Learning Gaelic is a far more powerful experience than I had expected. It’s not a language, it’s a whole culture – and a community. We sent our daughter to the city’s one Gaelic school, which raised a number of eyebrows among our friends. Most of my initial reasoning was vague: kids who grow up bilingual get smarter. But what brought us back, later, was the warmth and the joy of it. It’s weird but, really, it’s the only school I’ve ever gone into and suddenly felt welcome. Everybody’s happy. This term the funding’s being cut and they’re all happy!

This video shows the opening of the launch night of the new Gaelic tv station, BBC Alba. (“Alba” being Gaelic for “Scotland”). As you’d expect it opens with song.

I came to the launch night of BBC Alba in a state of total confusion. I tried to engage my customary degree of cynicism, but also, I badly wanted it to be useful for us as learners. More, in fact – many Scots find it impossible to be kind about Gaelic. My confidence has taken a bit of a kicking from that, and I’m not used to feeling like part of something. It’s entirely cultural. We’re hardly the only country on earth which believes, deep down, that the voice of authority has an English accent.

I’m glad we’re learning what we’re learning, and I’m proud to be feeling hopeful. Change is scary but there’s a lot of it about the world at the moment. It’s nice being Scottish.

Postscript 1:
The rest of the launch night included the ubiquitous ceilidh and a documentary about serial killers. Somebody had a sense of humour, eh?

Postcript 2:
I’m told a “Sassenach” is someone who speaks English. Anyone. A Scotsman who speaks English is a Sassenach. Maybe that was what gave the word its bite. I wonder if there’s an opposite word to that for insufferable lowlanders who start trying to learn Gaelic – because it’s an increasing phenomenon, believe me. How they must cringe on the islands when we pour over there for our holidays. No wonder it’s £400 for a cup of tea.