Call for investment in Gaelic to show it has uses in modern world

THE professor who is to taking up the first chair of Gaelic in Scotland has called for greater investment in the language, despite the spending pressures brought about by the recession.

Professor Roibeard Maolalaigh is assuming the permanent post at Glasgow University.

The chair has been created to recognise the university as a centre of excellence for the study of Celtic culture and Gaelic.

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The announcement came after Glasgow City Council launched its first Gaelic language plan under the terms of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 last week.

Speaking yesterday, Prof Maolalaigh said that he felt that the appointment was key to a long-term commitment to the language.

"There is an important principal there in the sense that it is an investment in the future and recognition of its renewed status in Scotland. I see that as being fundamentally important."

Prof Maolalaigh has been with the university for the past five years as a personal chair of Gaelic studies.

The announcement means that another professor will be appointed to the post when he decides to leave or retire.

He acknowledged there was a debate about the investment in a minority language during a recession but said it was important that the language was supported.

"I would rather use the word 'minoritised' than 'minority', and by doing that it highlights the fact that the decline of Gaelic is as a result of deliberate policies," he said.

"Scottish Gaelic is on the decline in Scotland, and if we're serious about stemming that decline, then we need to do something about it, and one of those things is to make it more attractive to younger people – by normalising the language and making people see that it has uses in the modern world."

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Glasgow has already taken steps in bringing the language into the mainstream, having introduced Scotland's first dedicated Gaelic-medium primary school in 1999.

Provision was extended to include secondary level education in 2003 when the Glasgow Gaelic School was established at Woodside campus in the western side of the city.

Arthur Cormack, chairman of Brd na Gidhlig, the body set up by the Scottish Government to promote Gaelic, said of the appointment: "The university has established itself as a world leader in Celtic and Gaelic education and research. It is entirely fitting that Professor Roibeard Maolalaigh be appointed as the first occupant of this chair as he has done much over the years to further advance the cause of Gaelic both nationally and internationally."

Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning Keith Brown agreed. "This is very good news," he said. "This decision demonstrates Glasgow's clear commitment to this important aspect of our heritage and raises the status of the Gaelic language in Scottish higher education. This is also very encouraging for all those involved at all levels in Gaelic promotion in the university, and in Scottish education generally.

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