Has this been worth it? To be honest I don’t know. Maybe it has, maybe it hasn’t. Have I made a difference — even a wee bit? You decide. But right through January and February I've written these weekly posts — eight of them so far! Through March I want to think about the future … Continue reading Can you make a difference? Even a wee bit?
Author: Robert Campbell
The love of money is the… but cash is king.
The love of money is the... but cash is king I was invited to a gathering lately — an artsy sort of thing — when I suddenly realised that I’d created more pop culture than most of the other people in the room. This was a bit of a surprise - a wild junk — … Continue reading The love of money is the… but cash is king.
Unfended: Thran survival isn’t enough! From finding our feet to finding our future.
"Ulster Scots is a linguistic paradox. It is undefended, having been abandoned by the halls of power for prestige; it is undefeated, surviving in the mouths of the folk and the rhythms of the Ards; and until now, it has been undefined, lacking the very vocabulary—like diglossia or translanguaging—needed to explain its own existence."
When Perception Isn’t Reality
When I was young — in all honesty I could have said — Irish doesn’t exist. But how? I knew no one who spoke Irish. I knew no one learning Irish. I knew no one with any interest in Irish. I knew no one with an opinion on Irish - either good or bad. And though that was my lived experience — it wasn’t correct — because Gaeilge did exist — it just didn’t exist in my context.
My mother wanted to be a writer…but she died.
I know she wanted to write because I have the creative writing course she bought for herself. I don’t remember my mum being grand or self indulgent — hatefully she knew her place — curse knowing your place — so if she splashed out on anything it must have been something she really wanted. So I can only conclude she really wanted to write. I can’t actually remember when this was, it could have been before she was sick or it could have been afterwards, but I’ve got the books and I’m going to stop writing and go and see if I can find a date.
Lost Words and Losing Words
If you’ve ever found something — it’s because someone lost it — quite possibly yourself! That twenty pound note blowing down the street — it didn’t magically appear — someone else is twenty quid down! Other things stay lost a long time before being found — normally when your looking for something else! While at … Continue reading Lost Words and Losing Words
Licht An Life Bide Ain Eenoo!
‘Licht an life bide ain eenoo.’ The idea of this poetic line is that our present reality of our licht an life — of our hope and opportunity — that they abide in this moment. All opportunities ‘bide’ — live or dwell — in this very moment — and only in it — the future is the consequence of the present. It is in this ‘eenoo’ — this even now — this very moment — this is when we have our being. We can imagine the future – plan for the future – be prepared fae ait – but everything is present — all actions are present — aye fair ir foul. I’ve written these words not meaning the future is unimportant or that it doesn’t matter – but that the present is more important – the present set the course – the present moment directs us towards all future present moments. Mind tha day yer licht a life bide ain eenoo! So groundedly make it count!
A Bearna fae the Leid: Bridging the Linguistic Gap
In Irish, Barnish means a gap—a place you can travel along. When a local family collated their unique vocabulary into a small book thirty years ago, they unknowingly created a bearna for the Ulster Scots Leid. Exploring the link between land, language, and the "seismic" impact of seeing one's mother tongue in print, this article reflects on how a niche publication became a vital act of cultural preservation.
Owning the Words We Speak: Language as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
So what does a win look like? I don’t mean a fantasy win — six numbers on the lottery or a huge inheritance from an unknown relation. So again — what does a win look like in the context of language? A win is an improved understanding and acceptance of language, accompanied by a sympathetic … Continue reading Owning the Words We Speak: Language as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
A Shared Urgency: What Manchán Magan Taught Me About Preserving Ulster Scots
A while back I came across Manchán Magan — but I’d no idea who he was. I’d no notion about his books, RTÉ documentaries, lectures, environmentalism or public speaking — it was just the odd short video clip here and there on social media — but he seemed like a pretty nice fella. But … Continue reading A Shared Urgency: What Manchán Magan Taught Me About Preserving Ulster Scots
Firing Your Inner Critic!
Is Your Childhood Protecting You from Success? The Art of Firing Your Inner Critic. Have you ever been working on something; it’s been going well; you’ve put in lots of effort; and then for some reason you inexplicably flounder. Well, the other day I was writing an article for my website, before that I’d been … Continue reading Firing Your Inner Critic!
