World Gaelic Week

Monday 21 March marks the start of the first ever World Gaelic Week/Seachdain na Gàidhlig, taking place until Sunday 27 March, which celebrates and promotes the importance of Gaelic. To celebrate the week we're highlighting the significant role the language plays within tourism and events. 

Between 2018 and 2021 there was a 72 per cent increase in the number of VisitScotland.com users visiting Gaelic related content - with a peak in pageviews during the 2020 lockdown. 

As 2022 marks Scotland’s Year of Stories, a key aim is to share how Gaelic is woven into the fabric of the country and has influenced the way we speak and tell stories now. 

A nationwide programme of more than 100 events presented by a range of partners from national organisations to community groups are taking place this year, in recognition of the wealth of stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland. More than 20 of these events are celebrating Gaelic. 

Some of these events include:

• Tìr Ìseal nan Òran (Tiree: low land of song) is an island-wide creative project which aims to celebrate and promote Tiree’s stories, heritage, culture, and Gaelic language. At the heart of the project are seven stories from the island’s history, tradition and mythology which will be explored within their physical and historical contexts to inspire new creative work. Local artists, young people, the wider Tiree community and an international audience will all be invited to take part in exploring and re-telling these stories through a mixture of traditional music and song, film and photography, theatre and writing, and Gaelic and English. 

• Bail’ Ach’ an Droighinn/Auchindrain Historic Township – the last surviving Scottish Highland Township, based near Inveraray in Argyll – plans to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 by presenting a new series of Argyll folk tales on their YouTube channel. The stories will be told in the local Gaelic dialect (with subtitles) and offer fascinating insights into the myths and legends told around the fireside by the people of the past and provide fresh enjoyment and new insights for the world of today. 

• In Skye, SEALL (Skye Events for All Ltd) and Gaelic singer Anne Martin lead An Tinne (The Link), which is a special programme of events linking a collection of songs, stories, and objects from across the centuries exploring the deep and fascinating connection between Scotland and Australia – taking place in August 

• Stornoway’s An Lanntair presents Seanchas, a series of events, films and special commissions celebrating tales from the Hebrides both real and imagined, modern and ancient. 

• A new film, Cliabh An T-Shenachais – The Story Creel, will celebrate fishing and its importance to the remote communities of Southwest Mull and Iona. Knowledge of the sea and weather signs, tall tales of misadventure, and the experiences of family members on shore will be explored through interviews with local fishing families. These stories will be interwoven with Gaelic language sea songs and poems performed by local school children. The film’s red-carpet premiere will take place on Fionnphort beach, Mull, on 23 July and it will be available online from 4 October. 

• Sgeulaichean Siarach is a celebration of stories and myths associated with the west side of Lewis. In two live performances, local primary school children will share their own creative Gaelic language responses to traditional stories, passed on by Island elders during environmental walks to significant local sites. The first performance will take place at Grinneabhat, Lewis, on 7 April. 

• Songs from the Last Page is a live performance and song-writing project led by composer Gareth Williams and Chamber Music Scotland. As part of their nationwide programme of events this year, they will be teaming up with Skye Gaelic singer, Deirdre Graham. With support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Williams and Graham will be producing a series of bilingual song-writing workshops and live performances in Skye and Edinburgh this summer, that celebrate both historic and modern Gaelic storytellers. The live performances will feature a programme of original songs that turn some of the nation’s favourite book endings into new beginnings, including a Gaelic-language song commissioned by the project. 

Learning Gaelic Language

Gaelic’s popularity has also grown on the language app, Duolingo. The learning tool launched the free course on St Andrew's Day 2019 and there are now 430,000 active learners studying Scots Gaelic on Duolingo. The course has been a success in Scotland, the UK, and the world over with the largest number of learners in the USA (35 per cent) - which speaks to the connection the Scottish diaspora has with the language. The app also has Gaelic learners from locations as far afield as Chad, Equatorial Guinea, San Marino, the Falkland Islands, and Tajikistan. 

We launched its first Gaelic toolkit last year to help the tourism industry to build upon the lure of the language with visitors. 

It highlights ways to use Gaelic and its culture to create a more immersive visitor experience such as teaching staff some basic phrases and translating place names to reveal their Gaelic origins and meanings. 

Find out more about how your business can use and promote Gaelic language and culture to create an immersive experience for your visitors with our updated Gaelic toolkit. 

