A Gaelic language immersion year pilot at the University of Glasgow is being made permanent, it was announced today.

The Gaelic with Immersion Programme has received a long-term funding commitment from the College of Arts & Humanities at the university.

This announcement will establish Gaelic with Immersion as an integral part of the College’s Celtic & Gaelic diverse programme offering.

In 2017, the College commissioned a feasibility study to consider an immersion experience in Glasgow and this revealed a demand for more intensive language opportunities amongst students and adult learners.

Two years later in October of 2019, the Gaelic with Immersion Programme was offered to students at the university after it was awarded £455,000 from the Scottish Funding Council to support a three-year pilot.

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The programme has been highly successful, with students continuing to employment in Gaelic education, management, administration, and the creative arts.

Moira Piazzoli, who undertook the Gaelic with Immersion Programme as part of an MA in Gaelic and Archaeology, stated: "The Gaelic with Immersion Programme gave me the opportunity to focus on becoming more fluent in Gaelic while learning more about Gaelic culture.

"Over the year, I had lots of opportunities to make connections with the Gaelic community in Glasgow. The residential immersion at the end of the year, where we were welcomed into the Gaelic community in South Uist, was amazing. I couldn't recommend the programme more. It was a really life-changing year for me.”

This significant investment by the College of Arts & Humanities at Glasgow has allowed the appointment of a Lecturer in Gaelic, Kathleen Reddy, and a Gaelic Administrator and Community Engagement Co-ordinator, Sara Robertson.

Kathleen Reddy is the Convener for the Gaelic with Immersion Programme. A native of Cape Breton in Canada, Ms Reddy has a wealth of both teaching and research experience, teaching Gaelic in schools in Uist and Inverness as well as St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Glasgow Times: The Gaelic immersion programme is being made permanent at University of GlasgowThe Gaelic immersion programme is being made permanent at University of Glasgow (Image: Newsquest)

She said: “It’s very encouraging that the University of Glasgow has recognised the value of this programme by making a substantial investment in its future.

“This unique programme gives Gaelic learners the opportunity to gain greater fluency through undertaking an immersion year in central Scotland and is crucial for Gaelic capacity-building at a national level. We are also delighted to continue a working relationship with our community partners, the Gaelic Books Council and Ceòlas in South Uist, who make integral contributions to the programme.”

Gillebrìde MacMillan, Senior Lecturer, Celtic and Gaelic and Principal Investigator of the pilot phase of the Gaelic Immersion Programme, said: “Celtic & Gaelic has had strong links with many areas of the Gàidhealtachd over many years and this programme is really important in strengthening these links further.

“Working with Ceòlas Uibhist and The Gaelic Books Council allows our students to improve and use their language skills through immersion in the Gaelic community. Of course, the benefits go both ways and our students, and the course can also have a huge positive impact in these communities.”

The Gaelic with Immersion Programme is open to University of Glasgow undergraduate students as part of an MA, as well as to external candidates as a Certificate in Higher Education. Applications will be accepted for the 2024/2025 academic year in Spring 2024.

Many of Scotland's universities offer Gaelic as a degree or part of a course at all different levels. As well as the University of Glasgow, you can study Gaelic formally at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Aberdeen and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

The move to establish the programme at the university comes after The Herald spoke to an American YouTuber who is helping Gaelic reach future generations online.

Jason Bond has been teaching Gaelic professionally for over a decade after completing a BA with First Class Honors in Celtic Studies and a Bachelors in Secondary Education with a focus on Gaelic at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada.

After setting up his own Youtube channel in October 2018, ‘Gaelic with Jason’ now has over 30,000 subscribers, with the 160+ online lessons on the channel attracting a combined total of over 1 million views to date.