Education for Northern Places:Old and New

by Professor C. Duncan Rice

Bu mhiann le Urrasairean an t-Sabhail Mhòir Ostaig taing a thoirt do Thelebhisean Ghrampian airsongoistidheachd na h-òraide, agus do Phàrlamaid na h-Alba a thug aoigheachd dhuinn uile.

The Trustees of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig wish to thank the lecture sponsors, Grampian Television, and our hosts, The Scottish Parliament

Dealbhte le Cànan, an t-Eilean Sgithanach ©2005 Designed by Cànan, Isle of Skye © 2005 Printed by Nevisprint, Fort William

Chancellor Gordon Brown MP, in delivering his 1999 Lecture, stated that,

“Here on Skye, we witness two strands of a great inheritance that affect us all - of culture and ideas.A deep rich Gaelic culture and a strong, lasting radical tradition”.

This year’s lecture once more draws deeply on the nurturing wellspring of intellectual enquiry andcultural analysis and, through Prof C. Duncan Rice, brings to the series, one of the foremostintellectuals and most gifted educationalists of our time.

Previous Lecturers1990 Dr James Hunter Author, Historian and Academic“thus it comes about that something which most other societies take for granted - that young peopleshould have the right to be educated in their own language - still seems to us to be in the nature of anovel and daring experiment’.

1991 Lord Gus Macdonald Minister of State in Scotland Office and DTI

1992 John Goodlad Secretary of Shetland Fishermans Association

1993 Dr. Una Maclean Physician and Community Health Researcher

1994 Dr. John Purser Writer, Composer and Musicologist

1995 Alastair Moffat Author and Director of STV

1996 Donnie Munro Musician, Artist and former Rector of Edinburgh University and UHI MillenniumInstitute“There can be no greater stimulus to the well-being of a community than to have its language andculture recognised and valued and placed confidently within the context of the internationalcommunity”.

1997 President Mary Robinson Irish President “ For the future, Ireland and Scotland have much to learn from each other and to share. There are notwo countries in Western Europe which are so close, not only in a shared past but also what we havein common today”.

1998 Calum Macdonald MP/Eamon O Cuiv TD, Minister of State in Scottish Office/Irish Minister for theGaeltacht

“The renewal of Gaelic in Scottish education, broadcasting and the arts is something which is alsoevident in the new links being forged between Scotland and Ireland. The common history and culturewe share, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, constitute a greater Gaidhealtachd which canstrengthen and enrich our Gaelic speaking communities”.

1999 Gordon Brown MP Chancellor of the Exchequer “Here on Skye, we witness two strands of a great inheritance that affect us all - of culture and ideas.A deep rich Gaelic culture and a strong, lasting radical tradition”.

2000 Donald Dewar MSP First Minister of Scotland“Gaelic is part of our history and our national identity and a well-spring for much that is good incontemporary Scottish culture. Everyone must recognise the importance of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to thisprocess”.

2002 Professor Micheal O Suilleabhain Musician, Writer, Composer and Director of the Irish WorldMusic Centre, University of Limerick.

2004 Jack McConnell MSP First Minister of Scotland“This truly is an inspiring place: one of the finest settings for education imaginable and a physicalsymbol of renewed confidence. Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is special, not just because of its setting and theexcellence it consistently attains, but because of the contribution it makes as the national college forGaelic”.

2005 Professor C. Duncan Rice Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen

Òraid an t-Sabhail 2005

Tha e na thoileachas dhomhsa fàilte a chur oirbh gu Òraid an

t-Sabhail Mhòir. Tha mi air leth toilichte am-bliadhna gu bheil

deagh charaid dhan Cholaiste a' libhrigeadh na h-òraid. 'S e sin an

t-Oll Duncan Rice, Prionnsabail agus Iar-Sheansalair Oilthigh Obar

Dheathain. Thar nam bliadhnaichean, mar a chì sibh anns am

fiosrachadh a leanas, tha Òraid an t-Sabhail air cliù agus inbhe a

chosnadh dhith fhèin bhon a thug an Oll. Seumas Mac an

t-Sealgair seachad a' chiad tè ann an 1990. Tha sinn a' coimhead

air adhart a-nochd ri òraid inntinneach, fhiosrachail agus

bhreithneachail. Ar taing do Ghrampian TV airson an taic a tha

iad a' toirt dhuinn gach bliadhna ann a bhith a' clàradh agus

a' craobh-sgaoileadh na h-òraid.

