Plana Gàidhlig Iar-Thuath Leòdhais — The North-Lewis Gaelic Plan
26 Jun 2026
by Netty Sopata
On Friday 19th June Plana Gàidhlig Iar-Thuath Leòdhais was successfully launched at the Grinneabhat Centre, Bragar – celebrating not just a plan for the future but also the work that has already taken place. In 2022 the census results showed that whilst Gaelic skills have grown nationally, traditional Gaelic-speaking communities have seen a sharp decline in retaining these skills. The national increase is largely associated with the impact of Gaelic Medium Education but despite this, Gaelic is now a minority language in every local authority in Scotland, including Na h' Eileanan an Iar. In response to the census findings, and as part of the development of Plana Gàidhlig Iar-Thuath Leòdhais, a community survey was conducted. The results highlight that although the majority of respondees indicated they do not use Gaelic as the main language in their household,they had an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards Gaelic, with the majority using the language every day and expressing an interest in improving their Gaelic skills.
The full analysis of these findings, taken from a large-scale community consultation process, and from extensive conversations with local and national organisations and groups, has been documented in a detailed plan on how to strengthen Gaelic skills within the area. This can be found in the Plana Gàidhlig Iar-Thuath Leòdhais via the following website: https://www.planagaidhligitl.com
Community-led priorities to improve the use of Gaelic have been identified in the report, ranging from language accessibility and support to image and confidence, intergenerational engagement and housing (amongst others). Detailed actions have then been aligned alongside these priorities.
In addition to this, Bòrd na Gàidhlig have granted £60,000 to the teams delivering the North-west Lewis Gaelic Plan (and the Uist Gaelic and Community Plan) to support the delivery of the plans and to establish new community funds. As Alison Campbell Clark North-west Lewis Gaelic Plan Officer, explained further about this new fund ‘Maoin Phlana Iar-Thuath Leòdhais’ :
"Tha sinn air leth toilichte gu bheil am maoineachadh seo bho Bhòrd na Gàidhlig a’ toirt taic do Phlana Gàidhlig Iar-Thuath Leòdhais. Tro
mhaoin na coimhearsnachd, bidh cothrom do dhaoine agus do bhuidhnean ionadail pàirt dhìreach a ghabhail ann a bhith a’ co-dhùnadh mar a thèid an t-airgead a chleachdadh agus mar a ghabhas a’ Ghàidhlig a neartachadh san sgìre againn.”
“We are very happy that Bòrd na Gàidhlig are providing this support to the North-west Lewis Gaelic Plan. Through our community fund, local people and organisations will have the opportunity to be directly involved in deciding how the money will be spent to strengthen Gaelic in our community.”
Information on how to apply for funding from ‘Maoin Phlana Iar-Thuath Leòdhais’ can be located via the following link:
https://www.planagaidhligitl.com/the-fund