Design

Let’s talk about love. Specifically, one of the most well-known Scottish Gaelic proverbs: “Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl” (The world will end, but love and music will endure). We’ll explore its context, how it’s been used in Gaelic art, how to hear the poetry in it, and how to pronounce it.

Today we’re looking at Gaelic filmmaking in Nova Scotia, through an interview with Jenny MacKenzie, the writer, director, and producer of the 2018 Gaelic language short film “Slighe Agnais – A Journey for Agnes.”

I interview linguist Dr. Conor Quinn about the Ogham alphabet, how it relates to Irish & Gaelic, and what to be aware of if you’re using it in a tattoo.

Many things can go wrong if you decide to get a Scottish Gaelic tattoo when you don’t speak the language. I’ll suggest the best ways to ensure that you get a good Gaelic tattoo, if you still have your heart absolutely set on getting one despite all of my warnings in Part 1.

So you want to get a tattoo — in Scottish Gaelic. You want to honor a family member, or your Scottish heritage, or you just think the Gaelic language is cool, but you don’t speak Gaelic yourself. What should you do?

In Nova Scotia, you might have noticed that we have a Gaelic flag. The Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia, in cooperation with the Nova Scotia Office of Gaelic Affairs, developed and presented a new Gaelic symbol and flag on behalf of the Gaelic community in 2008. A flag for the Gaelic community might seem odd from an “old world” Scottish perspective. The pan-Celtic flag incorporating flags of the “six Celtic nations” uses the Scottish saltire. So why does it make sense to have a separate Gaelic flag here in Nova Scotia?

How I customized my Apple laptop computer with a decal showcasing themes from Scottish Gaelic language and culture. I wanted my laptop not only to look beautiful, but also to make Gaelic more visible in public. Art and design provide a small but enjoyable way to raise awareness about the continued existence and use of Gaelic in the 21st century.

Farmer’s Dairy released some new ice cream flavours for summer 2013. The names of the flavors were inspired by distinctive cultural, culinary, and natural features of Atlantic Canada. The first one that grabbed my attention was “Fiddler’s Reel Brownie” – a “blend of ooey-gooey fudge brownies and thick marshmallow swirl, wrapped in a rich chocolate ice cream. A reel treat for taste buds.” Thinking about the short Nova Scotia Gaelic film “Fiddler’s Reel” and Nova Scotia’s Gaelic culture, I got to wondering what it would be like if this ice cream had a trilingual label in English, French, and Gaelic?