filoedd yn canu Hen Wlad fy Nhadau ar gyfer dathliad Geraint Thomas tu flaen y Senedd!	People often ask me whether I identify as Scottish or Welsh and, more importantly, who I support at the rugby! I definitely call myself Scottish, having been born and bred here, but I also feel very at home in Wales. Georgia Ruth once introduced me on the radio as Y Gymraes o’r Alban - surprisingly straightforward! I’ll cry just as much listening to Dougie MacLean singing Caledonia as I did the other day, standing in the middle of a crowd of thousands singing Hen Wlad fy Nhadau for Geraint Thomas’s homecoming event in front of the Senedd!
Ymddengys fod pobl eraill yn gweld fy hunaniaeth yn anodd, fodd bynnag. Gofynnir i mi yn aml pethau fel “Wyt ti'n mynd adref am y gwyliau?" neu "A fyddet ti byth yn symud adref?". Gofynnir y cwestiynau hyn yn yr Alban ac yng Nghymru ond y "cartref" dan sylw bob amser yw Cymru. Yng Nghymru mae'n ganmoliaeth. Rwy'n teimlo bod croeso i mi, a fy mod i’n perthyn ac nad yw fy acen yn fy marcio'n wahanol (heblaw am fod yn hwntw yn y gogledd!).	Other people seem to find my identity tricky though. I’m also often asked - and this is fairly regular - things like “Are you going home for the holidays?” or “Will you ever move home?”. I’m asked these questions in both Scotland and Wales and the “home” in question is always Wales. In Wales it’s a compliment. I feel like I’m welcome and that I belong and that my accent doesn’t mark me out as different (apart from being a hwntw in north Wales!).
Yn yr Alban, rwy'n ffeindio fe’n eitha annoying bod y gallu i siarad iaith arall yn arwain pobl i feddwl nad yw eich cartref chi yn yr Alban. Fel arfer, nid wyf yn sôn amdano, ond mae’n gyfle da i atgoffa fy hun i roi croeso i bawb. Rheiny sy'n siarad llawer o ieithoedd neu un, y rhai sydd wedi symud, y rhai sydd wedi cwympo mewn cariad â rhywle ac yn byw’r freuddwyd, y rhai sydd yma am gyfnod byr neu amhenodol a'r rhai sy'n gweld eisie eu cartref ond yn creu un newydd.	In Scotland, I find it annoying that the ability to speak another language would lead people to think that Scotland is not your home. Normally, I don’t mention it, but it’s always a good opportunity to remind myself to make everyone feel welcome. People who speak many languages or one, those who have moved, those who have fallen in love with a place and are living the dream, those who are here for a short or unspecified time and those who miss their home but are creating a new one.
Dywedodd Rita Mae Brown: "Iaith yw map diwylliant. Mae'n dweud wrthych o ble mae ei bobl yn dod ac i ble maen nhw'n mynd."	Rita Mae Brown said: “Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”
Felly, ymlaen â'r daith!	So here’s to the journey!
(A rhag ofn yr oeddech moyn gwybod, nid yw'r Alban yn erbyn Cymru yn fy hoff gêm i wylio, ond rwy’n meddwl mae’r Alban sy eisie mwy o gymorth dyddiau hyn..!)	(And in case you were wondering, Scotland versus Wales is not my favourite match to watch, but Scotland seems to be the team in need of the most support these days..!)

Mae’n debyg bod fy arddull chwarae yn eithaf Albanaidd ond rwyf wedi canolbwyntio ar gerddoriaeth Gymreig ac wedi mwynhau cymryd rhan mewn nifer o brosiectau cyffrous Cymru dros y blynyddoedd.