An Taigh Ceilidh is making Gaelic stronger

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An Taigh Cèilidh ‘is making Gaelic stronger’
CREATED: 04 APRIL 2024
Stornoway News
An Taigh Cèilidh in Church Street, Stornoway, is seeking to raise £10,000 as part of a plan to expand.
They want space to use as a classroom; mini cinema; conference centre; archive and library; and activities space. "Help us buy this space and let's keep growing Gaelic in Stornoway," they say.


“Now we are looking at expanding into the space at 19 Church Street (formerly Hebridean Hungry Hounds) to meet the demands on the project.

“We have a Crowdfunder open and are looking at other ways of fundraising.”

Here’s the fundraising link - https://www.gofundme.com/f/an-taigh-ceilidh-is-growing

The Annual Report 2023 for An Taigh Cèilidh has been published and is full of celebration and hope for Gaelic, they say

Since An Taigh Cèilidh (ATC) opened last year, the centre – the first Gaelic community and cultural centre in Stornoway – has gone from strength to strength. They held 176 events in the wee space with more than 1300 people attending those events. Events included trad ceilidhs, workshops and educational welcome sessions for visitors.

However, the most important number to come out of the Report, the research of which was led by Inge Birnie, is that regarding the use of Gaelic in ATC. When Inge did her PhD, only around 9.4% of conversations in public spaces in Stornoway were in Gaelic, whereas the number of conversations held in Gaelic in ATC was 62.4%, representing a 686% increase.

“As some people will know, there is a 10% discount on hot drinks if you order in Gaelic, but co-chair, Teàrlach Wilson, says that the research shows much more than the value of good cuppa, and proves how important places like ATC are to maintain and promote the use of natural Gaelic in the community.

Co-chair, Maggie Smith, said that the biggest challenge facing ATC is the space to meet the demands on the project.

Period	4 Apr 2024
Degree of Recognition	National