Ligeann Labhairt Gaidhlig: Lets Talk Gaelic! www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
By
Michael McDaid
21st February - 7th March 2014 | Ayrshire News 21 The Vibrant Communities group which is part of the East Ayrshire Council is organising a Gaelic Conversation Day as part of the Councils efforts to promote Gaelic language and culture in Ayrshire, the event will be based around the theme of the “Legacy of 2014” as this year is a cultural milestone for Scotland. The event which will take place on the 15th of March at the Boswell Community Centre in Auchinleck has been organized by the Vibrant Communities group and is being supported by the Council’s Department of Educational and Social Services. The event will be free of charge to East Ayrshire residents and secondary school pupils but a £10 fee will be asked of non-residents. This is due to the fact that the event which is held annually attracts people from both Ayrshire and the rest of Scotland, who will enjoy a tea and coffee reception as well as a delicious afternoon lunch. The Gaelic language is an important part of Ayrshire’s history as Carrick in South Ayrshire is known to be the last place in the Scottish lowlands where Gaelic was still widely spoken. Events such as this one are also important in the recent resurgence of interest in
the Gaelic language and culture since for the first time since the 1700’s the Gaelic language in Scotland’s decline has almost halted at 1.2% (58,652 speakers) of the population being bilingual speaking both English and Gaelic. While the majority of Gaelic speakers are to be found in the Highlands and the Outer Hebrides there are speakers of the language all over Scotland and events such as this one, allows speakers who are otherwise linguistically isolated to converse in Gaelic, something which they may not have the opportunity to do on a day to day basis. Gaelic in recent years has returned from obscurity, as the Scottish Government in 2005 signed the Gaelic Language Act bringing Gaelic back to the fore in the public consciousness. This is most visible in everyday life,
in the Gaelic language signs which can be found in train and bus stations. The act also set up the Bòrd na Gàidhlig (BnG) which is responsible for “securing the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland” the board has statutory powers to enforce Gaelic language provision and is also working on the improvement of services for Gaelic language education in schools and for Gaelic speakers. If you are interested in attending the event in the Boswell Centre at Auchileck on Saturday the 15th of March more details can be obtained from Vibrant Communities. You can contact them by phone at 01563 576705 and via email at vibrantcommunities@east-ayrshire. gov.uk. The closing date for registration is on Friday 7th of March.