New research project to reveal Gaelic stories behind museum objects

The project, Tha sgeul ri innse: there’s a story for the telling, is being launched during Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week), and is led by National Museums Scotland in collaboration with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, and funded by Bòrd na Gàidhlig. 

A selection of images is available here

This press release can be viewed in Gaelic here

The project will identify 100 objects from the Museum’s collection with provenance that connects them to Gaelic history and culture with the initial aim of updating and improving their records to reflect those Gaelic connections. From those, 15 objects will be selected to be highlighted in a published digital output with both English and Gaelic language content. 

Dr Sarah Laurenson, Principal Curator, Modern and Contemporary History said: 

“The Scottish collections of National Museums Scotland strongly reflect the material heritage of the  Gàidhealtachd, and many of what came to be perceived as the ‘national treasures’ originated there, but the way many of them were recorded when they came into our collection in the past did not reflect their connection with or importance to Gaelic culture, history and tradition very well, if at all.  

This was partly due to the fact that Gaelic scholarship was historically more focused on literature and folklore than material culture, but it also has a lot to do with the wider marginalisation of the Gaelic language during the period in which much of this material came into the collection. I look forward to the many fascinating new stories that this work will enable us to both learn and share about material in our collection.”  

Researcher, Anna MacQuarrie, has been appointed to undertake a review of key objects from the Gàidhealtachd – with an emphasis on material dating from the eighteenth century onwards, as well as late medieval collections.  

Anna said: 

“I’m really pleased to be involved in this work, both working up close with the material in the National Collections and in person with fellow members of the Gaelic-speaking community to represent these crucial elements of the stories of these objects.”  

The crogan is typical of ceramics hand-made made in the Hebrides for centuries, for use within and outwith the home. A crogan in Gaelic is a ceramic jar or pot, often anglified to ‘craggan’. The featured example, from Carloway in Lewis, entered the National Collection in 1881. At the time no information on the maker was collected – it took a chance meeting 100 years later for the maker to be identified. 

Bilingual roadsigns are now commonplace throughout much of Scotland, and provide an immediate and very public representation of the depth of Gaelic placename meanings throughout the country, whether the language remains spoken commonly or not. This sign is a replica from a crossroads at one of Skye’s most popular tourist locations. It is a guide for all travellers, whether looking for directions or a hint of the folklore, stories and myths to be found in the surrounding landscape. 

Another object under discussion is a modern phonebook, from Ness in Lewis, which raised funds for the Ness Community Association and shows nicknames as well as formal names and addresses. This helps to identify people where there are many shared first and surnames, as well as providing insights to local tales, shared histories and jokes within the community. 

Other objects identified for further study so far include charmstones, paintings, a chanter, a silver punch bowl, powder horns and a range of domestic objects. 

Professor Hugh Cheape from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, said: 

“We in Sabhal Mòr Ostaig are very keen to be associated with the project Tha sgeul ri innse  and to support the initiative of curators to set the record straight and to recover the stories. The provenance of objects was always important in collecting for the National Museums but details of language might often go astray! There is no better time for exploring names of objects and origins with the current enjoyment of the richness of the culture of Gaelic Scotland and the vibrancy of the language.”   

As well as Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the project will involve working with partners including Comunn Eachdraidh Nis and and Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn. Gaelic knowledge and language will be reintegrated into collections records, via detailed research and community workshops to be held in Lewis and Skye in April and May. In so doing, the project will help ensure the National Collections are representative of Gaelic culture and communities. 

Ealasaid MacDonald, Ceannard (CEO), Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said: “Bòrd na Gàidhlig is very happy to support this important project. Physical items, artworks and tools created in and used by Gaelic communities provide a unique view into our culture and heritage. Identifying these items in the National Museum’s collections will create an important access point for people who wish to learn more about Scotland’s Gaelic cultural influences and increase understanding of the role the Gaelic language and Gaelic communities have played in throughout Scottish history and still play to this day.” 

The project will increase the profile of Gaelic in the context of Scotland’s history and culture and provide opportunities for using and developing Gaelic through knowledge exchange workshops in the community. The work will also reinforce Gaelic as an integral part of Scotland’s heritage and, it is hoped, will encourage wider understanding and appreciation amongst both those who visit Scotland’s most popular visitor attraction as well as its international digital audience.