Nova Scotia kicks off annual Gaelic month

CTV News

30-04-2025

A flag raising at Province House in Halifax officially kicked off the 29th Gaelic Nova Scotia Month.
Well-known Cape Breton fiddler Howie MacDonald says he was steeped in Gaelic culture at home.
'My mother grew up speaking Gaelic,' Howie MacDonald said, adding each of his grandparents spoke Gaelic, as do several of his cousins.
Though he doesn't speak much of the language himself, Howie MacDonald says he has seen the culture rebound in recent years - particularly among the younger generations.
'They're not only learning Gaelic,' said Howie MacDonald. 'They're learning the [bag]pipes, they're learning how to stepdance, they're learning how to play the fiddle.'
'[The] government commits to collaborating with Gaelic communities to support the growth of Gaelic Nova Scotia through opportunities for language acquisition, cultural awareness,' said Nova Scotia's Gaelic Affairs Minister, Dave Ritcey.
The Gaelic College in St. Ann's Bay, N.S., welcomes upwards of a thousand students a year - from children as young as five, to adults as old as 90.
'(It's) an institution that has been around since 1938,' said Gaelic College president Rodney MacDonald during an interview with CTV Atlantic in July 2024. 'And the focus and the mandate of the college is to focus on the language, the music, the dance and the craft - which came from the Highlands and islands of Scotland.'
Howie MacDonald says, not too long ago, there was concern that Gaelic - the language, in particular - was dying.
Now, he hopes to become a more fluent speaker himself one day.
'You know, I learned mostly the bad words growing up,' he said. 'But I would like to see it spread out and become more common in the everyday.'
Gaelic Nova Scotia Month runs to the end of May, including official kickoffs in some other Nova Scotia communities in the coming days.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page