New voices in Celtic at the University of Aberdeen

An international line-up of leading academics has been recruited by the University of Aberdeen in its drive to develop further as a centre of excellence in Celtic Studies.

The seven new appointees – one professor, two readers and four lecturers - bring with them a wide range of backgrounds and skills including the history, literature and older languages of the Celtic peoples, modern Gaelic, Irish and Welsh, minority rights and language planning and Gaelic-medium education.

The announcement marks 2004 as a year of enhanced commitment by the University to expand Celtic studies and, in doing so, to enhance provision in traditional Celtic Studies, strengthen capacity in modern Gaelic, and develop language planning and Gaelic-medium teacher training.

Professor Bryan MacGregor, Head of the College of Arts and Social Sciences, said “I am delighted in the quality and breadth of the new appointments. They show the University's commitment to Celtic Studies in general and to Gaelic in particular. They will allow us to maintain and develop our teaching and research in the traditional areas of Celtic Studies, while also expanding into language planning and developing our activities in Gaelic-medium teacher training.”

Traditional Celtic Studies will be developed by three of the appointments. Professor David Dumville, from the University of Cambridge, is a leading expert in the mediaeval history of the Celtic peoples in the British Isles . Bernhard Maier, from the University of Bonn in Germany, is an expert in Celtic Studies and the History of Religions. Clare Downham, from the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, is a specialist in the interactions between the vikings and the Celtic peoples. Others among the new staff have research interests in modern Gaelic literature.

The University will develop teaching and research in language planning to address contemporary and policy-relevant issues.

This will be led by three of the new appointments: Rob Dunbar, formerly of the University of Glasgow, is a member of Bòrd na Gàidhlig; Michelle MacLeod was formerly the Language Planning Manager of Bòrd na Gàidhlig; Moray Watson, was formerly with Ionad Chaluim Chille in Islay and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. A new Centre for Language Planning will be established. An honorary professor has also been appointed in this area; Colin Williams, Professor of Welsh at Cardiff University is an internationally renowned expert on linguistic minorities and language planning and a member of the Welsh Language Board.

The School of Education already provides training for Gaelic-medium teachers and has established an innovative distance-learning version of its Postgraduate Certificate of Education Diploma (Primary Education). The appointment of Margaret MacIver, formerly the Education Office r for Comunn na Gàidhlig, will underpin these developments.

The College of Arts & Social Sciences is also making up to four new appointments across the College in Irish-Scottish Studies to work with its internationally famous Research Institute for Irish-Scottish Studies (RIISS). This will further enhance its activities in Celtic Studies and strengthen Irish-Scottish Studies as a core theme across the College.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig Chief Executive, Allan Campbell, said: “I congratulate the University of Aberdeen on its success in recruiting such a distinguished new team, and I am confident that this added strength within Celtic Studies will make a major contribution to Gaelic education and development. While the Bòrd is very sad to lose Dr Macleod from its staff, we wish her well in Aberdeen and thank her for her significant contribution to the Bòrd's work during her time with us. I believe that Michelle's skills are not being lost to us, but that they will now be focussed on Gaelic development from a slightly different perspective. Bòrd na Gàidhlig recognises that its own success will depend on strong and effective working partnerships, and it looks forward to the University of Aberdeen being one of these partners.”

Barbara Fennell, Head of School for Language and Literature, added: “I am delighted to be welcoming such a talented group of Celticists to Aberdeen and look forward to working with them to reinforce Aberdeen 's traditional strength in Celtic Studies and develop exciting new courses that will inform cultural and social policy.”

Lewis Macdonald MSP, who represents Aberdeen Central and hails originally from the Western Isles, said: “ Aberdeen University is doing the right thing at the right time, by putting in place a strong team for Gaelic and Celtic Studies before the Gaelic Language Bill comes up in the Scottish Parliament. I have no doubt they will have a positive influence on policy."