An t-Oll Tormod N MacGilliosa OBE

Stiùiriche na Colaiste

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Sabhal Mòr Lecture. I am delighted that our lecturer this year

is a good friend of the College. He is Professor Duncan Rice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Aberdeen. Through the years, as you will glean from this evening's programme, the

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture series has enjoyed a high level of recognition and a deserved reputation,

flowing from the inaugural lecture given by Professor Jim Hunter in 1990. We look forward this

evening to an informed, interesting and stimulating lecture. Our thanks to Grampian TV for their

continuing support in recording and broadcasting the lecture.

Professor Norman N. Gillies OBE

College Director

Òraid an t-Sabhail 2005

FailteProfessor C. Duncan Rice has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor of

the University of Aberdeen since September 1996. He was

previously Dean of the Faculty (1985-91), and Vice-Chancellor

(1991-96) at New York University.

Professor Rice was born in Aberdeen and took a first in history at

the University of Aberdeen in 1964. He taught briefly at Aberdeen

and completed an Edinburgh doctorate before spending much of

his professional life at Yale and New York University.

He is the recipient of many academic awards and honours,

including Honorary Degrees from New York University and Robert

Gordon University, an Honorary Fellowship from the UHI

Millennium Institute, and fellowships at Harvard and Yale. He is a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He currently serves on

the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Scotland, is Chairman of

the UK Socrates-Erasmus Trust, a member of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association

Board and is Vice-Chairman of Scottish Enterprise Grampian. He was Chairman of the Circumpolar

Universities Association from 1997-1999 and has served on the boards of BT Scotland, Scottish Opera

and Scottish Ballet.

Professor Rice is married to Susan Rice, the Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB Scotland. They have three

children and live in Old Aberdeen. His interests include hillwalking, fishing, contemporary literature,

and opera.

Education for Northern P laces: Old and NewMore than ever before, education, particularly further and higher education, is seen as crucial to

society. Scotland has no shortage of political rhetoric reminding us of education’s centrality to our

economic future. Less prevalent, however, is discussion of the role of education in terms of citizenship,

cultural diversity and its value beyond utilitarian criteria. Are these romantic concepts for Scottish

education to cling to in the 21st century? Or are they a vital plank in how Scotland can use its position

and identity as a plural society of the North to recover some of the influence it once exerted in the

Scottish Enlightenment. In this context, we must go beyond political agendas to discover Scotland’s

real intellectual potential.

Professor C. Duncan RicePrincipal And Vice-Chancellor Of The University Of Aberdeen

The inaugural Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture was delivered in 1990 by eminent Author and Historian, Dr James Hunter, the first in a lengthening line of distinguished contributors to this important lectureseries.

Dr Hunter, until recently, Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, is a long time supporter ofSabhal Mòr and has frequently paid tribute to the central role which SMO has occupied in the widerprocess of the regeneration of the community, the language and the culture.

Dr Hunter, in reference to that central role, has said,

“By means of what the College has done to enhance the status of the language and the culture,Sabhal Mòr has delivered a major boost to the self confidence both of individuals and communitiesright across the Highlands and Islands”. He continued,

“Sabhal Mòr Ostaig should not be regarded simply as an educational institution, although it iscertainly that, but as a key cultural centre, playing an absolutely critical role in the regeneration ofScotland’s Gaelic heritage.”

The televised lecture series continues to provide a high profile opportunity, thanks to the sponsorshipof broadcasters Grampian Television, for Sabhal Mòr to engage with a wider constituency of interestsand, in so doing, to place the language and the culture at the heart of our national consciousness.

The impressive list of eminent previous lecturers, drawn from across a wide and varied spectrum ofScottish and international public life, has enabled the College to bring forward, for public debate, thethoughts and ideas of some of our most gifted thinkers from the worlds of politics, education,economics and the arts.

