IN MY OPINION
Gaelic is not dead. I see the proof of this in the community in which I am living in Scotland this year.
In the days following Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s comments against funding minority languages, it once again became obvious that there are some people who believe that the Gaelic language is “dead.” While I might not have any power to change their minds, I felt compelled to write this letter, simply to explain why I want to speak Gaelic.
Gaelic is not dead. I see the proof of this in the community in which I am living in Scotland this year. On the Isle of Skye, I am able to go to school, get my meals, take a bus or taxi, get my groceries, do my banking and do many other everyday things in the Gaelic language. Anywhere I go on the island, the evidence is clear that Gaelic is alive and well.
On Cape Breton Island, although it is not nearly as obvious, the same is true. You may or may not hear Gaelic at the store or bank, but chances are that it’s there.
When our ancestors came from Scotland, they brought the language and the culture. We still depend on both today to boost our economy. With “ciad mile failte” and an invitation to our ceilidhs, we show off the music, dance, songs and language — the same as our ancestors did — now adapted to allow our economy to grow.
Culture and language are parts of the identity we offer. The two are never separated.
I began learning Gaelic six years ago, but my love of the language started long before when I would sing old Gaelic songs around the campfire with my family. The songs I sang with Poppa or Aunt Anna Marie seemed so old to me that, even as a child, I felt as if generations before me were singing along. Now, at the age of 23, I’ve had the chance to come to Scotland and study Gaelic full time, and that feeling has returned.
I imagine that my ancestors who left Scotland six generations before might also have sat in a hall with stone walls, drinking tea and uisge beatha, telling stories and singing songs.
It is because of the Gaelic language that I am able to have this connection with the past, but also to look toward the future. I plan to return to Cape Breton, continue studying the local dialects, and one day teach the language to children and give them the chance to experience the same connection that I had the privilege to experience.
Gaelic is not “dead” in any way. It may be hidden from those who don’t wish to look, but it is still there.
And when all is said and done, the point is not whether the government funds the learning of the language or not. The point is the language itself, as well as its connection to the people from whom we came, and the places where it will take us.
You may not be involved with the language or the culture, but likely someone you know is, and chances are that they love what they do.
Gaelic is part of the past, but it is also part of the present and future, partly because of the economy, but mostly because of the love people feel for it — whether through words, song, fiddle, pipes, dance or any other part of the culture. Those who foster Gaelic, do it because they love it. And that love is what will help carry it on for generations to come.