Episode 8

Bha uair a bha Romàinia gu math dùinte, ach tha i air atharrachadh gu mòr sa 25 bliadhna mu dheireadh, gu sòisealta agus gu h-eaconamach. An-diugh tha àireamh mhòr dhan luchd-obrach a' fàgail na dùthcha airson cosnadh a dhèanamh ann an ceàrnaidhan eile, 's tha tòrr dhiu a sin a' fàgail an cuid cloinne aig an taigh. A rèir cuid a’ bhuidhnean cathrannais tha mu 350,000 duine cloinne ann an Romàinia le pàrant, neo an dà phàrant thall thairis - rud a tha a' cur uallach air a' chloinn fhèin agus orra-san a tha a' coimhead as an dèidh.

Romania, has changed greatly in the past 25 years - both socially and economically. Once a very closed country, large numbers of workers now leave to make a living elsewhere. Many of them leave their children at home. Some NGOs estimate that there are 350,000 children in Romania that have one or both parents living abroad, placing the burden of care on the children themselves and on others.

Tha Calum MacIlleathain ann an Èirinn a Tuath, dùthaich anns a bheil fhathast sgaraidhean a thaobh creideimh, poilitigs agus cànan. Gu h-eachdraidheil, ‘se glè bheag de Phròstanaich a bhruidhneadh Gàidhlig an seo ach tha coltas ann gu bheil beachdan ag atharrachadh agus, beag air bheag, tha barrachd bhon a’ choimhearsnachd a’ gabhail ris a’ chànain. Aig an dearbh àm, tha deasbad a’ leantainn eadar an dà phàrtaidh a tha a’ roinneachadh chumhachd, Sinn Fèin agus an DUP, mu Achd na Gaeilge.

Calum Maclean is in Northern Ireland, a country where there are still divisions caused by religion, politics and language. Historically, Irish has been spoken by very few from the Protestant community in this area, but it looks as though attitudes may be changing as more people from the community take up the language. At the same, debate continues between the two power-sharing parties, Sinn Fèin and the DUP, over the proposed Irish Language Act.