Scotland’s first ‘First Minister’, the late and much loved, ‘father of devolution’, Donald Dewar MSP, indelivering the 2001 Lecture said,

“Gaelic is part of our history and our national identity and a well-spring for much that is good incontemporary Scottish culture. Everyone must recognise the importance of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to thisprocess.”

College Patron HRH the Prince of Wales, whilst on a recent visit to Sabhal Mòr said,

“There are few responsibilities more absolute than those which flow from custodianship of alanguage and culture. In my view, the Scottish identity as a whole is immeasurably enriched by itsGaelic dimension”.

Over the years, the lecture series has grown in its reach and influence and has often provided thecatalyst for subsequent developments and initiatives. This was no more so the case than through thedefining ‘watershed’ lecture given in 1997 by the then Irish President Mary Robinson. In her address,she articulated the thoughts and aspirations of Gael and non Gael alike from both sides of the IrishSea, for a recognition of the great opportunity which now lay ahead for the development of, orperhaps more accurately, the reawakening of, that important shared community of common languageand the recognition of that important sphere of influence, the ‘Greater Gaidhealtachd’ of Scotlandand Ireland. President Robinson said,

“ For the future, Ireland and Scotland have much to learn from each other and to share. There are notwo countries in Western Europe which are so close, not only in a shared past but also what we havein common today”.

Òraid Sabhal Mòr Ostaig- Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture

History of the series 1990-2004

Tha e na thoileachas dhomhsa fàilte a chur oirbh gu Òraid an

t-Sabhail Mhòir. Tha mi air leth toilichte am-bliadhna gu bheil

deagh charaid dhan Cholaiste a' libhrigeadh na h-òraid. 'S e sin an

t-Oll Duncan Rice, Prionnsabail agus Iar-Sheansalair Oilthigh Obar

Dheathain. Thar nam bliadhnaichean, mar a chì sibh anns am

fiosrachadh a leanas, tha Òraid an t-Sabhail air cliù agus inbhe a

chosnadh dhith fhèin bhon a thug an Oll. Seumas Mac an

t-Sealgair seachad a' chiad tè ann an 1990. Tha sinn a' coimhead

air adhart a-nochd ri òraid inntinneach, fhiosrachail agus

bhreithneachail. Ar taing do Ghrampian TV airson an taic a tha

iad a' toirt dhuinn gach bliadhna ann a bhith a' clàradh agus

a' craobh-sgaoileadh na h-òraid.

An t-Oll Tormod N MacGilliosa OBE

Stiùiriche na Colaiste

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Sabhal Mòr Lecture. I am delighted that our lecturer this year

is a good friend of the College. He is Professor Duncan Rice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Aberdeen. Through the years, as you will glean from this evening's programme, the

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture series has enjoyed a high level of recognition and a deserved reputation,

flowing from the inaugural lecture given by Professor Jim Hunter in 1990. We look forward this

evening to an informed, interesting and stimulating lecture. Our thanks to Grampian TV for their

continuing support in recording and broadcasting the lecture.

Professor Norman N. Gillies OBE

College Director

Òraid an t-Sabhail 2005

FailteProfessor C. Duncan Rice has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor of

the University of Aberdeen since September 1996. He was

previously Dean of the Faculty (1985-91), and Vice-Chancellor

(1991-96) at New York University.

Professor Rice was born in Aberdeen and took a first in history at

the University of Aberdeen in 1964. He taught briefly at Aberdeen

and completed an Edinburgh doctorate before spending much of

his professional life at Yale and New York University.

He is the recipient of many academic awards and honours,

including Honorary Degrees from New York University and Robert

Gordon University, an Honorary Fellowship from the UHI

Millennium Institute, and fellowships at Harvard and Yale. He is a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He currently serves on

the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Scotland, is Chairman of

the UK Socrates-Erasmus Trust, a member of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association

Board and is Vice-Chairman of Scottish Enterprise Grampian. He was Chairman of the Circumpolar

Universities Association from 1997-1999 and has served on the boards of BT Scotland, Scottish Opera

and Scottish Ballet.

Professor Rice is married to Susan Rice, the Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB Scotland. They have three

children and live in Old Aberdeen. His interests include hillwalking, fishing, contemporary literature,

and opera.