Gaelic Translation

’S e an-diugh [Diluain] a’ chiad latha den chiad Seachdain na Gàidhlig  a-riamh (21-27 Màrt) a tha ag amas air cudromachd na Gàidhlig a chomharrachadh agus adhartachadh , agus tha a’ bhuidheann turasachd nàiseanta a’ soilleireachadh na pàirt cudromaich a tha aig a’ chànan ann an turasachd agus tachartasan. 

Bho 2018 gu 2021, bha àrdachadh de 72% ann an seallaidhean nan duilleagan le susbaint co-cheangailte ris a' Ghàidhlig air làrach-lìn VisitScotland.com leis an ìre as àirde as motha de sheallaidhean duilleig rè glasadh-sìos COVID-19 ann an 2020.

Is e 2022 Bliadhna Sgeulachdan na h-Alba, agus mar sin, ’s e prìomh amas a bhith a’ sealltainn mar a tha a’ Ghàidhlig air a fighe a-steach do chur is dlùth na dùthcha agus mar a tha i air buaidh a thoirt air an dòigh sa bheil sinn a’ bruidhinn agus ag innse sgeulachdan san latha an-diugh.

Tha prògram nàiseanta de chòrr is 100 tachartas a thèid a thoirt seachad le farsaingeachd de chom-pàirtichean bho bhuidhnean nàiseanta gu buidhnean coimhearsnachd gu bhith a’ tachairt am-bliadhna mar chomharra air beairteas nan sgeulachdan a tha air am brosnachadh le, no sgrìobhte no air an cruthachadh ann an Alba. Agus tha còrr air 20 de na tachartasan sin a’ comharrachadh na Gàidhlig.

Nam measg, tha na leanas: 
 

• ‘S e pròiseact cruthachail a tha a’ gabhail a-steach an eilein air fad a th’ ann an Tìr Ìseal nan Òran a tha ag amas air sgeulachdan, dualchas, cultar agus Gàidhlig a chomharrachadh agus adhartachadh ann an Tìoradh. Aig cridhe a’ phròiseict tha seachd sgeulachdan bho eachdraidh, traidisean agus beul-aithris an eilein a thèid air an tèid air a chur sna co-theacsan fiosaigeach agus eachdraidheil aca gus obair chruthachail ùr a bhrosnachadh. Thèid cuireadh a thoirt do luchd-ealain ionadail, daoine òga, coimhearsnachd Thiriodh san fharsaingeachd agus luchd-amais eadar-nàiseanta gus pàirt a ghabhail ann a bhith a’ rannsachadh agus ag ath-innse nan sgeulachdan sin tro mheasgachadh de cheòl is òrain thraidiseanta, film is dealbhan-camara, tèatar is sgrìobhadh, agus Gàidhlig is Beurla. 
   
• Bidh Baile Ach’ an Droighinn/Auchindrain Township – am baile Gàidhealach mu dheireadh a tha air fhàgail, faisg air Inbhir Aora ann an Earra-Ghàidheal – a’ comharrachadh Bliadhna Sgeulachdan na h-Alba 2022 le bhith a’ taisbeanadh sreath ùr de sgeulachdan dualchasach bho Earra-Ghàidheal air an t-seanail YouTube aca. Thèid na sgeulachdan innse ann an dualchainnt Ghàidhlig na sgìre (le fo-thiotalan) agus bheir iad sealladh inntinneach dhuinn air na h-uirsgeulan a dh’innseadh timcheall an teine le daoine san àm a dh’fhalbh agus bheir iad tlachd às ùr dhuinn agus seallaidhean ùra do shaoghal an latha an-diugh. 
   
• Anns an Eilean Sgitheanach, bidh SEALL (Skye Events for All Ltd) agus an seinneadair Gàidhlig Anna Mhàrtainn a’ stiùireadh An Tinne (The Link) , a tha na phrògram sònraichte de thachartasan a tha a’ ceangal chruinneachadh de dh’òrain, sgeulachdan, agus nithean bho air feadh nan linntean, a’ rannsachadh ceangal domhainn agus inntinneach eadar Alba agus Astràilia. Tachraidh seo san Lùnastal 
   
• Bidh  An Lanntair ann an Steòrnabhagh a’ lìbhrigeadh Seanchas, sreath de thachartasan, filmean agus coimiseanan sònraichte a’ comharrachadh sgeulachdan bho na h-Eileanan Siar - fìor is fionn-sgeul san latha an-diugh agus bho chionn fhada. 
   
