Gaelic College, Isle of Skye

Students cannot fail to be inspired to learn as they look out over magnificent vistas of the remote Knoydart peninsula from the recently built campus extension at Arainn Chaluim Chille.

The spectacular setting in the heart of Gaeldom may be part of the reason that interest in the Gaelic language is growing but devolution and greater prominence of the language in everyday life have also played a role.

Angela NicIlliosa, marketing officer at Sabhal Mor Ostaig, believes that Gaelic has undergone its renaissance period and is now being accepted as an important and permanent part of Scots life.

"I think the renaissance happened and now everybody thinks we need another push at it," she said.

"There have been a few bills put through the Scottish Parliament and they are now hoping to form a Gaelic task force to look at issues facing Gaelic speakers, from education to the economic situation in Gaelic areas."

Sabhal Mor Ostaig is playing a vital role in delivering Gaelic education and now offers degree courses in the Gaelic medium through the University of the Highlands and Islands.

As part of their expanding activities the college have also just embarked on a pilot project offering a Gaelic access course online which makes use of the very latest technology to take the language to an even wider audience.

The pilot project involves four groups of students, at Kingussie, Lochaber, Islay and at the college in Sleat, and if it is a success could be used to teach Gaelic to students across the globe.

"What we are hoping for is to have between 10 and 12 students in each of these areas, as because it is a pilot we can't expand it any further," explained Angela.

"There have been a lot of e-mail enquiries, with quite a lot from down south.

"It is all going to be delivered online so it does not matter where you are as long as you have got a computer really.

"The aim is to bring students up to the level to enter the first year of a University of the Highlands and Islands course, like our first year immersion course.

"Obviously if you are in Japan or Canada or the United States then you are not going to be surrounded by other Gaelic speakers and the course will be your only contact with the language, so it will be more to do with the working of the language rather than the speaking of it, initially anyway."

After completing the access course students can continue onto the college's immersion course which aims to take them to fluent level within a year.

Other courses available include combinations of Gaelic with business administration, television and multimedia, North Atlantic studies, communications and language and culture.

Many of the courses attract people who have been brought up in Gaelic areas and moved away to pursue further education but decide to return to consolidate their language skills before entering the work place.

"We have a lot of returning graduates, people from Skye or other parts of the Islands and Highlands who take a year out to do our immersion course," said Angela.

"They come back to do a year of Gaelic as the career opportunities are maybe slightly better if you are able to speak it, and a lot of people want to put something back into the area as well."

It is not only certificate courses which are attracting a lot of students however as a programme of short courses in Gaelic covering topics like traditional music and dance runs throughout the summer with several hundred people attending each year.

Sabhal Mor Ostaig also plays a vital role in The Columba Initiative (Iomairt Cholm Cille) which was established in 1997 to foster links between Gaelic Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland building on cultural exchanges to create new links between the regions.

Despite its often old fashioned image Angela says the annual Mod is an important factor in the continuing resurgence of Gaelic bringing together Gaels from across Scotland and helping young people to realise they are not alone in keeping their language alive.

However if the growing numbers of students at Sabhal Mor Ostaig continues it would seem the number of people speaking the language is on the increase and there need be few worries about keeping Gaelic alive.

More information about Sabhal Mor Ostaig is available on their website at http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk

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