Gaels, Scots, and the English

On Tuesday, I had my first Gaelic class (pronounced G-AL-ic, GAY-lic is Irish). The course focuses on the history of the Gaelic language and its role in modern Scotland. First of all, let me say that my professor was awesome! This is Professor McGonigle (still can't get over that) and she is an older Scottish woman who definitely is full of fire. The thing that I felt was great about this class was that I was getting a taste of Scottish history, not simply the Gaelic language, because one influenced the other. I learned about the Highland clearances which was where nobility pushed people off the lands in order to make room for sheep. People were forcibly evicted, and combined with the Irish potato famine and an outbreak of cholera, many people lost their lives as well as their homes. It sounded a lot like the way the Native Americans were pushed off their lands. Because of this, the population of Gaelic speakers dropped significantly. Even today, Gaels aren't being recognized. The Scottish census asks misleading questions like, "Do you speak Gaelic daily?" or "Can you read, write, AND speak Gaelic?" This results in a highly underestimated number of Gaelic speakers left in Scotland. This is apparently an issue in Scottish politics, whether or not candidates and politicians support the preservation of the Gaelic language. My professor even said that she considers herself more of a Gael rather than a Scot.

There was also a discussion about Scottish/English relations which I found really fascinating, especially since I read so much about it before I left. The one thing I was repeatedly told before departing for Aberdeen was to never call someone Scottish English. This was apparent during my class. Someone said that England complains how much Scotland costs them, so why don't they just let Scotland go like the Scots want? To which someone responded that Scotland has all the resources, but because England has all the manufacturing plants and mills, they are able to take the resources Scotland sends them, process them, then sell them back to Scotland for a higher price. When I told my friend Hannah this, she said it sounded a little like North and South relations during the Civil War. It's fascinating when you're able to make connections between the history of your home country and another. After hearing complaints about politicians, policy, economics, and relations between nations, it became apparent than some things never change, no matter where you are in the world.