Education for Northern P laces: Old and NewMore than ever before, education, particularly further and higher education, is seen as crucial to

society. Scotland has no shortage of political rhetoric reminding us of education’s centrality to our

economic future. Less prevalent, however, is discussion of the role of education in terms of citizenship,

cultural diversity and its value beyond utilitarian criteria. Are these romantic concepts for Scottish

education to cling to in the 21st century? Or are they a vital plank in how Scotland can use its position

and identity as a plural society of the North to recover some of the influence it once exerted in the

Scottish Enlightenment. In this context, we must go beyond political agendas to discover Scotland’s

real intellectual potential.

Professor C. Duncan RicePrincipal And Vice-Chancellor Of The University Of Aberdeen

The inaugural Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture was delivered in 1990 by eminent Author and Historian, Dr James Hunter, the first in a lengthening line of distinguished contributors to this important lectureseries.

Dr Hunter, until recently, Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, is a long time supporter ofSabhal Mòr and has frequently paid tribute to the central role which SMO has occupied in the widerprocess of the regeneration of the community, the language and the culture.

Dr Hunter, in reference to that central role, has said,

“By means of what the College has done to enhance the status of the language and the culture,Sabhal Mòr has delivered a major boost to the self confidence both of individuals and communitiesright across the Highlands and Islands”. He continued,

“Sabhal Mòr Ostaig should not be regarded simply as an educational institution, although it iscertainly that, but as a key cultural centre, playing an absolutely critical role in the regeneration ofScotland’s Gaelic heritage.”

The televised lecture series continues to provide a high profile opportunity, thanks to the sponsorshipof broadcasters Grampian Television, for Sabhal Mòr to engage with a wider constituency of interestsand, in so doing, to place the language and the culture at the heart of our national consciousness.

The impressive list of eminent previous lecturers, drawn from across a wide and varied spectrum ofScottish and international public life, has enabled the College to bring forward, for public debate, thethoughts and ideas of some of our most gifted thinkers from the worlds of politics, education,economics and the arts.

Scotland’s first ‘First Minister’, the late and much loved, ‘father of devolution’, Donald Dewar MSP, indelivering the 2001 Lecture said,

“Gaelic is part of our history and our national identity and a well-spring for much that is good incontemporary Scottish culture. Everyone must recognise the importance of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to thisprocess.”

College Patron HRH the Prince of Wales, whilst on a recent visit to Sabhal Mòr said,

“There are few responsibilities more absolute than those which flow from custodianship of alanguage and culture. In my view, the Scottish identity as a whole is immeasurably enriched by itsGaelic dimension”.

Over the years, the lecture series has grown in its reach and influence and has often provided thecatalyst for subsequent developments and initiatives. This was no more so the case than through thedefining ‘watershed’ lecture given in 1997 by the then Irish President Mary Robinson. In her address,she articulated the thoughts and aspirations of Gael and non Gael alike from both sides of the IrishSea, for a recognition of the great opportunity which now lay ahead for the development of, orperhaps more accurately, the reawakening of, that important shared community of common languageand the recognition of that important sphere of influence, the ‘Greater Gaidhealtachd’ of Scotlandand Ireland. President Robinson said,

“ For the future, Ireland and Scotland have much to learn from each other and to share. There are notwo countries in Western Europe which are so close, not only in a shared past but also what we havein common today”.

Òraid Sabhal Mòr Ostaig- Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture

History of the series 1990-2004

Tha e na thoileachas dhomhsa fàilte a chur oirbh gu Òraid an

t-Sabhail Mhòir. Tha mi air leth toilichte am-bliadhna gu bheil

deagh charaid dhan Cholaiste a' libhrigeadh na h-òraid. 'S e sin an

t-Oll Duncan Rice, Prionnsabail agus Iar-Sheansalair Oilthigh Obar

Dheathain. Thar nam bliadhnaichean, mar a chì sibh anns am

fiosrachadh a leanas, tha Òraid an t-Sabhail air cliù agus inbhe a

chosnadh dhith fhèin bhon a thug an Oll. Seumas Mac an

t-Sealgair seachad a' chiad tè ann an 1990. Tha sinn a' coimhead

air adhart a-nochd ri òraid inntinneach, fhiosrachail agus

bhreithneachail. Ar taing do Ghrampian TV airson an taic a tha

iad a' toirt dhuinn gach bliadhna ann a bhith a' clàradh agus

a' craobh-sgaoileadh na h-òraid.

