Eriskay Historical Society secures funds for Ionad Eilean na h-Òige project

From Comann Eachdraidh Eirisgeidh (Eriskay Historical Society) in the Western Isles:

We are proud to announce that Ionad Eilean nan h-Òige has been awarded £340,895 in funding from the second round of SSEN Transmission's Regional Community Benefit Fund.

A share of £2.37 million has been awarded to 14 projects out of 189 applications from community organisations across the north of Scotland. 

This funding will support Phase 3 of our Ionad Eilean na h-Òige project, the final phase of our redevelopment of the old Eriskay School.

Phase 3 will deliver the heart of the overall project, and compliment the wellbeing accommodation suited currently under construction. 

Phase 3 includes:

• A new museum within the old Eriskay School building
• A welcoming tearoom/café
• Community rooms
• A temporary exhibition space for themed exhibitions, local & visiting artists etc
• Community library
• An archive room
• Office hire space
• Gym/Greenhouse

This is a fantastic result and a real testament to the strength of the community, the project and the collective effort behind the application. It reflects the commitment, collaboration and belief shown by so many in our community.

This support enables us to leave a positive lasting legacy in partnership with SSEN Transmission, preserving Eriskay’s heritage while creating sustainable facilities for future generations.

If you would like to donate towards our project, please click on the link on our website https://www.eriskayheritage.scot/support-us

Thank you all for your continued support with our community led project.  

(Source: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064550927205)

Comment: I met some of the folk from this Eriskay group last year, they're a friendly bunch, and it will be great to see the centre when he work is complete. I might just have to go back for another visit!

Mealaibh ur naidheachd a chàirdean!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Seachdain na Gàidhlig - World Gaelic Week 2026

Next week see's the latest Seachdain na Gàidhlig (https://seachdainnagaidhlig.scot), also known as World Gaelic Week, in which all things Scottish Gaelic are celebrated by those of us proud of Scotland's oldest continuously used language. 

The theme of the next week will be Cleachd i no caill i - Use it or lose it. The Gaelic language is in a fragile state after centuries of discrimination, although it is finally at the point where the numbers of speakers is finally beginning to rise again, thanks to initiatives such as Gaelic medium education and the efforts of our own governments here in Scotland, run by the SNP, Greens, and Labour/Liberal Democrats at various points since our parliament was reconvened in 1999. That being said, there is still an ongoing decline in usage in the native heartlands of the Western Isles, where it remains in regular community use, so much work has yet to still be done.

There will be various events across the country (and worldwide!) next week where you can find out more about the Gaelic language and ways to learn it, attend concerts, and much more - details can be found in the above website link. Here in East Ayrshire, the East Ayrshire Gaelic Forum (of which I am the secretary) will be holding two events next weekend - a Cafaidh Cabadaich or 'conversation cafe' on Saturday 28th at the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock, and on Sunday 1st March a Coisich anns a' Phàirc event, a walk around the park at Dean Castle, Kilmarnock, starting at the car park, where you can meet like minded learners, speakers and enthusiasts. Both events will be run from 1-3, and are free to attend. Our forum is also working on a few other exciting events over the next few months, but more on that in due course!

Cleachd i no caill i - agus bidh fàilte romhaibh uile! Use it or lose it - and you will all be most welcome!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Is the National Records of Scotland anti-Gaelic?

A couple of years ago I asked the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) via one of its social media platforms what it was doing by way of a Gaelic Language Plan, a document that outlines how organisations and public bodies will help to promote and use the Scottish Gaelic language (Gàidhlig), in line with requirements set out by the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 (see https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/03/how-is-national-records-of-scotland.html). To give examples of such plans, my local authority here in East Ayrshire has a Gaelic Language Plan available at https://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/Resources/PDF/G/gaelic-language-plan.pdf, whilst the National Library of Scotland has one available at https://www.nls.uk/about-us/plans-and-policies/corporate-documents/. Such plans show how Gaelic can be catered for on a range of issues, none of which take away from the bodies' responsibilities to deliver services in English.