The Week after Leid Week
I hate the week after Ulster Scots Leid week. It is so depressing. But it isn’t the low after the high. It’s the week that optimism and opportunity evaporates. Every year you get the feeling this could go somewhere quare and positive — but it never does. It’s like after Christmas — the decorations are … Continue reading The Week after Leid Week
The Silent Process: Falling in Love with the Work Nobody Sees
"If a tree falls in a forest — and there is no one to hear — does it make a sound?" You're well down the rabbit hole when you start to consider thought experiments like these! “Does something exist independently of our senses (objectively), or does its existence depend on our perception of it (subjectively)?” … Continue reading The Silent Process: Falling in Love with the Work Nobody Sees
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My First Online Seminar: A Journey of Story-Making!
What a night! I recently hosted and facilitated my first online seminar, and thankfully it went well! This was a significant step for me, with my first tentative moved into the world of virtual facilitation, and overall it was a success! Preparation Pays Off I truly believe that preparation is key, and it definitely paid … Continue reading My First Online Seminar: A Journey of Story-Making!
Pictish Art
Here’s a few illustrations to whet your appetite from a project I’m working on!
Make Usable Notes
What's one small improvement you can make in your life? This may seem very small and really unimportant - but making usable notes is an amazing skill to aquire! If you keep notes badly, you will end up with piles of incoherent pieces of important information. So instead of tangibly remembering things you need to … Continue reading Make Usable Notes
#100words: The melodic harmony of nature
The noise was greater than I could have imagined. Maybe it was the surroundings. The general silence. The quietness of the forest. The absence of people. The lack of those things that perpetually encompass us — the fillers of our stillness. I had not anticipated the clamour, the volume of sound produced by the humming … Continue reading #100words: The melodic harmony of nature
The Creative Act of Presentation
Often, I merely describe my creativity as: “I make stuff.” This is simultaneously self-deprecating and true. I do make stuff - both in the physical and literary sense. I put words together to tell stories. I put lines and colours together to make pictures. I put images together to make films. And now I’ve put … Continue reading The Creative Act of Presentation
Strange and unexpected doors open
Thursday 3 April has suddenly become the biggest day of the year for me. A poetry reading in the historic Linen Hall Library (Belfast). Then that evening I make my musical debut - of my own songs! I actually enjoy public performances of book readings, spoken word shows, and poetry renditions, now I’m nervous and … Continue reading Strange and unexpected doors open
Imagination – a division no one seems to care about
A lot of my story making workshops are with children. So when I go into a school all I see is a class room of kids. They’re from all sorts of backgrounds - please insert your divisions of choice - then give your conscience a bit of a shake. But the biggest division I sees … Continue reading Imagination – a division no one seems to care about
Serendipity Strikes Again
‘By Bluidy Cairn’ So serendipity strikes again. Last week the battle of Culloden wasn’t high up on my list of things of interest. But now it is, well post battle changes are. My dyslexic mind loves juxtaposition, so a passing reference in a presentation I’m making, and an interesting fact someone happened to tell me, … Continue reading Serendipity Strikes Again
New Year’s Day 2025
Don’t worry; this isn’t going to be a post about my New Year's resolutions, or my plans to conquer 2025, or pictures of me swimming in the sea. (This wouldn’t even be safe as it’s still dark and a storm warning is in place!) In fact, I don’t have any resolutions. Instead, I just want … Continue reading New Year’s Day 2025
Preservation: Renewal and Rebirth
Uncle Davy, my grandmother's brother, owned an old farmhouse in Moss-side. A unique place, but after his passing, it fell into disrepair. It was surely, destined for demolition, the bucket of a digger and a replacement dwelling. I’d great memories of it, the visits with my granny and granda: wading across the river, the animals, … Continue reading Preservation: Renewal and Rebirth
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#Leid25 – Starting Now
This might just seem a wee bit early; as the year hasn’t turned; but I’ve started working on my main project for Leid Week 2025, (or perhaps before it). So far, I’ve: A wheen oo thoughts jotted doon. A few lines of prose, poetry an even lyrics. A wheen oo melodies worked oot. A few … Continue reading #Leid25 – Starting Now
Captain Timmy at Ebrington Square
Was a great experience to do some in character open air story last Saturday in Ebrington Square. It was part of Derry and Strabane District Council Good Relations Week. I’m nearly finished another Captain Timmy story which will hopefully get an airing this Halloween.
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