GAELIC policy in Scotland will soon outlive Gaelic communities, experts have warned, as they called for an urgent change of approach. Professor Conchúr Ó Giollagáin and Iain Caimbeul, a former chief executive of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said Scotland s Gaelic language policy risks becoming part of the problem . In a new academic paper, they argue existing policy is contributing to the decline of Gaelic communities. Mr Ó Giollagáin, who is director of the University of the Highlands and Islands’ (UHI) Language Sciences Institute, previously led a major study that warned Gaelic-speaking communities are at risk of dying out within a decade.
That was the stark conclusion of a book-length study published in the summer. But momentum is building to reverse this decline, and those at the top are open to radical proposals. Scotland’s Finance Secretary Kate Forbes told The Herald she would support the idea of housing developments reserved for Gaelic speakers. She fears parts of the Highlands and islands could become retirement villages or ghost towns amid a rise in second homes. Ms Forbes, a fluent Gaelic speaker, emphasised the importance of communities driving change, but said there’s certainly an appetite in the Scottish Government to “do whatever it takes”.