Highland schools to receive Gaelic audio devices

Schools across the Highlands will receive audio devices pre-loaded with 70 Gaelic stories, songs and poems.  

The scheme is funded through a grant of £75,000 from the Scottish Government in an effort to grow the Gaelic language in the Highlands. 

“This funding represents a significant step forward in our efforts to strengthen Gaelic’s growth in the Highlands,” said Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic Kate Forbes. “It builds on an encouraging increase in the number of Gaelic speakers in the Highlands recorded at the most recent census.” 

According to census data from 2022, over 18,500 people in the Highland Council area had some Gaelic skills. This is an increase of 1,599 people from previous census results published in 2011. 

The funding will also support the refurbishment of a primary school in Newtonmore and increase the ability of Gaelic medium schools in the Highlands to purchase equipment for media and music classes. 

The funding was announced on the same day as the opening of the Royal National Mòd in Locharber. The Mòd is a festival that celebrates the Gaelic language through music, drama, literature, sports and art. The festival provides an opportunity for people to perform in competitions across a range of events, from Highland dancing to Gaelic music and literature competitions. It also offers non-competitive events like Ceilidh dancing and performances from traditional musicians. 

“This year’s event is the first National Mòd held since the passage of our Scottish Languages Act,” said Forbes. “The legislation, supported unanimously by MSPs, will establish Gaelic as an official language of Scotland and enable parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be set up in their area.” 

The bill was passed in June and is intended to boost the usage of Gaelic and Scots around the country. Measures included in the bill support the introduction of educational standards for Gaelic and Scots, while also introducing targets on the number of people speaking and learning Gaelic.