The Scottish Gaelic Renaissance ( gd, Ath-Bheòthachadh na Gaidhlig) is a continuing movement concerning the revival of the

Scottish Gaelic language Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

and its literature. Although the Scottish Gaelic language had been facing gradual decline in the number of speakers since the late 19th century, the number of young and fluent Gaelic speakers is quickly rising.
Scotsman,2007. A similar trend is also taking place in the

language revival Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community groups, o ...

Canadian Gaelic Canadian Gaelic or Cape Breton Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig Chanada, or ), often known in Canadian English simply as Gaelic, is a collective term for the dialects of Scottish Gaelic spoken in Atlantic Canada. Scottish Gaels were settled in Nova Scot ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

. The movement has its origins in the

Scottish Renaissance The Scottish Renaissance ( gd, Ath-bheòthachadh na h-Alba; sco, Scots Renaissance) was a mainly literary movement of the early to mid-20th century that can be seen as the Scottish version of modernism. It is sometimes referred to as the Scot ...

and especially in the work of Sorley MacLean,

George Campbell Hay George Campbell Hay (1915–1984) was a Scottish Symbolist poet and translator, who wrote in Scottish Gaelic, Scots and English. He used the patronymic Deòrsa Mac Iain Dheòrsa. He also wrote poetry in French, Italian and Norwegian, and ...

Derick Thomson Derick Smith Thomson (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ruaraidh MacThòmais''; 5 August 1921, Stornoway – 21 March 2012, Glasgow) was a Scottish poet, publisher, lexicographer, academic and writer. He was originally from Lewis, but spent much of his life ...

and

Iain Crichton Smith Iain Crichton Smith, (Gaelic: ''Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn''; 1 January 1928 – 15 October 1998) was a Scottish poet and novelist, who wrote in both English and Gaelic. He was born in Glasgow, but moved to the Isle of Lewis at the age of two, ...

. A major role has also been played by the

literary scholar Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...

ship of

John Lorne Campbell Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature. Early life According to his biographer, R ...

, Ronald Black, Donald E. Meek, and many others like them.

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig () (Great Barn of Ostaig) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay, Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (the ...

is sometimes seen as being a product of this renaissance. Although many of the products of the Renaissance were in poetry, fiction, or in

Scottish traditional music Scottish folk music (also Scottish traditional music) is a genre of folk music that uses forms that are identified as part of the Scottish musical tradition. There is evidence that there was a flourishing culture of popular music in Scotland duri ...

, many such as MacLean and

, and more recently

Aonghas MacNeacail Aonghas MacNeacail (born 7 June 1942), nickname ''Aonghas dubh'' or ''Black Angus'', is a contemporary writer in the Scottish Gaelic language. Early life MacNeacail was born in Uig on the Isle of Skye on 7 June 1942. He was raised in Idrigil, ...

, Angus Peter Campbell, and Christopher Whyte have blended Gaelic folklore, mythology, and literary traditions with more international literary styles such as magic realism.

Politics

Mike Russell became the first person to address a

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

meeting in Scottish Gaelic in May 2010. Gaelic had long suffered from its lack of use in educational and administrative contexts, having been suppressed in the pastSee Kenneth MacKinnon (1991) ''Gaelic: A Past and Future Prospect''. Edinburgh: The Saltire Society. but it has now achieved some official recognition with the passage of the

Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 ( gd, Achd na Gàidhlig (Alba) 2005) is an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in 2005. It was the first piece of legislation dedicated to the Scottish Gaelic language and was seen as the first hesitant ...

. At the first

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

, a number of people also swore their oaths in English and Scottish Gaelic. (A version of the oath had to be said in English.)

Literature

* Aonghas Pàdraig Caimbeul - author
The List, 2005. * Sorley Maclean, Somhairle MacGill-Eain - poet * Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn - intellectual, poet and author. * Ruaraidh MacThòmais - academic, author, poet and publisher.

Books

* Sharon Macdonald, ''Reimagining Culture: Histories, Identities and the Gaelic Renaissance'' (Oxford, Berg, 1997). * Roger Hutchinson, ''A Waxing Moon: The Modern Gaelic Revival'' (Edinburgh, Mainstream Publishing, 2005).

Notes

External links

You Can Conquer Digital Worlds in Scottish Gaelic, Thanks to Hard-Working Localizers
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(April 12, 2017) Scottish culture Scottish Gaelic language Scottish literature Celtic language revival {{Scotland-stub