An t-Oll Tormod N MacGilliosa OBE

Stiùiriche na Colaiste

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Sabhal Mòr Lecture. I am delighted that our lecturer this year

is a good friend of the College. He is Professor Duncan Rice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Aberdeen. Through the years, as you will glean from this evening's programme, the

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture series has enjoyed a high level of recognition and a deserved reputation,

flowing from the inaugural lecture given by Professor Jim Hunter in 1990. We look forward this

evening to an informed, interesting and stimulating lecture. Our thanks to Grampian TV for their

continuing support in recording and broadcasting the lecture.

Professor Norman N. Gillies OBE

College Director

Òraid an t-Sabhail 2005

FailteProfessor C. Duncan Rice has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor of

the University of Aberdeen since September 1996. He was

previously Dean of the Faculty (1985-91), and Vice-Chancellor

(1991-96) at New York University.

Professor Rice was born in Aberdeen and took a first in history at

the University of Aberdeen in 1964. He taught briefly at Aberdeen

and completed an Edinburgh doctorate before spending much of

his professional life at Yale and New York University.

He is the recipient of many academic awards and honours,

including Honorary Degrees from New York University and Robert

Gordon University, an Honorary Fellowship from the UHI

Millennium Institute, and fellowships at Harvard and Yale. He is a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He currently serves on

the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Scotland, is Chairman of

the UK Socrates-Erasmus Trust, a member of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association

Board and is Vice-Chairman of Scottish Enterprise Grampian. He was Chairman of the Circumpolar

Universities Association from 1997-1999 and has served on the boards of BT Scotland, Scottish Opera

and Scottish Ballet.

Professor Rice is married to Susan Rice, the Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB Scotland. They have three

children and live in Old Aberdeen. His interests include hillwalking, fishing, contemporary literature,

and opera.

Education for Northern P laces: Old and NewMore than ever before, education, particularly further and higher education, is seen as crucial to

society. Scotland has no shortage of political rhetoric reminding us of education’s centrality to our

economic future. Less prevalent, however, is discussion of the role of education in terms of citizenship,

cultural diversity and its value beyond utilitarian criteria. Are these romantic concepts for Scottish

education to cling to in the 21st century? Or are they a vital plank in how Scotland can use its position

and identity as a plural society of the North to recover some of the influence it once exerted in the

Scottish Enlightenment. In this context, we must go beyond political agendas to discover Scotland’s

real intellectual potential.

Professor C. Duncan RicePrincipal And Vice-Chancellor Of The University Of Aberdeen

The inaugural Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture was delivered in 1990 by eminent Author and Historian, Dr James Hunter, the first in a lengthening line of distinguished contributors to this important lectureseries.

Dr Hunter, until recently, Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, is a long time supporter ofSabhal Mòr and has frequently paid tribute to the central role which SMO has occupied in the widerprocess of the regeneration of the community, the language and the culture.

Dr Hunter, in reference to that central role, has said,

“By means of what the College has done to enhance the status of the language and the culture,Sabhal Mòr has delivered a major boost to the self confidence both of individuals and communitiesright across the Highlands and Islands”. He continued,

“Sabhal Mòr Ostaig should not be regarded simply as an educational institution, although it iscertainly that, but as a key cultural centre, playing an absolutely critical role in the regeneration ofScotland’s Gaelic heritage.”

The televised lecture series continues to provide a high profile opportunity, thanks to the sponsorshipof broadcasters Grampian Television, for Sabhal Mòr to engage with a wider constituency of interestsand, in so doing, to place the language and the culture at the heart of our national consciousness.

The impressive list of eminent previous lecturers, drawn from across a wide and varied spectrum ofScottish and international public life, has enabled the College to bring forward, for public debate, thethoughts and ideas of some of our most gifted thinkers from the worlds of politics, education,economics and the arts.

