Call for 'Gaelic only' events in pubs and café to rejuvenate language
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A meeting to discuss the future of the language heard calls for "Gaelic only" events in pubs, cafés and restaurants by the former leader of Highland Council.
Dr Michael Foxley said that unless action was taken to make the language important he had fears for its future.
Mr Foxley was speaking as more than 60 delegates met virtually last night at an online community consultation event discussing the future use of Gaelic in Skye and Raasay.
Earlier this year a major study into the use of Gaelic in island communities concluded that the language will fall into obsolescence unless significant changes are made in approach and strategy.
It is hoped that last night’s discussions – which were co-chaired by Kate Forbes MSP, Cllr Calum Munro and Dr Michael Foxley – will help determine appropriate next steps to safeguard the language’s future.
Dr Foxley, UHI further education regional lead and former Highland Council leader, said: “The key points for me include improving the wider use of Gaelic locally by schools addressing the serious drop in secondary Gaelic studies and to assist parents with children in GME with their conversational Gaelic.
“Outwith the school system, the proposal to have Gaelic only events in pubs, cafes and restaurants as an informal ceilidh house deserves action by the agencies.
“Gaelic learners and supporters need access to tutors to improve their fluency, as demonstrated by the huge interest in Duolingo.
“The UHI have a key role in ensuring that Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and Lews Castle College deliver a wide range of courses regionally, especially in the learning centres in Skye and the West Highlands.
“Fundamentally, we need action to provide affordable housing in our Highland villages and townships, otherwise we will have no young Gaels left.”
Cllr Munro, chairman of Highland Council’s Gaelic Committee, said: “Tuesday night’s meeting was a very encouraging first step in the conversation around arresting the decline of Gaelic usage and transmission in our Skye and Raasay communities, and it is so important that these meetings are actually held in Gaelic giving the language its appropriate status. We had excellent contributions from a wide cross-section of our communities.
“The main points I took from the meeting is the need for Gaelic to have increased status in our communities, in homes and in schools, and that by achieving this status the confidence of Gaelic speakers of all ages, and their language skills, can be increased. It’s also very clear that there are several stakeholders in this conversation and that progress can be best achieved through cooperation and mutual support.
“It’s important that there is a strategic approach to Gaelic development in the coming months and years both at a national and community level. I’m very grateful to the Soillse research team as it was extremely useful to have a brief presentation which set out the context for the discussion. I would also like to thank our MSP, Kate Forbes, for setting up this community engagement and I look forward to working with the Scottish Government and national agencies to address the current threat to our Gaelic communities. Finally, I would like to thank the more than 60 participants who attended and engaged in the meeting and that is a genuine reason to be positive about the years ahead.”
Constituency MSP for Skye and Raasay, Kate Forbes, said: “There are public bodies, official plans and government funding – but what will really make the difference to Gaelic is a community of Gaels who live their lives in their preferred language.
“On Tuesday night, over 60 people from Skye and Raasay came together to discuss how to preserve and strengthen Gaelic in their local community. There were many more that requested to come, but in the spirit of making it a community meeting, we restricted attendees to residents of Skye, Raasay and Lochalsh.
“Parents talked about school provision, teenagers raised the issue of extracurricular opportunities to speak Gaelic and others talked about everything from housing to job opportunities. It gave me great hope that beyond all the debate, Gaelic is alive.”
Feedback from the evening has been passed to Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan, who is co-ordinating responses from a series of similar meetings and compiling a major submission to John Swinney MSP – the Scottish Government minister responsible for the language.