• Bidh film ùr, Cliabh an t-Seanchais – The Story Creel, a’ coimhead air iasgach agus cho cudromach ’s a tha e do choimhearsnachdan iomallach ann an Iar-dheas Mhuile agus Eilean Ì. Bithear a’ rannsachadh comharran a thaobh na mara agus na sìde, sgeulachdan ròpach mu mhì-fhortan, agus thèid beatha buill teaghlaich air tìr a rannsachadh tro agallamhan le teaghlaichean iasgaich ionadail. Bidh na sgeulachdan seo eadar-fhighte le òrain mara agus dàin Ghàidhlig bho chloinn-sgoile na sgìre. Thèid premiere brat-ùrlair deirg an fhilm a chumail air tràigh Fhionnphort, Muile, air 23 Iuchar agus bidh e ri fhaighinn air-loidhne bho 4 Dàmhair. 
   
• Tha Sgeulaichean Siarach a’ comharrachadh sgeulachdan agus uirsgeulan co-cheangailte ri taobh siar Leòdhais. Ann an dà sheisean beò, bidh clann bun-sgoile ionadail a’ toirt seachad nam freagairtean cruthachail Gàidhlig aca fhèin do sgeulachdan traidiseanta, a chuala iad bho sheann daoine an eilein air cuairtean àrainneachdail gu làraichean ionadail  cudromach. Thèid a’ chiad chuirm a chumail ann an Grinneabhat, Leòdhas, air 7 Giblean.
   
• Songs from the Last Page, le taic bho EventScotland mar phàirt de Bhliadhna nan Sgeulachdan 2022, tha Songs from the Last Page na phròiseact ceòl beò agus sgrìobhadh òrain air a stiùireadh leis an sgrìobhaiche-ciùil Gareth Williams agus Chamber Music Scotland. Mar phàirt den phrògram nàiseanta de thachartasan aca am-bliadhna, bidh iad ag obair còmhla ris an t-seinneadair Sgitheanach, Deirdre Ghreumach. Le taic bho Bhòrd na Gàidhlig, bidh Williams agus Greumach a’ toirt seachad sreath de bhùthan-obrach dà-chànanach gus òrain a sgrìobhadh agus de chuirmean beò san Eilean Sgitheanach is an Dùn Èideann as t-samhradh am-bliadhna, a bhios a’ comharrachadh sgeulaichean Gàidhlig san latha an-dè is an latha an-diugh. Bidh na seiseanan beò a' gabhail a-steach prògram de dh'òrain ùra a bhios a' dèanamh toiseach ùra de cuid de na deiridhean leabhraichean as fheàrr leis an dùthaich, a' gabhail a-steach òran Gàidhlig a chaidh a choimiseanadh leis a' phròiseact.

Tha fèill air Gàidhlig cuideachd air sìor-fhàs air an aplacaid cànain, Duolingo. Chaidh an cùrsa an-asgaidh air an inneal ionnsachaidh a chur air bhog air Latha Fhèill Anndrais 2019 agus tha 430,000 neach-ionnsachaidh gnìomhach a-nis a’ dèanamh Gàidhlig na h-Alba air Duolingo. Tha an cùrsa air a bhith soirbheachail ann an Alba, san RA, agus air feadh an t-saoghail leis an àireamh as motha de luchd-ionnsachaidh anns na Stàitean Aonaichte (35 sa cheud) - a tha a’ dearbhadh gu bheil dlùth cheangal aig diaspora na h-Alba ris a’ chànan. Tha luchd-ionnsachaidh na Gàidhlig bho àiteachan cho fada air falbh ri Chad, Guinea a’ Chrios-Mheadhain, San Marino, na h-Eileanan Faclanach, agus Tajikistan air an aplacaid cuideachd.

Dh’fhoillsich VisitScotland a’ chiad seata-ghoireasan (toolkit) Gàidhlig aca an-uiridh gus gnìomhachas na turasachd a chuideachadh gus togail air cho tarraingeach ’s a tha an cànan do luchd-tadhail.

Tha e a’ sealltainn dhòighean anns an gabh a’ Ghàidhlig agus a cultar a chleachdadh gus am bi turas nas fheàrr aig luchd-tadhail, mar eisimpleir tro bhith a’ teagasg beagan abairtean bunaiteach agus a’ coimhead air ainmean-àite gus na tùsan agus na ciallan Gàidhlig aca a mhìneachadh.