Scotland’s first ‘First Minister’, the late and much loved, ‘father of devolution’, Donald Dewar MSP, indelivering the 2001 Lecture said,

“Gaelic is part of our history and our national identity and a well-spring for much that is good incontemporary Scottish culture. Everyone must recognise the importance of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to thisprocess.”

College Patron HRH the Prince of Wales, whilst on a recent visit to Sabhal Mòr said,

“There are few responsibilities more absolute than those which flow from custodianship of alanguage and culture. In my view, the Scottish identity as a whole is immeasurably enriched by itsGaelic dimension”.

Over the years, the lecture series has grown in its reach and influence and has often provided thecatalyst for subsequent developments and initiatives. This was no more so the case than through thedefining ‘watershed’ lecture given in 1997 by the then Irish President Mary Robinson. In her address,she articulated the thoughts and aspirations of Gael and non Gael alike from both sides of the IrishSea, for a recognition of the great opportunity which now lay ahead for the development of, orperhaps more accurately, the reawakening of, that important shared community of common languageand the recognition of that important sphere of influence, the ‘Greater Gaidhealtachd’ of Scotlandand Ireland. President Robinson said,

“ For the future, Ireland and Scotland have much to learn from each other and to share. There are notwo countries in Western Europe which are so close, not only in a shared past but also what we havein common today”.

Òraid Sabhal Mòr Ostaig- Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture

History of the series 1990-2004

Education for Northern Places:Old and New

by Professor C. Duncan Rice

Bu mhiann le Urrasairean an t-Sabhail Mhòir Ostaig taing a thoirt do Thelebhisean Ghrampian airsongoistidheachd na h-òraide, agus do Phàrlamaid na h-Alba a thug aoigheachd dhuinn uile.

The Trustees of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig wish to thank the lecture sponsors, Grampian Television, and our hosts, The Scottish Parliament

Dealbhte le Cànan, an t-Eilean Sgithanach ©2005 Designed by Cànan, Isle of Skye © 2005 Printed by Nevisprint, Fort William

Chancellor Gordon Brown MP, in delivering his 1999 Lecture, stated that,

“Here on Skye, we witness two strands of a great inheritance that affect us all - of culture and ideas.A deep rich Gaelic culture and a strong, lasting radical tradition”.

This year’s lecture once more draws deeply on the nurturing wellspring of intellectual enquiry andcultural analysis and, through Prof C. Duncan Rice, brings to the series, one of the foremostintellectuals and most gifted educationalists of our time.

Previous Lecturers1990 Dr James Hunter Author, Historian and Academic“thus it comes about that something which most other societies take for granted - that young peopleshould have the right to be educated in their own language - still seems to us to be in the nature of anovel and daring experiment’.

1991 Lord Gus Macdonald Minister of State in Scotland Office and DTI

1992 John Goodlad Secretary of Shetland Fishermans Association

1993 Dr. Una Maclean Physician and Community Health Researcher

1994 Dr. John Purser Writer, Composer and Musicologist

1995 Alastair Moffat Author and Director of STV

1996 Donnie Munro Musician, Artist and former Rector of Edinburgh University and UHI MillenniumInstitute“There can be no greater stimulus to the well-being of a community than to have its language andculture recognised and valued and placed confidently within the context of the internationalcommunity”.

1997 President Mary Robinson Irish President “ For the future, Ireland and Scotland have much to learn from each other and to share. There are notwo countries in Western Europe which are so close, not only in a shared past but also what we havein common today”.

1998 Calum Macdonald MP/Eamon O Cuiv TD, Minister of State in Scottish Office/Irish Minister for theGaeltacht

“The renewal of Gaelic in Scottish education, broadcasting and the arts is something which is alsoevident in the new links being forged between Scotland and Ireland. The common history and culturewe share, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, constitute a greater Gaidhealtachd which canstrengthen and enrich our Gaelic speaking communities”.

1999 Gordon Brown MP Chancellor of the Exchequer “Here on Skye, we witness two strands of a great inheritance that affect us all - of culture and ideas.A deep rich Gaelic culture and a strong, lasting radical tradition”.

