2021 Edinburgh Gaelic Festival launched

The Edinburgh Gaelic Festival (Seachdain na Gàidhlig) will take place 5-12 November 2021, celebrating Edinburgh’s Gaelic community and Gaelic’s place in the capital city.

Now in its eighth year, Seachdain na Gàidhlig was first run by the University of Edinburgh in 2014 before becoming a city-wide Festival the following year.

The opening event will see researchers from the University’s Bilingualism Matters Centre, in the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, share their work on the benefits of speaking more than one language, as well as recent work into Gaelic and language policy.

Other highlights include a lecture in memory of singer and stalwart of Edinburgh’s Gaelic community Calum Cameron, a tour of the Scottish Poetry Library and even an exploration into using Gaelic on TikTok.

There is also a chance to learn about campaigns to establish Gaelic hubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stornoway, which will help to strengthen the language in Scotland.

The festival is run by a committee of volunteers, with support from the University of Edinburgh’s Gaelic Officer.

The full programme can be found on the Gaelic Festival website.