Scottish Gaelic Studies is the pride and joy of all Aberdeen’s Gaelic scholars, and indeed, being the being the flagship journal of our wide range of Gaelic study, is a vital treasure for all Scotland’s Gaels, academic and otherwise.
It was founded primarily at the instigation of John Fraser, the first Gaelic lecturer at Aberdeen University (appointed in 1916) but did not appear until 1926, long after Fraser’s departure. But from the beginning it was the product of Aberdeen University’s Celtic scholars, the first editor being John MacDonald, Fraser’s successor here: and volume one, part one, is still in print today! They must have published too many copies of it, for most later issues down to 1955 are long out of print and hard to find.
The main editors for the rest of the twentieth century were the Heads of the Celtic Department, Derick S. Thomson, Donald MacAulay and Donald E. Meek. Professor Colm O'Baoill handed over the editorial baton to Prof. Moray Watson and colleagues.
Information for Contributors
Scottish Gaelic Studies is a peer-reviewed journal. The title has always been interpreted freely, not just as meaning ‘studies on Scottish Gaelic’, but more like ‘studies done in Scotland [and anywhere else!] on any Gaelic topic’, including language, literature, history, education and language planning.
Scottish Gaelic Studies is currently published annually in the Autumn. The editors are now welcoming contributions to the next edition. These should preferably be sent by email to the editors (scottishgaelicstudies@abdn.ac.uk) or in printed form to The School of Language and Literature, Taylor Building, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3UB. The styles and conventions to be observed by contributors are printed on the inside front covers of earlier issues of the journal, and include especially the requirement to use end-notes rather than footnotes. Articles may be written either in Gaelic or in English. There is no limit on word-length at present.
Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig
In the year 2000 Scottish Gaelic Studies gave birth to a new academic venture, the conference we call Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig: this name represents a translation (of sorts) for ‘Scottish Gaelic Studies’, and the conference was so successful, and so new as a general academic gathering for Gaels, that is continues to be held each even-numbered year at other university centres including, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and at St Francis Xavier University in Canada.