The response that I got from the NRS was that "Gaelic culture has an important place in our archive", and to demonstrate this, it pointed to a page on its website at the time describing the events of the Declaration of Arbroath. It then mentioned they also had a page about the Iolaire disaster in 1919. And that was it! There was nothing on its website about how the organisation might field enquiries from Gaelic speakers, nothing about how the language can be made more visible at the institution, nothing about resources that might be available at the archive to assist with researching Gaelic Scotland, and crucially, absolutely no sign of a Gaelic Language Plan, or evidence of how the institution is complying with such a plan if one exists. 

The only other time I can point to the NRS having a connection with Gaelic is the work of the recent censuses. The 2022 census was made available bilingually, and there has been analysis of the question on Gaelic speakers subsequently carried out - as per the requirements and instructions of the Scottish Parliament, its parent agency. The 2022 census showed a remarkable turnaround for the language with an increase in the number of current speakers (albeit with a continuing fall in the Western Isles), ending years of decline. 

Earlier this year, both the Gaelic and the Scots languages were granted official status in the country through the Scottish Languages Bill, which came into effect in July. The purpose of this act was to seek the protection of, and promotion of, these languages in public life and in education. As part of a talk I am preparing to give next week, I decided to check if anything had changed at the NRS via its recently updated website. A search of 'Gaelic' produced just five results, including the Arbroath piece, and an item telling the story of Angus McPhee from Benbecula who ended up in a lunatic asylum in Perth after killing his parents on the island. The Iolaire piece is no longer found there, but can be found deep in its web archive at https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20210917045704/https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/node/3171.

This is just woeful, and completely not in keeping with the spirit of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 and the 2025 Scottish Languages Bill.

So some questions for the NRS. 

• Do you have a Gaelic Language Plan? If so, where can it be viewed?
• If not, are you bound through some other Scottish Government agency to conform to a Gaelic Language Plan?
• If you are not subject to the requirements of a Gaelic Language Plan, why is this the case? 
• Are you in the midst of creating a Gaelic Language Plan (and if so, when will this be published)? 
• Are you opposed to the visibility of Gaelic at your institution?
• And following on from the 2025 act, how will you also cater for the Scots language at your institution?

It is a mark of how completely untransparent the NRS is with the Gaelic language that I cannot even state what the modern Gaelic for the archive is - is it, for example, Tasglann Nàiseanta na h-Alba (National Archive of Scotland), Clàran Nàiseanta na h-Alba (National Records of Scotland), or something else? By contrast, the National Library of Scotland proudly displays its Gaelic equivalent on its website's home page - Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba - and the world didn't end when it decided to do so.

There are many things I would love to see in Scotland that go beyond what the NRS can do in its day to day work, which cannot be changed without additional parliamentary action, for example the right to record births, marriages and deaths in English, Gaelic or Scots, and not just in English (as was recently catered for in Northern Ireland in 2022 with regards to the Irish language). It is bizarre that a marriage ceremony, for example, can be carried out in Gaelic or Scots, but the record of the event must be in English.  

But there are many things that the NRS can do to promote the use of Gaelic in its work. The NRS is a horrendously institutionalised body that cannot see beyond the borders of Edinburgh city centre. It is time to reflect the diversity of Scotland, and that includes obligations on the use of Gaelic (and Scots) in its work.  

Update: A search has revealed that the NRS does not have its own Gaelic Language Plan, but apparently is bound by the National Gaelic Language Plan 2023-2028 as set out by Bòrd na Gàidhlig and the Scottish Government. So where and how is this being implemented by the NRS?

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

My Cert HE in Gaelic with Immersion from Glasgow University - and future plans

It's official - I have a Certificate in Higher Education, with Distinction, in Gaelic with Immersion from the University of Glasgow!

