Gaelic in the News today- Gaelic Medium education a parents right?

An important debate for Gaelic took place today in the Scottish Parliament. Should every parent have the legal right to have their children receive a Gaelic medium education?
I have been in the lucky position of having that option for my children to e educated through the medium of Gaelic- our local school provided that option for us, at least for child 2 and 3. But we had to fight for it. And it has been worth every drop of sweat, blood and many tears. I have no hesitation in recommending GME for any family- not only because of the cultural and linguistic benefits but also for the more broad mainstream education benefits. Learning another language opens a childs mind, they soak things up like no adult can. It is easier for a child to learn another language, that has been proven.
So this whole debate is not just about the economics of the matter- we shoudl also remember that the heart of any populace is formed by the identity of a People- and if we dont have our languages and cultures, then we are missing part of our identity - that which forms who and what we are. We must remember also that we are LUCKY to have our own indigenous language - so many countries have lost that, their own tongues submerged by English. There are economic benefits ofr Gaelic too of course- tourism for one, with the many 1000s of tourists who ocme to Scotland to soak up that Gaelic culture.
So for that culture to survive, there has to be education - and it has been proven over and again that children who have come through GME suffer NO ill effects from not learning to read and write english till they are in p3/4. Indeed my sons kept abreast - and overtook- their mainstream peers in more than one subject- in primary and secondary education.
So please, support GME- we're lucky to have that option - please dont waste all the time and effort by so many parents over the years, including myself, who have fought to have that right.

Learning Scottish Gaelic in Spain

Heres a wee piece on the Secret Andalucia site about the connections between Andalucia and Scotland- and the forthcoming Gaelic Course in Andalucia. E mil me for more details of this exciting opportunity to learn Gaelic and Gaelic Songin a beultiful, warm, lemon fragrant part of Spain!
http://www.secretandalucia.com/guadiaro-valley/news/419-flamenco-in-a-kilt.html

Learn Scottish Gaelic and Gaelic Song in the Sun!

Fancy having a Spring Break in the Sun and learn something new at the same time - or brush up on older skills? Join myself and Uist singer and tutor Gillebride Macmillan in the beautiful surroundings of the Alto Genal, deep in the heart of lovely Andalucia, Spain. Learn Gaelic, improve your Spanish (Gillebride is a fluent Spanish speaker as well as Gaelic) , learn some beautiful Gaelic songs, even if you're not a singer, and learn something of the Andalucian culture, cuisine and countryside at the same time. April 28th - May 2nd 2010, Juzcar, Andalucia, 1 1/2 hours from Malaga. Fully inclusive, travel excepted. More details . Siuthad! Join us for some fun, food and ferias!

http://www.fionamackenzie.org/Events

Gaelic Podcasts Online

I've posted 2 Gaelic Phrase podcasts online at my website to hopefully help you learn a little Gaelic. Very simple phrases covering basic conversation and subjects such as the weather. Phonetics and text also available for download.