Gaelic Organisations and Bodies
There is a wide range of Gaelic development organisations that receive funding from Bòrd na Gàidhlig. These groups also receive funding from local authorities, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and other public bodies. The focus of these organisations is quite varied, covering interests such as publishing, the arts, adult learners, parental support, early years, music, translation, research and resources for schools.
The Mod
Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail was first held in Oban in 1892. It is the Scottish Gaelic community's annual festival celebrating their language and culture, and is mostly competition-based. An 8-day festival with a strong language emphasis, it attracts around 1200 competitors, focussing on junior competitions at the beginning of the week and adult events at the end of the week, culminating in the awarding of Gold Medals (Non-trad and trad) for solo singers and the Lovat & Tullibardine trophy for the top choir. The current Bàrd (Martin MacIntyre) is serving a 3-yr term of office. The Mòd is comparable to the Welsh National Eisteddfod. In the course of the week, around 20,000 people attend the Mòd and it is estimated to bring up to £2m in economic benefit to the host area, at an off-peak period in the tourist season. Future Mòds will be in Oban (2009), Caithness (2010) and Stornoway (2011). The host area for 2012 will be announced at this year's event.
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Sleat
Isle of Skye
IV44 8RQ
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is a Gaelic higher education institute with an international reach and part of the UHI Millennium Institute partnership. It offers a range of Gaelic language and medium tuition, including degree programmes, through short, part-time, full-time and distance-learning courses.
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (SMO) (literally: "the great barn at Ostaig") is based in Sleat on the Isle of Skye and also has a campus on Islay. It was founded at the disused Ostaig Farm with support from Sir Ian Noble in 1973. The first full-time Director of the college was Isle of Raasay-born Gaelic scholar Farquhar MacLennan who assumed the role in 1976. Since 2002 the college has offered degrees as a constituent college of UHIMI.
SMO is Scotland's only Gaelic-medium college. It was originally established to offer short courses in the Gaelic language. By 1983 the college had refurbished its premises to the point where it felt that it was ready to offer certificated courses. Since then, SMO has developed a range of courses, mostly at higher education level and all delivered and assessed through the Gaelic medium.
The main campus overlooking the Sound of Sleat has won an architectural award. It is one of the most attractive college buildings in Scotland and has enhanced greatly the college's residential and teaching accommodation. More recently, the college has set up an outdoor theatre facility at the main campus in Skye.
The Fás project
The Fás project - This development is a Centre for Creative and Cultural Industries which SMO is developing on its campus on Skye. The Centre will build on SMO's international reputation, facilitating the commercialisation of research and attracting and supporting indigenous small and medium-sized cultural enterprises.
The project will enable Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to consolidate and enhance its role as a National and International Centre of Excellence for the preservation, enhancement and development of the Gaelic language, culture and arts.
Other projects that SMO is involved with
Tobar an Dualchais - is an innovative project which aims to digitise, catalogue and disseminate Gaelic and Scots sound recordings online. This will ensure that the vast heritage of stories, poetry, music and factual information will be preserved as a unique record of Scotland's cultural and linguistic heritage. Online access to the recordings will also ensure that they are widely available for educational and personal use.
In the first phase of the project, 12,000 hours of recordings will be made available online. This will give people the opportunity to listen to people recorded right at the very beginning of sound technology and almost up to the present day.
Lèirsinn - is the college's research company.
Musician -in-Residence is Allan Henderson. Residency is being funded by the Scottish Arts Council.
Writer-in-Residence is Myles Campbell. His residency is being funded by the Scottish Arts Council.
Windows to the West - This interdisciplinary project is a collaboration between the Visual Research Centre of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and SMO looking at rethinking of the history of visual art in the Highlands and Islands; the making of contemporary art in a Highland or Highland-related context; and the exploration of the visual in Gaelic language.
Fás Mòr - is a Gaelic medium childcare centre which is at the college campus in Sleat. It is managed as a company limited by guarantee with six directors, representing parents, SMO and the community of Sleat. It now employs two full time and several part time members of staff. There are over 60 children enrolled at Fás Mòr which makes it a very useful facility for the community and the college. It has a capacity for 15 children aged age 5-12 years old and 10 under 5 years
Faclair na Gàidhlig project (Gaelic Dictionary) - An inter-university initiative by the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Strathclyde and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI to produce an historical dictionary of Scottish Gaelic similar to the Oxford English Dictionary and the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue. Phase 1, 2005-08, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and Bòrd na Gàidhlig, is based at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and the University of Edinburgh
Lifelong Learning Department - With the addition of LLD, students with no Gaelic can now start on the access to Gaelic course for beginners from their own home. Supported distance learning is available up to equivalent of Year 1 and Year 2 is currently being developed to enable distance delivery.
