Gaelic in Scotland, Gaelic in Canada: Challenges, Prospects, Connections

The Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph is the oldest and most eminent academic unit in North America to carry out research, graduate training and teaching on Scottish history and Scottish culture, with special emphasis on their global dimensions. Our graduate program was founded in 1968 and we are proud to host special events and public lectures that presents current research by graduate students and scholars from Scotland, Canada and elsewhere around the world.

The Centre for Scottish Studies

Join us for the inaugural Scotland-Canada Academic Partnership Lecture delivered by Professor Robert Dunbar, University of Edinburgh.

Gaelic has been spoken for perhaps 1,500 years or more in Scotland, and for over 250 years in what is now Canada. Many Scots are not aware of how widely spoken Gaelic once was in Scotland, and most Canadians are unaware of the fact that at the time of Confederation, Gaelic was likely the third most widely-spoken language in Canada. It is now a highly vulnerable minority language in Scotland, and is in an even more precarious position in Canada. Many factors help to explain the decline, but neglect by, and sometimes hostility of governments played an important part in the story. Over the last fifty years in Scotland, and more recently in Canada—specifically, in Nova Scotia—things have changed. In this presentation, in addition to tracing the historical trajectory of the language in both Scotland and Canada, Professor Robert Dunbar will explore efforts by individual activists, communities and governments to support the language and its speakers in both countries. Prof. Dunbar will also explore the ongoing links between these two sea-divided language communities, and what they can learn from each other, and we can learn from them.

About the Speaker...Robert Dunbar is a Canadian and is Professor of Celtic at the University of Edinburgh. A graduate of the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School, he practiced law in Toronto before doing an LL.M. in International Law at the London Schol of Economics and a PhD in Celtic at the University of Edinburgh, where his thesis was on the Gaelic poet John MacLean (1787-1848), known in Scotland as 'Bàrd Thighearna Cholla' (The Bard to the Laird of Coll) and in Nova Scotia, to which he emigrated in 1819, as 'Am Bàrd MacGilleain' (The Bard MacLean). In addition to his work on Gaelic literature and culture, particularly in the 19th century and in Canada, he played an important role in the development of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. He is a member of Bòrd na Gàidhlig and is also a member of the Committee of Experts, a Council of Europe treaty body which oversees the implementation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the only treaty in the world created to support languages such as Gaelic and their speakers.

The Scotland-Canada Academic Partnership (S-CAP) lecture is generously supported by the Scottish Government Office in Canada.S-CAP is a partnership between the Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph and the Scottish Government Office in Canada .Officially launched on 12 September 2024 at the University of Guelph, S-CAP aims to (1) promote communication between scholars in Canada and Scotland with mutual research interests; (2) highlight their research to the wider community; and (3) bring them into closer contact to nurture new research agendas, across a broad range of disciplines and domains.To become involved and join S-CAP, please contact the Centre for Scottish Studies: <a href="mailto:scottish@uoguelph.ca" title="mailto:scottish@uoguelph.ca" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">scottish@uoguelph.ca</a>.

Event image: The Gaelic flag, flying at Province House (Halifax, Nova Scotia) for the month of May (Gaelic Awareness Month). Credit: Gaelic.co.

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Gaelic in Scotland, Gaelic in Canada: Challenges, Prospects, Connections

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Gaelic in Scotland, Gaelic in Canada: Challenges, Prospects, Connections

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