Much of what distinguishes the Highlands and, indeed, Scotland today, can be
regarded as being based on or derived from Gaelic culture. Local historical
societies have recently achieved some success in their communities in conserving
their Gaelic heritage for transmission to future generations. Nevertheless, it
is evident that the cultural assets of Gaeldom are still vastly under-valued and
under-utilised.
The Gaelic tradition has at least two millennia of outstanding achievement.
In more recent centuries, Gaelic artistic contribution to European thought
includes the key influence of James MacPherson's "Ossian" on the romantic
movement which led to the creation of many of today's nation states. The Gaelic
element in British military prowess is also well recognised. Over the last
century the annual National Mod has helped to maintain Gaelic music in the
Scottish consciousness. Despite these achievements, much of Gaeldom's creative
talent has remained suppressed.
The recent development of the Gaelic Arts, mainly under the National Gaelic
Arts Project, has created a major new vehicle for focusing creative energy.
Feisean (local non-competitive music festivals), Gaelic exhibitions, new
literature, Celtic rock groups, dance and drama events have melded tradition
with contemporary forms capturing the collective imagination of Scotland's
youth. The opportunities for further development are limited only by the
availability of human and financial resources.
Young people are the prime target for Gaelic development. It is nevertheless
important to nurture the use of the language among Gaelic speaking adults within
families and communities. This requires support through a variety of community
development techniques, one of which is the transmission of the rich store of
traditional culture to the younger generation through historical societies, and
through electronic means as proposed under the Tobar an Dualchais project. It is
most important, whatever the age group concerned, that artistic and heritage
activity be carried out through the medium of Gaelic.
An extra 200 hours per year of Government-funded Gaelic television
programming began transmission in 1993. Employment of Gaelic speakers in
television has grown from around 20 in 1991 to over 200 today. A limited BBC
Gaelic radio service has been in existence for some time but has evolved into a
near full-time national service.
As Gaelic literacy improves with the growth of both Gaelic medium schools and
adult learners, other media opportunities are emerging in journalism and
publishing, particularly in connection with Gaelic periodicals.
On the evidence of experience in other countries, cultural expression is a
fundamental driving force for linguistic revival. It is also an important
driving force for economic development. Besides the domestic market, the new
Gaelic television industry and the mounting impact of high quality professional
Gaelic touring "shows" can act as trade |