2000 Donald Dewar MSP First Minister of Scotland“Gaelic is part of our history and our national identity and a well-spring for much that is good incontemporary Scottish culture. Everyone must recognise the importance of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to thisprocess”.

2002 Professor Micheal O Suilleabhain Musician, Writer, Composer and Director of the Irish WorldMusic Centre, University of Limerick.

2004 Jack McConnell MSP First Minister of Scotland“This truly is an inspiring place: one of the finest settings for education imaginable and a physicalsymbol of renewed confidence. Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is special, not just because of its setting and theexcellence it consistently attains, but because of the contribution it makes as the national college forGaelic”.

2005 Professor C. Duncan Rice Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen

Òraid an t-Sabhail 2005

Education for Northern Places:Old and New

by Professor C. Duncan Rice

Bu mhiann le Urrasairean an t-Sabhail Mhòir Ostaig taing a thoirt do Thelebhisean Ghrampian airsongoistidheachd na h-òraide, agus do Phàrlamaid na h-Alba a thug aoigheachd dhuinn uile.

The Trustees of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig wish to thank the lecture sponsors, Grampian Television, and our hosts, The Scottish Parliament

Dealbhte le Cànan, an t-Eilean Sgithanach ©2005 Designed by Cànan, Isle of Skye © 2005 Printed by Nevisprint, Fort William

Chancellor Gordon Brown MP, in delivering his 1999 Lecture, stated that,

“Here on Skye, we witness two strands of a great inheritance that affect us all - of culture and ideas.A deep rich Gaelic culture and a strong, lasting radical tradition”.

This year’s lecture once more draws deeply on the nurturing wellspring of intellectual enquiry andcultural analysis and, through Prof C. Duncan Rice, brings to the series, one of the foremostintellectuals and most gifted educationalists of our time.

Previous Lecturers1990 Dr James Hunter Author, Historian and Academic“thus it comes about that something which most other societies take for granted - that young peopleshould have the right to be educated in their own language - still seems to us to be in the nature of anovel and daring experiment’.

1991 Lord Gus Macdonald Minister of State in Scotland Office and DTI

1992 John Goodlad Secretary of Shetland Fishermans Association

1993 Dr. Una Maclean Physician and Community Health Researcher

1994 Dr. John Purser Writer, Composer and Musicologist

1995 Alastair Moffat Author and Director of STV

1996 Donnie Munro Musician, Artist and former Rector of Edinburgh University and UHI MillenniumInstitute“There can be no greater stimulus to the well-being of a community than to have its language andculture recognised and valued and placed confidently within the context of the internationalcommunity”.

1997 President Mary Robinson Irish President “ For the future, Ireland and Scotland have much to learn from each other and to share. There are notwo countries in Western Europe which are so close, not only in a shared past but also what we havein common today”.

1998 Calum Macdonald MP/Eamon O Cuiv TD, Minister of State in Scottish Office/Irish Minister for theGaeltacht

“The renewal of Gaelic in Scottish education, broadcasting and the arts is something which is alsoevident in the new links being forged between Scotland and Ireland. The common history and culturewe share, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, constitute a greater Gaidhealtachd which canstrengthen and enrich our Gaelic speaking communities”.

1999 Gordon Brown MP Chancellor of the Exchequer “Here on Skye, we witness two strands of a great inheritance that affect us all - of culture and ideas.A deep rich Gaelic culture and a strong, lasting radical tradition”.

2000 Donald Dewar MSP First Minister of Scotland“Gaelic is part of our history and our national identity and a well-spring for much that is good incontemporary Scottish culture. Everyone must recognise the importance of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to thisprocess”.

2002 Professor Micheal O Suilleabhain Musician, Writer, Composer and Director of the Irish WorldMusic Centre, University of Limerick.

2004 Jack McConnell MSP First Minister of Scotland“This truly is an inspiring place: one of the finest settings for education imaginable and a physicalsymbol of renewed confidence. Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is special, not just because of its setting and theexcellence it consistently attains, but because of the contribution it makes as the national college forGaelic”.

2005 Professor C. Duncan Rice Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen

Òraid an t-Sabhail 2005