Gaelic in Edinburgh – A History

Jean Guild Grant 2023: James Gillespie's HS

Project aims and background

The Gaelic in Edinburgh History project undertaken by the pupils of James Gillespie’s High School under the guidance of depute Head Teacher, Donna MacIver have researched the pre-conception that Gaelic was only spoken by people living in the Highlands of Scotland. Gaelic medium education (GME) continues to go from strength to strength in Edinburgh, with numbers choosing to learn the language through the City Council’s feeder primary school – Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce – growing each year. Whilst the popularity of GME is fairly recent, there is a myth that Gaelic was never spoken in the Central Belt or Lowlands – particularly in the Lothians – and that it is irrelevant to the city’s history. This project set out to engage pupils in their cultural heritage and allow them to research, discover and share their findings within Gillespie’s and the wider community.

The objective of the “Eachdraidh Na Gàidhlig ann an Dùn Èideann – The History of Gaelic in Edinburgh” project has been to engage pupils with the rich history of the Gaelic language in Edinburgh. It has offered opportunities for hands-on archival research and collaboration with academics, with the intention of fostering a culture celebrating the past and of enabling pupils to make connections between their lives today and those in their minority community in the past. The desire is to share the information with the wider community, given that this is a little researched area of Edinburgh’s history.

Donna Mairi MacIver, Depute Head Teacher at James Gillespies High School

The project has been managed by Donna Mairi MacIver, Depute Head Teacher, who comes from Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Donna’s own subject is History. Donna has supported the young people with their research, as well as liaising with colleagues in the the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. She has sought to provide pupils with the opportunity to be actively involved in archival research.

Project activities

The project started in June 2023 with a focus on researching a specific and nuanced area of Edinburgh’s rich history. This project was pursued voluntarily by pupils keen to pursue an extra-curricular ‘club’ activity in Gaelic, whilst learning about their local geographical community. The pupils took the lead in deciding what they would like to research about the Gaelic community in Edinburgh, including topics such as social, economic and  educational history. The students collated their findings, including images, and produced copy which was then passed to a graphic designer to create a display. Four roller banners were devised, two in Gaelic and two in English, displaying the pupils’ findings. The banners are now being used whenever there are events at the Darroch Annexe of the School, the newly refurbished building which is the now home to secondary Gaelic medium education.

The information discovered by pupils as a result of their research is being shared with the Old Edinburgh Club and will be promoted further by the Club, including through social media channels. 

Outputs & results

The major benefit of the project comes from the knowledge gained by the participating students, in relation to both the subject matter and their experience of conducting research.

The banners provide a visual display, showcasing the value and quality of their efforts. They help bring home to the wider school community the significance of Gaelic language and heritage in Edinburgh. They may be transported elsewhere to tell the story of Gaelic speaking peoples in Edinburgh and the Central belt.

The School leadership team is keen to promote diversity and inclusion by celebrating minority and indigenous cultures where they can. They believe that setting the goal of creating a final tangible product is a means of engaging pupils on a deeper level with Edinburgh’s history and encouraging those who may otherwise not join this group to participate. They want to encourage a sense of pride and belonging within the Gaelic-speaking community of Edinburgh, and hope to achieve this by giving pupils the opportunity to see their work displayed regularly during whole school community events. 

News of project progress

The Old Edinburgh Club were delighted to have Donna MacIver, Gillespie’s project lead, give a short talk at the OEC AGM on 18 September. This provided the opportunity for OEC members to view the banner display. 

Miss Jean Ritchie Guild

This project has been supported by a Jean Guild Grant, named after our benefactor, a long-standing member of the OEC. She joined the staff of the University of Edinburgh Library in 1948, later becoming Reference Librarian, much-respected for her skills and knowledge, especially in relation to the Faculty of Arts. Later she was responsible for publicity, Library publications, visitor programmes, and the Library’s relationship with the wider community.