PRELIMINARY work is set to begin on an £8 million Gaelic language and culture centre in Skye to help protect and develop the language in one of its “community heartlands”.
Work is due to start in the following weeks on the new centre – Ionad Thròndairnis (Trotternish Centre) – which will be built at Flodigarry in Staffin on the north-east peninsula of Skye.
The centre will include a large function hall, classrooms for language, music and heritage education, and a significant library and digital archive, with the hopes of creating 10 full-time jobs.
The Trotternish Centre will also include a cafe-restaurant and a scalable development of quality accommodation to serve not only the users of the centre, but also address the “chronic shortage” of bed spaces in Skye.
The Staffin area of Trotternish is an internationally acclaimed site for dinosaur footprints and is also popular with Hollywood, with Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Macbeth shooting in the area.
However, for the island locals, Trotternish’s greatest claim to fame is its success in maintaining a Gaelic-speaking community, with those involved with the centre hoping it will continue to preserve the language amongst Skye’s residents.
Margaret Nicolson, chair of Ionad Thròndairnis (The Trotternish Trust), said the centre will be a great boost for the Gaelic community.
She said: “Gaelic is still alive as a community language in this area. I can speak Gaelic to many people, every day, in the shops and in the community.
“There are people moving into the community and – although they don’t speak it themselves – very often they will send their children to the Gaelic-medium schools, and so I can speak Gaelic to those children.
“This is still a Gaelic community, and the new centre will be a great boost for the language.”
Nicolson added: “It will give the Gaelic community confidence in their language and culture.
“For visitors and new residents, it will also provide a gateway to the language and the culture, boosting their interest, offering a great opportunity to learn the language or at least explore and enjoy the culture.”
The Trotternish Trust, which is leading the project, believes that the centre will play a vital role in keeping Scotland’s language heritage thriving.
“The new Ionad Thròndairnis will provide a great economic boost,” Nicolson added.
“It will provide around 10 new full-time jobs, which is very big in rural Skye, and further seasonal and part-time jobs.”
She continued: “And, as a community-run trust, money will stay in the community.”
Although funding has not been fully committed, the trust believes the new centre will fit directly into Government policy, which could see the area designated an Area of Linguistic Significance, with plans for it to be operational by 2028.
Linsay Chalmers, director of communities and operations at Community Land Scotland, the lead organisation representing community landowners across Scotland, added: “This is a great project born of a lot of hard work by a lot of people from the community.
"Supporting the rich Gaelic language and culture has always been a central part of our work with community groups. We all know the language adds significantly to the health of the communities where it is still used.
“A place like Trotternish is one of the Gaelic heartlands and it is fantastic that the community has taken the initiative to support and strengthen the language and in turn strengthen the economic and social wellbeing of the north Skye.”