During the pandemic I set myself a five year plan to retrieve the Gaelic I had previously learned thirty years ago whilst living in Bristol a student, and to push myself further towards fluency. The culmination of this formal learning was to study a one year Cert HE course - the equivalent of the first year of a degree course - in Gaelic with Immersion at the University of Glasgow, culminating in three weeks immersion with the Gaelic speaking community on South Uist. I can now hold quite fluid conversations in Gaelic, and consider myself to be at a level of functional fluency, but I continue to study every day, because even after 54 years with English, I'm still learning there also!

So what will I do with the language? Scotland's oldest language, here long before the arrival of Scots and English, from at least the 5th century AD, is in trouble, with native speaker numbers declining, but at the same time, the recent census has shown us that that decline can be turned around. Right now I am involved as a committee member with the East Ayrshire Gaelic Forum in Kilmarnock, and will be stepping up on a few other fronts in the next few months. Last weekend I organised an event at Dean Castle Country Park where many learners came with their families to practice the language, which was great fun, whilst last night I was at An Lòchran in Glasgow, participating in a singing workshop with my friend Eilidh Cormack from the Gaelic band Sian.

I am also now seriously giving consideration to doing a teacher training course at Strathclyde University next year, with a view to becoming a teacher in Gaelic speaking schools in Scotland, where I think I might be able to do some positive work to help the next generation of speakers. I have quite a bit ahead of me before making a decision on that front, but it is the direction I am working towards, with some firm decisions to be made next spring. 

Whatever the future brings, I am looking forward to it - but don't worry, this blog will continue, as will my current genealogy efforts on many fronts!

Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl!

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available - Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Resources to help you learn Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)

The following was first published in my Scottish GENES Newsletter on Sunday 11th January 2025.

I've been asked by a couple of readers about advice on how to start learing Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), following the recent positive 2022 census results showing a reversal of its decline. So here goes!

A good starting point is the free to access Duolingo course at www.duolingo.com, which can allow you to pick up some basic phrases and words at just 15 minutes a day study.

Once you have made a start on this, there are other courses available online with a bit more structure that can begin to help you understand some basic grammar, including the BBC's SpeakGaelic course and TV series - see https://speakgaelic.scot. The programmes can be watched on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SpeakGaelic, including Gaelic subtitles for all the Gaelic spoken, to help you put the words to the sounds.

The Ceumannan series of lessons are used by schools across the country to teach Gaelic from National 5 to Advanced Higher levels - these are freely available at https://storlann.co.uk/ceumannan/ 

e-Sgoil (https://www.e-sgoil.com) offers access to adult learners wishing to study the National 5, Higher or Advanced Highers in Gaelic for Learners. Having achieved both the Higher and Advanced Higher through e-Sgoil, I can thoroughly recommend it! 

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (https://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/?lang=en) on the Isle of Skye (pictured below) also offers distance learning options, including its Cùrsa Inntrigidh, and also short courses in the summer where you can attend and learn with like-minded students and gain confidence in speaking the language.

As with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Ceòlas centre (https://www.ceolas.co.uk) on South Uist also offers residential options for Gaelic study.  

There are many courses available as books also, and my favourite has always been Teach Yourself Gaelic by Boyd Robertson, now being printed as Complete Gaelic (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Gaelic-Beginner-Intermediate-Course/dp/1444102362/). The audio files to accompany this are freely available at https://library.teachyourself.com/id004325766/Complete-Gaelic-Free-resources.

The LearnGaelic platform has an absolute tonne of useful resources for learners at all levels, including content from the old STV series Speaking Our Language, and a brilliant online dictionary. You can freely access the site at https://learngaelic.scot/.

Around the country are various Gaelic learning community and conversation hubs, including Culturlann Inbhir Nis at Inverness (https://culturlann.scot/en), An Lòchran in Partick, Glasgow (https://www.anlochran.com), Edinburgh's Ionad Gàidhlig Dhùn Èidinn (https://ionaddhuneideann.org), and Stornoway's An Taigh Cèilidh (https://www.taighceilidh.com).

Bringing it back to the genealogy world, you may be interested in this article on ScotlandsPeope about the Gaelic will of Donald MacSwain (Dòmhnall MacSuain) - https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/news-and-articles/our-records-domhnall-macsuains-gaelic-will.

