A rise in interest in learning Gaelic has seen a language website double its users during the coronavirus lockdown.
Record figures have been recorded for the LearnGaelic site as demand for language learning has grown over the last few months.
MG ALBA, one of the LearnGaelic partners and operators of the site, said more than 114,000 unique users accessed it from the beginning of lockdown, almost double the total number of Gaelic speakers recorded in the last census.
Eilidh Lewsey, LearnGaelic editor, said: “We’ve seen the strongest growth in our beginners’ resources such as our Gaelic Sounds pages and Fichead Facal (vocabulary lists).
“An Litir Bheag (The Little Letter), a short letter aimed at learners, is fully integrated with our dictionary and has also enjoyed a momentous growth. Our dictionary consistently continues to gather momentum and we are delighted that learners and Gaelic speakers alike continue to enjoy putting it to good use.”
The LearnGaelic website was redesigned last year with social media promotion helping to drive users towards taking the first steps in learning the language.
Nicky MacCrimmon, 36, from Dundee, spoke a little Gaelic as a toddler but forgot it all after attending English-speaking schools. More than 30 years later he picked it up again and uses the LearnGaelic website.
He said: “I was blown away by how much stuff was on the website and how accessible it is. I use quite a lot of the beginners’ resources because they are colourful and full of cartoons and give you a brilliant basic introduction, which is just what you need as a learner.”
