Gaelic boost for local group

NORTH Lanarkshire Gaelic Forum has been given a grant to start a project which could have long-term benefits for Cumbernauld.

The organisation, which primarily meets in Cumbernauld Village Hall, seeks to promote the Gaelic language alongside traditional music and culture across Lanarkshire. It has been given a National Lottery Awards For All cheque for £9250.

“The money will be used to fund research into the level of support for Gaelic across Lanarkshire with a view to having a permanent centre for the area,” explained forum secretary Maired MacVicar. “We will also investigate the amount of demand for services based around Scots, as it may turn out more sustainable to cater for both Scots and Gaelic.”

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Forum members will also make a research trip to Islay, where a centre along the lines of the one they hope to establish has operated successfully for the last decade.

While this project is at a very early stage, Maired hinted that she would not be surprised if the Gaelic centre was founded in Cumbernauld. “The main area of support for Gaelic is Cumbernauld due to the specialist education services here,” she said. “However, there are Gaelic groups across Lanarkshire and they’re big fans of shinty in Coatbridge.”

The Gaelic Forum holds a wide variety of events in Cumbernauld and elsewhere in Lanarkshire, including a monthly ceilidh and music classes.

E-mail the Forum via [email protected]