MSP to give Holyrood address in Gaelic to raise language’s profile

An MSP is seeking to raise the profile of Gaelic by delivering an entire speech in the language at Holyrood.

Kate Forbes will become just the second female MSP, and the first in the current Scottish Parliament chamber, to deliver a whole contribution in Gaelic during a plenary debate.

Ms Forbes, who chairs Holyrood’s cross-party group on the language, will speak as MSPS consider a motion on Scotland’s support for the (Unesco) convention for the safeguarding of intangible 0 Kateforbeschairs across party group on Gaelic cultural heritage. There have been a handful of Gaelic contributions in the parliament’s history, including a full speech from SNP stalwart Winnie Ewing in 2000 and, in more recent years, from current International Development and Europe Minister Alasdair Allan; and Ms Forbes’ predecessor in the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch seat Dave Thompson.

Ms Forbes said: “Like most people in the chamber, I fully support the government’s motion to recognise our cultural heritage in Scotland and Gaelic is obviously one of our most powerful assets.

“I wanted to demonstrate that Gaelic isn’t just a language of the past, but it is a language of Scotland in 2018 too. I wanted to show and tell that Gaelic is an asset.”