GAELIC SUMMER SCHOOL TO PROVIDE FULLY FUNDED GATEWAY TO FLUENCY

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, is offering 12 fully funded places on their innovative Gaelic Access Summer School which provides a gateway for complete beginners to achieve fluency in Gaelic.

An Cùrsa Drochaid is a seven-week intensive course based on the Isle of Skye that enables students to immerse themselves in Gaelic language and culture. The course will run from the 30th of June until the 15th of August, and fees, accommodation, and catering will be fully funded for all successful applicants.*

Following the seven-week course, participants will enrol on Sabhal Mòr Ostaig’s one year immersion course, An Cùrsa Comais, with the opportunity to continue to Gaelic degrees in teaching, development, traditional music, or the media.

Tim Armstrong, An Cùrsa Drochaid Course Leader:

‘The aim of An Cùrsa Drochaid is to provide – people who have not yet had access to Gaelic learning – a bridge into our Gaelic immersion and degree programmes. We ran the course last year and it has been a big success, with students now enrolled on our immersion course, An Cùrsa Comais, and many planning on further study and a career in Gaelic.’

‘Applications are now open to anyone living in the UK and we have 12 fully funded places available. We encourage anyone to apply, from school leavers to students on gap-years, to life-long learners. We are looking for people with an interest in Gaelic and who can commit to learning the language for at least a year at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig’s beautiful Skye campus.’

Mairi Gaffney, Previous student on An Cùrsa Drochaid:

‘I began Cùrsa Drochaid last year with minimal Gaelic and it really gave me the grammar structures and confidence in my conversation skills to continue into a full-time degree in Gaelic. This August I’ll be starting my second year on Sabhal Mòr Ostsig’s BA Gaelic degree.

I grew up just outside of London and I had limited access to Gaelic and I found that online courses weren’t enough to expand my vocabulary and confidence in speaking the language. An Cùrsa Drochaid was a good gateway into Gaelic, and I found the environment really welcoming as someone who didn’t have a lot of experience with Gaelic culture.

Everyone on the summer course was really encouraging, other students on-campus helped improve my language skills, and the social events made the experience fun and positive. For anyone wanting an immersive Gaelic experience – that is intense but highly rewarding – apply for An Cùrsa Drochaid.’

Applications are open (17th February 2025) and you must register via this online form to receive an application package > Gaelic Access Summer School – Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. The deadline to apply is the 30th of April 2025.

An Cùrsa Drochaid is funded by the Scottish Government, and this is its second year running. 

An Cùrsa Drochaid 2025 is subject to confirmation of external funding.