Alba is a

shinty Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in Scotland, an ...

team selected to represent

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

which plays annually in a composite rules international series, Iomain Cholmcille with

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

teams who represent the

Irish Language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

. The prerequisite for playing in this team is that a player can speak

Scots Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

History

Gaelic was the traditional language of shinty, hence its Gaelic names

camanachd Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) is a team sport, team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in S ...

and

iomain Iomain was a hybrid sport formed from shinty and hurling created in 2013. Iomain is a Gaelic word, meaning "driving", and is one of the words traditionally used in Scotland to refer to Shinty and Irish dialect to Hurling. It was argued that ...

. Many of the rules of the game were originally written in Gaelic but due to the decline of the Gaelic language, there are now few areas where Gaelic and shinty are both strong outwith the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

. However, the recent resurgence of the language in urban areas as well as the re-establishment of shinty in areas such as

Ardnamurchan Ardnamurchan (, gd, Àird nam Murchan: headland of the great seas) is a peninsula in the ward management area of Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, noted for being very unspoiled and undisturbed. Its remoteness is accentuated by the main access ...

and the

Western Isles The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coas ...

has seen a broadening of the availability of Gaelic speaking players. The first fixture was played as part of the Feill Chaluim Chille festival in

Mull Mull may refer to: Places *Isle of Mull, a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides **Sound of Mull, between the Isle of Mull and the rest of Scotland * Mount Mull, Antarctica *Mull Hill, Isle of Man * Mull, Arkansas, a place along Arkansas Highway ...

and

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

in 2007. It is now played on a regular basis as part of Iomain Cholmcille which receives support from

Colmcille Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

. The aim of the festival is to encourage the use of Gaelic and Irish in a sporting context. Alba lost the first two fixtures in the series but had a resounding win in February 2010 (this actually the 2009 fixture held over) against the Irish in

Portree Portree (; gd, Port Rìgh, ) is the largest town on, and capital of, the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155. It is the location for the only secondary school o ...

at the ground of

Skye Camanachd Skye Camanachd is a shinty team from the Isle of Skye, Highland, Scotland. It plays in the Premier Division and has a reserve team in North Division One, as well as a Ladies team in the WCA National Division One and a Ladies reserve team in the ...

. The October 2010 was a close affair in Galway which the Irish won 15–13. The next Iomain Cholmcille series was held Easter 2012 in Skye. In this tournament, two new teams competed alongside Alba and na Breathnaigh - Skye Camanachd Gaelic Speakers (Na Sgitheanaich) and Fir Uladh, representing the province of Ulster. This tournament had a unique twist with a shinty semi-final and a hurling semi-final (which was also the first recorded hurling fixture in the Highlands of Scotland). This format resulted in the Skye team progressing to the final and defeating Micheal Breathnach. Alba for their part, ensured third place with a defeat of Fir Uladh in the 3/4 play-off. Alba were Scotland's sole representatives at Iomain Cholmcille 6 in Connemara on 12 October 2013. They lost heavily to Micheal Breathnach. In 2014, in Glasgow, Alba lost 14–6 to Fir Uladh on a wet November day. They won their first ever Iomain Cholmcille on Irish Soil in 2015 when they defeated Fir Uladh by two points in Gaoth Dobhair. In 2016, Micheal Breathnach were the opponents in Galway, but as the match was played in the middle of the shinty season, the Alba side was a young and inexperienced, but acquitted themselves well and were unfortunate to lose 16-4. Alba has continued to perform over the years. In 2017 they won Iomain Cholmcille in Fort William defeating Fir Uladh in the final 4-1 played with shinty goals. In 2018 Alba competed twice in the year for the first time since 2010, Alba played England in a representative shinty game at Kingussie winning 11-1, and then won an epic Iomain Cholmcille tournament in Gaoth Dobhair, overcoming Micheal Breathnach in sudden death extra time. In 2019 Alba hosted Fir Uladh in Glasgow, and lost 15-13 in a very tight game played at

Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. History In ...

as part of Mòd Ghlaschu and Iomain Cholmcille.

Alba Women's Team

Boireannaich na h-Alba have been playing since 2015.

References

External links

Colmcille website
{{Shinty teams Shinty teams Scottish Gaelic language