Speak up for Gaelic is an exciting new Portree & Braes Community Trust and Portree & Braes Community Council project.  The aim of the project is to organise events and activities where people feel comfortable speaking Gaelic in everyday settings, regardless of their ability in the language.   

We have been fortunate to receive grant funding of £10,000 from Community Land Scotland which will enable us to employ a part-time coordinator to assist with getting the project up and running.

 

The project will be delivered through a series of events – meetings and activities - where native speakers and learners of all abilities can converse in Gaelic.  It’s all about speaking Gaelic in everyday situations.

 

We will be promoting the use of Gaelic language in local businesses, particularly in shops, pubs and restaurants where people gather locally.  We will be asking businesses to encourage staff to greet customers in Gaelic and to display signage that indicates the business supports and promotes spoken Gaelic.”

 

The aim to establish a network of native speakers and those interested in increasing their confidence in using the language.  Events will be designed to encourage people of all ages and abilities to speak Gaelic and learn from each other.  The challenge is to reverse the decline in the use of Gaelic by building confidence and normalising everyday use. Many native speakers comment that there are fewer opportunities to speak Gaelic.  Leaners report a lack of opportunities to practise the language, especially with native speakers.  There is mutual benefit in bringing the two groups together and this project aims to do exactly that.  The project does not involve any formal teaching.  The intention is that people learn from each other by using spoken Gaelic and helping each other with words and pronunciation.  

 

Above all, we want people to enjoy using Gaelic whether they are fluent or just want to learn how to say a few words.    We really hope this project will go some way towards re-establishing Gaelic as the language of Skye. 

 

Events will be open to everyone on Skye and on Raasay, as well as visitors to the area.