Tag: World Gaelic Week

Boost for Gaelic language

Funding for broadcasting, education and cultural projects

A £620,000 package to support the continued growth of the Gaelic language has been announced by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes on the first day of World Gaelic Week.

The funding includes an additional £200,000 for MG ALBA (the Gaelic media service) to deliver high-quality content including series two of BBC ALBA’s award-winning crime thriller An t-Eilean.

Independent research has found that Gaelic media generates £1.34 for every £1 invested and supports 340 jobs across Scotland, including 160 in island communities.

The new funding will also support ongoing work to establish the first dedicated Gaelic cultural centre in the Highlands and structural improvements at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig – the world’s only Gaelic-medium college on the Isle of Skye.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “This year’s World Gaelic Week is particularly special, being the first since Gaelic gained official status through the Scottish Languages Act.

“This new investment will help the language thrive, from broadcasting that brings Gaelic to new audiences to education initiatives that help more people learn it.

“An t-Eilean’s success demonstrates there is a global appetite for high-quality Gaelic content. The programme has brought Gaelic into living rooms around the world and this funding will ensure the communities and talent behind that success continue to flourish.”

Sorcha Groundsell, who will return in series two of An t-Eilean in the lead role of Detective Sergeant Kat Crichton, said: ‘’I’m so pleased that An t-Eilean has been recommissioned for a second season.

“It was a wonderful and deeply fulfilling experience to be a part of season one and I have every faith the team will build on the work they did and that they will take the show to new heights and even broader audiences.

“It’s so important that we continue to platform Gàidhlig and to provide further opportunities for Gael creatives so that we can reinforce the language as a vital and vibrant force on the global cultural stage. I’m looking forward to picking up Kat’s journey and seeing where the show takes her in this next series!’’

The First Minister is expected to unveil the Scottish Government’s Islands Plan in Shetland later today. The plan includes measures to support Gaelic’s growth in island communities where it is traditionally spoken.

Information about World Gaelic Week is available online.

Gaelic goes global as World Gaelic Week counts down to fifth edition

In a true testament to its growing international appeal, the fifth annual Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week), running from 23rd February – 1st March 2026, is set to unite Gaelic speakers and learners on a global scale like never before. 

From rural Scottish Highland communities to the city of London, and as far away as Australia, the meaningful celebration will take centre stage across continents, highlighting the undeniable vitality of the Scottish Gaelic language.

Seachdain na Gàidhlig will showcase a vibrant programme of events in far-flung locations and varying time zones in just over two weeks’ time, centered around the theme Use It or Lose It (Cleachd i no caill i).

The initiative aims toinspire Gaelic enthusiasts everywhere to actively engage with the language and send a powerful message of strength that resonates worldwide.

Highlights include an online gathering for Gaels in Australia, proving that the love for Gaelic stretches halfway around the world. Participants in Australia and neighbouring regions will come together virtually to share language, laughter and culture.

Meanwhile, online step dance workshops led by renowned Scottish step dancer Sophie Stephenson are open to participants on every continent, offering an inclusive, international invitation to celebrate Gaelic culture through movement and music.

The popular Say a Gaelic Phrase Day returns on Thursday 26th February, and is once again expected to engage thousands of digital participants from around the globe who want to share their love of Gaelic, or give it a try, on social media.

Gaelic speakers, learners and lovers in London will have multiple opportunities to connect with the language, including through Còisir Lunnainn (the London Gaelic Choir), who are staging a London Ceilidh Club in Camden, and a Gaelic church service in Covent Garden.

Back in Scotland, a rich variety of events offer something for speakers and non-speakers alike. 

The Living Lore in Anstruther will share Gaelic song from celebrated singer Mairi McGillivray, Edinburgh’s Guid Crack: To the Gaels with Love event will see storytelling Caroline Carmichael celebrate the rich tales of Gaelic folklore, and an immersive Gaelic Spoken Word Night in Dundee, hosted by Gaelic writer and poet Donnchadh MacCàba, will explore Gaelic culture through poetry and spoken word.

