10 Famous People that speak or study Gaelic starting with SNP Leader Candidate Kate Forbes
Scottish Gaelic, despite being an endangered language, is still spoken (or being studied) by many prominent people across multiple industries.
Scottish Gaelic is Scotland’s endangered language that was brought to the country over 1500 years ago by way of Ireland. Scotland’s 2011 census revealed that roughly 57,000 people spoke the language while 87,000 had some of the ‘language skills’ - a fairly low figure for a country of over 5.5 million.
However, after Gaelic’s launch on the language-learning app Duolingo seeing it successfully pull in 1.5 million learners, there’s been renewed hope for its survival. Famous musicians, social media influencers and TV shows have showcased the language too - making it an exciting time for anyone studying it.
In fact, the Scottish Gaelic activist himself Calum McLean even beat legendary musician Lewis Capaldi in being crowned ‘the most influential Scot on TikTok’ recently.
In celebration, here are 10 famous people that speak - or are studying - Scottish Gaelic.
1. Kate Forbes
Kate Forbes is a member of the Scottish Parliament who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy since 2020. Born in Dingwall, Forbes was educated at a Gaelic-medium school where she became fluent in the language. Photo: Andrew Milligan / Jane Barlow via PA
2. Julie Fowlis
Julie Fowlis is a Scottish folk singer who primarily sings in Scottish Gaelic. In Disney's 'Brave' (2012), Fowlis is credited as the singing voice of the movie's main character Merida - representing the Scottish princess' feelings with hits like "Touch the Sky" and "Into the Open Air". Photo: Submitted / Andrew Matthews via PA
3. Donnie Munro
Donnie Munro is a Scottish musician and native Gaelic speaker. Munro was the former lead singer of the band Runrig which famously sang "Loch Lomond" which features Scottish Gaelic in the lyrics. The band produced a wealth of Gaelic tracks before Munro left the band to take his career elsewhere. Photo: Crofty82 via Wikimedia Commons / Andrew Milligan via PA
4. Outlander Cast including Sam Heughan
Àdhamh Ó Broin is the Gaelic language coach for the hit TV show Outlander which prominently features Scottish Gaelic. Àdhamh held great praise for Sam Heughan, who plays the main character Jamie Fraser, saying that he was the "person who could hold it up consistently and dish out the acting while doing it," and that when "he got into his flow he was absolutely unstoppable. He was just glorious." Gwyllyn the bard (left) played by Gillebrìde MacMillan is a native Gaelic speaker who also appeared in the show. Photo: Submitted via Outlander Wiki / Ian West via PA