Want to Learn Gaelic?
There are now more opportunities than ever to learn Gaelic in Nova Scotia. Universities and several public schools offer the language as part of their regular curriculum. Gaelic courses are also offered at the Gaelic College during the summer months. There are also many more resources available for Gaelic learners of all levels.
Online Independent Learning Resources
Speak Gaelic is an online tool for learning Gaelic and is accompanied by various audio and visual aids learning the Gaelic language from beginner to advanced levels.
The Digital Archive of Scottish Gaelic, the University of Glasgow's online repository of digitised texts, lexical resources and audio recordings for Scottish Gaelic. DASG has three main components, Corpas na Gàidhlig, the Fieldwork Archive and our Audio Archive.
Learn Scottish Gaelic in just 5 minutes a day with Duolingo's game-like lessons. Whether you’re a beginner starting with the basics or looking to practice your reading, writing, and speaking, Duolingo has a lesson for all levels.
Am Faclair Beag (The Little Dictionary) is a digitized version of Dwelly's Gaelic English Dictionary, along with other Gaelic terminology resources.
Learn Gaelic is an online resource that offers online lessons for beginner through to intermediate levels. They also offer a dictionary and links to other videos and radio programs.
Cainnt is Ceathramhan | Language and Lyrics is collaborative project to catalogue, digitize, transcribe and facilitate access to the Gaelic songs and folklore of Nova Scotia.
Reading and Listening Materials
Gaelic Nova Scotia: A Resource Guide is a document intended for teachers, learners, or anybody curious about Gaelic Culture.
Am Bràighe was devoted to Gaelic oral tradition, music and book reviews, history, folklore, music, song, dance, interviews, and news. It ran from the summer of 1993 to the fall of 2003.
The primary objective for The Bridge Between Us is to present Gaelic Nova Scotia's traditional Gaelic cultural expression and tradition as it has been authentically known.
The primary objective for The Bridge Between Us is to present Gaelic Nova Scotia's traditional Gaelic cultural expression and tradition as it has been authentically known.
The BBC's Gaelic Radio service. Listen live from anywhere. Some features may be unavailable outside of the United Kingdom.
Over the years, Nova Scotia Archives has been a leader in preserving, for future generations, a body of archival records that document the province's rich Gaelic roots and the continuing culture, heritage and traditions
The Gaelstream Recordings from St.FX University are various recordings of Gaelic speakers, storytellers, and singers.
This website offers Gaelic resources to use when working with children who have speech sound difficulties. This includes activities that target those sounds which occur in Gaelic but not English.
Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches is Scotland’s online resource dedicated to the presentation and promotion of audio recordings of Scotland’s cultural heritage. Its principal content is songs, music, history, poetry, traditions and stories, recorded from the 1930s onwards.
Folklorist MacEdward Leach recorded songs performed by singers from settler folk music traditions on the island of Newfoundland and in Gaelic-speaking areas of Nova Scotia.
MacTalla (The Echo) was a Gaelic newspaper printed in Cape Breton. SMO has digitized the entire first volume of the newspaper.
The Gaelic Affairs YouTube channel presents samples of Gaelic language and culture in Nova Scotia. Videos on conversation, song, music, dance, story and more will communicate a living Gaelic language and cultural community in our province.
A UK resource for school teachers with quite a bit of Gaelic content (have to search for Gaelic, as it includes everything)
Cainnt mo Mhàithar is a website showcasing video and audio recordings of Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton's Magazine was dedicated to the History, Natural History and Future of Cape Breton Island. Many articles about Gaelic culture are featured, some of which is in or includes Gaelic.
Online and in Person Classes
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The Gaelic College provides weekend immersions, the accredited An Cursa Bogaidh month-long course and summer programming for youth and adults.
Comunn Gàidhlig Cheap Breatuinn (the Cape Breton Gaelic Society) was established in October 1969. Its purpose is to promote the Gaelic language specifically, and Scottish culture more generally. It provides language learning and cultural activities.
The Antigonish Gaelic Society offers Gaelic Language programming in Antigonish Town.
The Gaelic Language Society of Halifax promotes, provides and supports community-based Nova Scotia Gaelic language learning, within a cultural context, for people of all ages in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The annual Féis An Eilein encompasses workshops in Gaelic language and song, stepdancing, fiddle and chanter. A two day Gaelic Activities Camp for youth is held each year. Another key feature of the annual féis is the provision of opportunities for visitors and residents to participate in the Gaelic culture through concerts, milling frolics céilidhs and square dances.
Gaelic is offered in the Bachelor of Arts program at Cape Breton University as a minor.
The Mabou Gaelic and Historical Society was founded in 1975 in Mabou, Nova Scotia. Since then, our dedicated volunteers have been working to promote the continuation and growth of the Gaelic language and culture, and to preserve items, legends, landmarks and other aspects of the history of Mabou.
Colaisde na Gàidhlig is pleased to present Gaelic Online | Gàidhlig air Loidhne (formerly the Atlantic Gaelic Academy), a Scottish Gaelic language program dedicated to teaching its students to read, write, and speak the language. Its goal is to provide a fun and effective pathway to Gaelic fluency wherever you live.
Celtic Studies at St. Francis Xavier University has as its core the languages, literatures, and histories of Celtic-speaking peoples, from the Continental Celts of ancient Gaul to the modern survivals in Scotland, Ireland, the island of Man, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. It extends into a range of topics, including archaeology, art, music, literature, folklore, religion, dance, immigration and ethnic studies.
The Irish Studies Department at Saint Mary's University offers a variety of courses in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
The Irish Studies Department at Saint Mary's University offers a variety of courses in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
Other Nova Scotian Organizations Offering Gaelic Programming to Learners and Speakers
Gaelic Affairs works to promote the Gaelic language and ensures that Gaelic culture continues to thrive in Nova Scotia.
The Highland Village is a museum in Cape Breton that also runs courses throughout the year and the Storas a' Bhaile program in Summer.
The Celtic Music Centre is a not-for-profit society and a one-of-a-kind facility located in the tiny village of Judique, Cape Breton Island. Our mandate is to collect, preserve and promote the traditional Celtic music of Cape Breton Island through Education, Research and Performance. The CMIC offers an in-depth look into the history, culture and music of Cape Breton Island in an authentic and lively atmosphere.
Còmhlan Filmeadairean Gàidhlig na h-Albann Nuaidh (Gaelic Filmmakers Society of Nova Scotia) promotes and supports Gaelic Filmmakers in Nova Scotia through education, networking and promotion.
Read to Me, is a not-for-profit that provides children's books to new parents. Gaelic is one of the many languages available for parents to choose from.