BY KIRSTY WATT
Irish president Catherine Connolly celebrated Scotland’s growing interest in Gaelic as she delivered the prestigious ‘Òraid an t-Sabhail’ lecture at Skye’s Sabhal Mòr Ostaig last Saturday.
The president was joined by Màiri McAllan, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, for the event which explored the historic and contemporary connections between Gaelic-speaking communities in Scotland and Ireland and the people, initiatives and institutions helping to strengthen those connections.
Alongside President Connolly’s lecture, the event featured performances from SMO alumna Julie Fowlis and Irish musician Éamon Doorley, and poetry readings Scotland’s Makar and SMO’s former writer in residence Pàdraig MacAoidh.
President Connolly said it had been “a great honour” to be on Skye and to have the opportunity to visit SMO.
She said: “The warm Celtic welcome which I have received not only in Skye, but across my visit to Scotland this week has made a deep impression on me.
“This is my first visit to your beautiful island, but yet it feels familiar. The sea and rugged landscape remind me of Connemara and make me feel at home.
“The sounds of your ancient language of course carry such strong similarities to our own language, our native tongues reminding us how closely related we are as neighbours in friendship, in soul and in spirit.
“I am particularly pleased to hear of the growing interest in Gaelic today, just as we have seen in the Irish language in recent times. I hope that the recognition of Gaelic as one of Scotland’s official languages in November 2025 will continue to help build this interest in the language in the years ahead.”
President Connolly is the third serving Irish president to deliver a lecture at SMO; she follows a lecture by President Mary McAleese in 2002 and another by President Mary Robinson in 1997.
Dr Gillian Munro, principal of SMO, said that it had been a “privilege” to welcome both the president and the cabinet secretary to SMO to “hear their reflections on the deep and enduring connections between the Gaelic-speaking communities of Scotland and Ireland.”
Dr Munro added: “Our Gaelic languages are thriving and evolving through education, culture and the communities that sustain them. We hope this historic visit will strengthen those connections further and create new opportunities for future generations.”
Grand day out in Broadford
BY KIRSTY WATT
Irish president Catherine Connolly said the work of the Broadford community on Skye has given her “hope”, after she met with volunteers and staff of their community company last week.
President Connolly visited the Broadford and Strath Community Company last Saturday as part of a four-day tour of Scotland.
Joined by representatives from the Irish Embassy, Udaras na Gaeltachta, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Highland Council, the president was treated to a tour of the BSCC’s community campsite, Camping Skye, and met with volunteers and participants of their Men’s Shed, their horticultural therapy group Flourish Together and their outdoor learning group Corry Capers.
The BSCC told the Free Press that the visit had been an important opportunity to “showcase the impact of supported community-led development and the positive change it can have on communities”.
The president said her visit to the BSCC had given her “hope”.
Shirley Grant, trustee of the BSCC, told the Free Press: “We were delighted to welcome the president to Broadford and to have the opportunity to showcase the work of the Broadford and Strath Community Company. We are proud of what we have achieved to date, however we still have lots more we would like to do. This work can only happen with the continued support from our volunteers, community and the public bodies that we work with.”
The BSCC began in 2003 with the aim of creating a self-sufficient, inclusive and eco-friendly community. In the last 10 years they have secured £4.2 million of investment to help improve amenities and create facilities within the community for the benefit of residents and visitors.