Gaelic was once the majority tongue of the Scots, but it is now spoken by only two percent of the population, its stronghold being the Inner and Outer Hebrides off Scotland’s northwest coast. Today Gaelic is fighting for its survival against the onslaught of the English language and its culture.
Donald Morrison looks at the history and present circumstances of Scotland’s oldest living landscape, Gaelic, and examines recent developments to try and stem the decline of the language.
“Highlands & Lowlands”: a comparative, six-part co-production from Radio Netherlands and BBC Scotland, looking a the lifestyles, histories, frontiers and languages of contemporary Holland and Scotland.
Producer: Donald Morrison
Broadcast: December 15, 1996