2022’s Census saw the first increase in those able to speak Gaelic since 1971. The numbers were up from 57,375 to 69,701 – a 21% increase.
While the national data is welcome news for a language which has seen a long downward trend in speaker numbers, the picture is not as positive in the language’s heartland of the Western Isles.
There, Gaelic is now a minority language with 45% reported being able to speak it in 2022, compared to 52% in 2011 – a 7% decrease.
In this latest episode of BBC ALBA’s current affairs programme, Eòrpa, reporter Eileen Macdonald visits the Western Isles where she hears how depopulation and housing challenges are impacting traditional Gaelic-speaking communities. In Glasgow Eileen hears the challenges faced by Gaelic speakers in Scotland’s cities when it comes to opportunities to use the language.
The northwest of the Isle of Lewis has traditionally been one of the areas in Scotland with the highest proportion of Gaelic speakers. There, Eileen met Kirsty and John, both plumbers and both part of a younger generation on which any improvement in the fortunes of the language depends.
Kirsty, a Gaelic speaker, told Eòrpa: “Not many people use it. If your parents or your gran or grandad have it, then you’ll probably speak it. But if your parents don’t have it, any the people you speak to regularly don’t either, then you won’t”.
John, who grew up with the language but rarely uses it, added: “I think if you’re not speaking it home, it’s definitely going to die down and I think less and less young people are out less and so they are not interacting with people who have Gaelic and they don’t know about it as well.”
Responding to the 21% growth nationally in Gaelic speakers, and sharp growth in parts of the the country with comparatively few Gaelic Services, Emeritus Professor Wilson McLeod of the University of Edinburgh said: “In places like Edinburgh and Glasgow, there are Gaelic schools and these places have always attracted Gaels from the islands for work and study.
“But in other parts of the mainland, there isn’t very much being done. Despite that, the biggest growth is seen in places like Aberdeenshire, Falkirk, Dundee and similar places where not much is happening in terms of Gaelic.”
Indeed, encouraging those able to speak the language to use it regularly remains a challenge. The Census tells us how many people in 2022 reported being able to speak the language, but not how many actually do.
In the Scottish Government, the responsibility for Gaelic is part of Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes’ brief.
Asked if she thinks Gaelic is in crisis, the Cabinet Secretary remarked: “You can be happy about the numbers that have gone up. People would always ask how best to provide more support for learners, and we’re seeing progress there. That’s good news.
“But a language has to be alive, like English is alive. Gaelic is alive in the traditional communities, but it’s bad news that the numbers there are falling. People ask if Gaelic is in crisis.
“I’m prepared to say “yes it is”, but that’s not going to make any difference if all it is is words. We need the right policies, as well as money and funding.
Reporter Eileen Macdonald: “Having visited communities, and met campaigners, experts, and poilicy-makers, it’s clear there are positives and negatives to take from the state of Gaelic today.
A national rise in speakers is good news, with Gaelic Medium Education continuing to play a large part in feeding that growth. However, there’s real concern about the decline of Gaelic in its heartlands and the fact that it is now a minority language in terms of speakers in the Western Isles.
“The challenge persists too, of how to make sure those able to speak it actually do.”
Eòrpa is BBC ALBA’s flagship current affairs programme, covering a range of domestic and European stories, ranging from the plight of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, to the impact of mass tourism in the Canaries, and the issue of gender-based violence in rural Scotland.
The new episode of Eòrpa: Suas leis a’ Ghàidhlig? premiered on BBC iPlayer and BBC ALBA at 9.00pm on Wednesday 28 August (in Gaelic with English subtitles).
Watch on demand: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b006mvwb/eorpa