Gàidhealtachd

From Freepedia

The Gàidhealtachd', sometimes known as A' Ghàidhealtachd (the Gàidhealtachd), usually refers to the Scottish Highlands in Scottish Gaelic. This is in contrast to Irish Gaelic where an Irish speaking area is known as a Gaeltacht (itself a loanword from Scots Gaelic).

However, it is not truly interchangeable with the term "Highlands", meaning literally "Gaeldom", and not referring to the geography at all. Also, many parts of the Highlands no longer have substantial Gaelic speaking populations. For this reason, it also increasingly refers to the regions in Scotland and Nova Scotia where Scottish Gaelic is spoken as the native language by most or some part of the population. 'Galldachd' ("Gall-dom", Gall referring to a non-Gael) is often used for the Lowlands, although it is also notable that the Hebrides are known as Na h-Innse Gall due to the historical presence of Norsemen.

History

In the past, the Gàidhealtachd would have included much of modern day Scotland outside the extreme south east and the Northern Isles, as evidenced by the prevalence of Gaelic derived place names throughout Scotland, and contemporary accounts. These include Dundee from the Gaelic Dùn Deagh, Inverness from Inbhir Nis, Stirling from Sruighlea, Argyll from Earra-Ghàidheal and Galloway from Gall-Ghaidhealaibh. Gaelic speakers from what would be considered the Lowlands today included George Buchanan from Stirlingshire, and Robert the Bruce and Margaret McMurray from Galloway and Ayrshire.

For historical reasons, including the influence of a Lowland Scots-speaking court in Edinburgh, and the plantation of merchant burghs in much of the south and east, the Gàidhealtachd has been reduced massively to the present region of the Western Isles, and the North West Highlands, Skye and Lochalsh and Argyll and Bute, with small Gaelic populations existing in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Canadian Gàidhealtachd

Scottish Gaelic has also survived among communities descended from immigrants in parts of Nova Scotia (especially Cape Breton), Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland in eastern Canada and those areas where Gaelic is spoken can also be said to be Gàidhealtachdan. See also Scottish Gaelic in Canada.