Every year, the World Gaelic Week movement grows stronger. In 2025, more than 170 events attracted 40,000 people from every corner of the world and this year’s Small Grants Fund, which supports the staging of Seachdain na Gàidhlig events, received a record number of applications.

Joy Dunlop, Director of Seachdain na Gàidhlig, said: “With 2026 marking the first edition since Gaelic became an official language of Scotland, World Gaelic Week has never felt more significant or more international.

“There are literally hundreds of activities, both in person and online, scheduled to take place, giving Gaelic communities worldwide countless ways to connect and celebrate. As we count down to this year’s landmark celebration, we can see that across the globe, in both bustling cities and close-knit villages, the enthusiasm for the Gaelic language knows no bounds.”

Supported by Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Scottish Government, and spearheaded by Scottish traditional culture and music organisation Hands Up For Trad, Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2026 will take place from 23rd February – 1st March 2026. Visit seachdainnagaidhlig.scot.

Individuals, community groups and organisations with any level of Gaelic can stage their own events or host an activity in their community that promotes the language. Events can be added to the World Gaelic Week website at seachdainnagaidhlig.scot.

Seachdain na Gàidhlig is delivered by cultural charity Hands Up for Trad and donations make their work possible.

Support the initiative at seachdainnagaidhlig.scot/support-us.

Twinkl Scotland celebrates World Gaelic Week

Global educational resources publisher, Twinkl, has a Gaelic-speaking team publishing resources in the language throughout the year.

From the 21st to the 27th of March, Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week) is going to be enjoyed in Scottish classrooms and beyond.

The event is a wonderful way of shining a light on a significant part of Scottish heritage, and to celebrate an aspect of Scottish culture. The aims of the week are to encourage learning Gaelic, and to promote the cultural richness associated with Gaelic.

Gaelic is prominently used in the Highlands and islands of Scotland. There are also many urban Gaels using the language in Scotland’s cities. Gaelic is actively spoken in schools, among friends & family,  as well as in shops and restaurants.

According to the last census, over 87,000* Scots were able to speak, read or understand Gaelic. As a minority language, it has had a large impact on Scottish culture for centuries, right up to the present day. 

Twinkl has created learning materials that fit into five themes to help the language come alive. The themes can be used each day in the school-week when Seachdain na Gàidhlig takes place.

These are: Celebrate Gaelic, Learning the Language, Gaelic in the Real World, Gaelic in the Media, and Arts & Culture. These themes were created to support the teaching and the learning of Gaelic.

Twinkl is an EdTech company with a mission to ‘help those who teach’. The organisation has its own Gaelic-speaking team, dedicated to creating educational materials in the Gaelic language throughout the year. There are resources designed for fluent Gaelic speakers as well as learners. 

Julie-Anne Mackenzie, Twinkl Alba’s Product Owner said, “World Gaelic Week is a fantastic way of boosting the language’s profile, as well as celebrating its stories, music, and much more.  It is an opportunity for both learners and fluent speakers in a variety of contexts to celebrate and share their learning, whatever stage they are at.”

The Twinkl Alba team speaks Gaelic throughout the working day. Alongside the Gaelic resources that are made, emails are written, and meetings are hosted in the language. The team features content writers, graphic designers and editors dedicated to supporting teaching and learning in the language throughout the year. Employees come from a variety of educational and linguistic backgrounds throughout Scotland and beyond. 

Julie-Anne said, “It is a privilege to work on a team that creates thousands of educational resources in Gaelic a year. Gaelic is the primary language we use in a business setting, no matter the project we are working on.

“There are even English Twinkl employees who have enjoyed picking up some Gaelic words and phrases when working alongside us!” 

“Learning Gaelic is a fun challenge, and Twinkl Alba are here to support learners and teachers with a vast array of engaging resources. This is to supplement and enhance the learning experience. Why don’t you give it a try?”

For more information about World Gaelic Week, you can take a look at Twinkl’s World Gaelic Week Category Page.