Finally, for genealogists, my free guide to useful words for family history is available at https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/p/gaelic-genealogy.html.

I hope that helps!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

I'm doing the Kiltwalk in April to raise money for An Lòchran Gaelic Arts and Cutural Centre in Partick

On April 28th I have decided to take leave of my senses and to walk for 22.6 miles between Glasgow Green and Balloch at Loch Lomond, as part of the annual Kiltwalk, to raise money for the charity An Lòchran (https://www.anlochran.com), a Gaelic language centre based in Partick, Glasgow. The jury's still out on whether I will be doing it in a kilt, but it's an activity that I have wanted to do for a few years! There will be a team of us participating on behalf of An Lòchran (calling ourselves The Gaelforce!) and we're really looking forward to it!

Since 2007 the Scottish GENES Blog has been brought to you for free, and I've never asked for any money from readers for it (although I do obviously advertise my courses and books etc), but if you have found it useful, and continue to do so, any shillings, cents, or whatever you have to hand, would be very much appreciated for this worthy cause! 

The fundraiser page is through JustGiving, and can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-paton-stewarton - thanks in advance if you can help!

Mòran taing a chàirdean!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Scrabble Gàidhlig now on sale!

Ràinig Scrabble Gàidhlig mo dhachaigh ann am Baile nan Stiùbhartach an-diugh, agus tha mi air bhioran! Faodaidh sibh an geama a' cheannach bho Comhairle nan Leabhraichean ann am Partaig aig https://www.gaelicbooks.org/explore-the-shop/gifts/scrabble-gaidhlig. Tha 18 litrichean bunaiteach sa gheama (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U), agus còig litrichean le stràcan (À,È,Ì,Ò,Ù).

Just through the door is my own copy of the new Scrabble Gàidhlig board game, produced following an idea by Teàrlach Wilson of An Taigh Cèilidh in Stornoway. The Gaelic version contains just 18 plain letters (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U), as well as versions of the vowels with a stràc (grave accent) on them (À,È,Ì,Ò,Ù). 

Although you can order a copy from An Taigh Cèilidh at https://www.taighceilidh.com, it is currently out of stock there (demand has been phenomenal), but I noticed on an online post that it will be back in stock in April. However, I purchased my copy from Comhairle nan Leabhraichean (The Gaelic Books Council) in Partick via https://www.gaelicbooks.org/explore-the-shop/gifts/scrabble-gaidhlig, where it is still listed as being in stock.

A fun way to learn the language of some ancestors!

Cluicheamaid...! (Let's play!)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Culturlann Inbhir Nis secures East Church of Inverness for Gaelic centre

An agreement has been reached with the Church of Scotland to sell the building of the 225 year old East Church of Inverness, which closed its doors on March 5th this year for the final time, to Culturlann Inbhir Nis (https://cultarlann.scot), which plans to turn it into a major Gaelic language and culture centre for the local community and the Highlands.

Speaking on behalf of the organisation, chairwoman Maggie Chapman stated "We are extremely grateful to the 600 individuals who contributed to our crowdfunder campaigns, and we are privileged to have been given the opportunity by the Church of Scotland and the East Church congregation to become custodians of this beautiful and historic building for the benefit of future generations."

Funding has also been supplied by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Inverness Common Good Fund, the Architectural Heritage Fund and Enterprise Scotland.

For more on the story visit https://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/news/historic-highland-church-set-to-become-major-gaelic-cultural-331512/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Sgeulaiche Gàidhlig air ainmeachadh / Gàidhlig Storymaker announced

Bhon Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba /From the National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk): 

Tha sinn toilichte ainmeachadh gun deach an dreuchd chliùiteach mar a’ chiad Sgeulaiche Ghàidhlig a bhuileachadh air an sgrìobhadair agus craoladair Curstaidh NicDhòmhnaill. Chaidh an dreuchd a bhrosnachadh le taisbeanadh dà-chànanach làithreach an Leabharlainn ‘Sgeul | Story: Sgeulachdan bho Ghaidhealtachd na h-Alba’. A’ tarraing air dualchas beul-aithris a tha a’ dol air ais fad linntean mòra, tha an dreuchd ag amas air a’ Ghàidhlig a bhrosnachadh tro sgeulachdan cruthachail.

We’re pleased to announce that writer and broadcaster Kirsty MacDonald has been selected as the Library’s first Gàidhlig Storymaker. The post was inspired by the Library’s current dual-language exhibition, ‘Sgeul | Story: Folktales from the Scottish Highlands’. Drawing from a centuries-old oral storytelling tradition, the role aims to promote Gaelic language through creative storytelling practice. The 12-month Gàidhlig Storymaker position is funded by Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

Barrachd fiosrachaidh / Further information - https://www.nls.uk/news/archive/gaidhlig-storymaker-announced/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Inverness seeks to create Gaelic language cultural centre

The Gaelic language (Gàidhlig) in Scotland is undergoing something of a mini-renaissance of interest just now, thanks to the groundbreaking Scottish Gaelic course on Duolingo (www.duolingo.com), and the BBC's new Speak Gaelic series and course (https://speakgaelic.scot). Spoken historically all over Scotland, and to this day in much of the Western Isles and the Highlands, one of the biggest challenges that learners face is the opportunity to practice talking in the newly acquired language.

A new initiative in Inverness is fundraising to build Scotland's first 'culturlann', a thriving community hub with Gaelic at its heart. From the crowdfunder site:

Help us create a modern and vibrant Gaelic Cultural Centre where fluent speakers, learners and visitors of all ages can meet and enjoy the  language and culture.

Our aim is to create a space, with the Gaelic language at its heart, which will showcase and celebrate our culture .

    A welcoming Café with Gaelic speaking staff.
    A retail area selling Gaelic books, cards, CDs, t-shirts and many other Gaelic related gifts.
    An exhibition space promoting understanding of the history of the language
    Meeting rooms for Gaelic learning activities.
    A venue for Ceilidhs, concerts, family events, story-telling and other public events.

There is a higher percentage of Gaelic speakers in Inverness than any other city in Scotland and therefore, in the world ! We have a very successful Gaelic medium school full of children bursting with talent!

And yet. . . there is nowhere in the city where Gaelic speakers and learners can hear and use the language in a natural day-to-day environment and nowhere for visitors to find out more or experience an authentic Gaelic welcome.

With YOUR help, Cultarlann Inbhir Nis aims to change that!

Please donate if you would like to help make this happen!

A short video about the project is available at https://youtu.be/E5YEUxIyprA, and presented below for convenience:

The initiative is based on successful schemes that have been up and running for a while over the water in Northern Ireland, with regards to the local flavour of Gaelic there, Gaeilge, such as Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in Belfast, and Cultúrlann Aonach Mhatha in Armagh. As a student in the 1990s I actually filmed a project at the Belfast based centre, which even had a secondary school based on site, and was blown away by what it had been able to achieve. To see something similar for Inverness would be an absolute dream come true, and yet another reason to visit!

If your ancestry includes a Gaelic component, or if you're a Gael today, old or new, please consider giving your support to this amazing project to help revitalise one of Scotland's longest establish languages. You can read more about the project, and make a donation, at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/cultarlann.  

Gura math theid leibh to the team!

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

State Library of Victoria uploads An Teachdaire Gàidhealach from 1857

If your ancestor was a Gael from Scotland who made their way to Hobart in Tasmania, you may be interested to know that a run of the limited ten edition set of the Hobart-based newspaper, An Teachdaire Gàidhealach, from Feb-Nov 1857, has been digitised and made freely available to view online by the State Library of Victoria.

The publication is written entirely in Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), and includes news from Scotland. From the catalogue entry at the library (http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?vid=MAIN&docid=SLV_VOYAGER1043587) it looks like the title was reactivated again in 1981, with a further run until 1990, but this is the first limited run from 1857 only, which is out of copyright.

You can access the title freely at https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE5999133.

(With thanks to @Caledonia_Aus via Twitter)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.