Cánan - is a Media and Publishing company which looks at cutting-edge services across interrelated fields. Their aim is to help find solutions to support learning and communications on external projects in any language.
Ainmean Àitean na h-Alba (Gaelic Place Names Project) - A partnership of public and voluntary bodies whose aim is to set up a national database of Gaelic place-names. This on-line resource will provide, for the first time, a single source of authoritative information on Gaelic place-names, preserve a vital part of Scotland's linguistic heritage and open up a wealth of knowledge previously available only to experts.
SMO's Involvement in Other Projects
SMO is also involved in a variety of other projects which are designed to develop and grow Gaelic. Some examples of these are:
STREAP - is a project designed to encourage fluent Gaelic speakers, who teach in English-medium, to develop Gaelic medium teaching skills to enable the individual to teach in the primary and secondary sectors. This is on-line programme with the opportunity of face-to-face meetings and phone tutorials.
The Tiree Project - is a pilot website based on recordings from Tiree.
30 hours of Tiree material from BBC Alba and the School of Scottish Studies were digitised and then catalogued on Tiree by members of the community. This website gives an indication of the kinds of resources which will be available on the Tobar an Dualchais website in the future.
Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle - It offers a year-round programme of Gaelic courses, classes and related activities. The facilities on offer at Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle are also well used by the local community for a wide variety of purposes, from weekly pipe-band practice to staging week-long conferences for up to sixty delegates. There are also other Gaelic-related projects and businesses based at the Centre.
Other Gaelic Organisations
Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba
5 Mitchell's Lane
Inverness
IV2 3HQ
Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland) is a partnership of authorities and organisations formalised in 2006 to produce a definitive online national gazetteer of Gaelic place-name forms and to advise on wording for signs incorporating Gaelic place-names.
An Comunn Gàidhealach
109 Church Street
Inverness
IV1 1EY
An Comunn Gàidhealach is a membership organisation founded in 1891 which promotes the study and development of Gaelic language, literature, music, drama and all other related art forms and promotes the use of the language in everyday community life. It organises the main Gaelic cultural festival, the Royal National Mòd.
Clì Gàidhlig
Rooms 1-4
Highland Rail House
Academy Street
Inverness
IV1 1LE
Clì Gàidhlig is an access and promotion organisation which promotes the learning and national status of Gaelic, disseminates information on Gaelic and Gaelic matters, and acts as the voice of Gaelic learners and non-native speakers.
Colmcille
10 Garrabost
Isle of Lewis
HS2 0PN
Colmcille supports the promotion of Gaelic and Irish in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and works to strengthen the ties between these countries. It is funded by the governments of these three jurisdictions.
Comann nam Pàrant (Nàiseanta)
5 Mitchell's Lane
Inverness
IV2 3HQ
Comann nam Pàrant is a network of local groups representing the interests of parents whose children are educated through the medium of Gaelic, from pre-school to secondary level. The main aim of all CnP groups is "to promote and support the establishment and maintenance of education through the medium of Gaelic".
Comhairle nan Leabhraichean
22 Mansfield Street
Glasgow
G11 5QP
Comhairle nan Leabhraichean (the Gaelic Books Council) is the main organisation which supports authors and the publication, marketing and sale of Gaelic books.
Comhairle nan Sgoiltean Àraich
92 Academy Street
Inverness
IV1 1LU
Comhairle nan Sgoiltean Àraich is the pre-school council for education of children through the medium of Gaelic. It gives guidance and advice on the sector, and is involved in teaching Gaelic to adults.
Comunn na Gàidhlig
5 Mitchell's Lane
Inverness
IV2 3HQ
Comunn na Gàidhlig is a Gaelic development agency which works in a number of areas to develop Gaelic. It is particularly involved in initiatives involving community, education, younger people and promotion.
Fèisean na Gàidheal
Meall House
Portree
Isle of Skye
IV51 9BZ
Fèisean nan Gàidheal is an umbrella organisation for many of the Gaelic teaching festivals in Scotland. It gives support funding and delivers training programmes, and is involved in initiatives which promote Gaelic and its culture.
Pròiseact nan Ealan
10 Iomair Sligeach
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
HS1 2BS
Pròiseact nan Ealan (the Gaelic Arts Agency) is the principal national development agency for the Gaelic arts in Scotland. It is involved in numerous projects connected with the Gaelic arts.
Stòrlann Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig
11/12 Harbour View
Cidhe Sràid Chrombail
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
HS1 2DF
Stòrlann Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig co-ordinates the production and distribution of resources for Gaelic education. It provides resource support for statutory education at all levels, and for lifelong learning through specific projects.