AN island community trust has created two jobs solely dedicated to supporting and developing the Gaelic language.
The Tiree Community Development Trust has worked on projects involving the development of Gaelic on the island for 17 years.
READ MORE: Our islands are living communities – you are in them, not on
The Isle of Tiree, part of the Inner Hebrides and with a population of around 650 people, is one of the few remaining native-speaking Gaelic communities in Scotland.
The number of Gaelic speakers in Tiree has more than halved in the past 40 years, to just 30% of the population.
The new jobs, aimed at promoting the aspirations and immediate needs of the Gaelic language in Tiree, will see two people work on projects related to Gaelic on the island.
Mary Ann Kennedy, a Highland musician and broadcaster who has close ties to Tiree through her father, will work alongside Lauren MacArthur, a young Gaelic-speaking local islander, in the new posts.
MacArthur, who hails from Sandaig in the west of the island, said she wanted “to help make sure that my language has a place and a future in Tiree".
Kennedy said she hoped her father would be proud of her decision to “work in Tiree at a time when the language is in a very fragile state on the island”.
READ MORE: Scottish island communities are being ignored – and tourism may suffer
She continued: “This is about the community. Our door is open and we really hope that folk will be up for talking to us and working with us to make things happen.”
The chair of the community trust and columnist at The National, Rhoda Meek, hailed the project as “vital”.
She said: “The community is the soul of the language.
“If we lose that, we reduce Gaelic to an intellectual exercise.
“Having Mary Ann and Lauren, who belong to that community, working on this vital project, I believe we stand a chance of making a real difference.”
More information about the Tiree Community Development Trust can be found here.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel