125-486: Loch Rannoch ( Scottish Gaelic : Loch Raineach ) is a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross , Scotland . It is over 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long in a west–east direction with an average width of about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi), and is deepest at its eastern end, reaching a depth of 130 metres (440 ft). The River Tummel begins at its eastern end, where the small village of Kinloch Rannoch can be found, whilst
250-442: A 19% fall in bilingual speakers between the 1911 and 1921 Censuses. Michelle MacLeod of Aberdeen University has said that there was no other period with such a high fall in the number of monolingual Gaelic speakers: "Gaelic speakers became increasingly the exception from that point forward with bilingualism replacing monolingualism as the norm for Gaelic speakers." The Linguistic Survey of Scotland (1949–1997) surveyed both
375-564: A Pictish substrate. In 1018, after the conquest of Lothian (theretofore part of England and inhabited predominantly by speakers of Northumbrian Old English ) by the Kingdom of Scotland , Gaelic reached its social, cultural, political, and geographic zenith. Colloquial speech in Scotland had been developing independently of that in Ireland since the eighth century. For the first time,
500-430: A capacity of 48 MW and Tummel power station had a capacity of 34 MW. The scheme was split into two phases, with work on the first beginning in 1928. A concrete gravity dam, 1,400 ft (430 m) long was built at the southern end of Loch Ericht, from where a tunnel cut through solid rock carried the water to a point above the north bank of Loch Rannoch. The tunnel was nearly 3 miles (4.8 km) long, and
625-492: A catchment area of 22.61 square miles (58.6 km ). Water from Loch Garry feeds west through a tunnel to Ericht power station on the east bank of Loch Erich, and discharges into the loch. Water from Loch Ericht flows through a tunnel to Rannoch power station, which was part of the Grampian scheme, and discharges into Loch Rannoch. This is at 676 feet (206 m) AOD, covers an area of 7.26 square miles (18.8 km ) and has
750-476: A catchment area of 247.19 square miles (640.2 km ). From the west water from Rannoch Moor is impounded at Loch Eigheach, which is at 827 ft (252 m) AOD. It is relatively small with a surface area of 327 acres (132 ha), but its catchment area is 66 square miles (171 km ). It feeds Gaur power station, discharging into the River Gaur, which flows into the western end of Loch Rannoch. At
875-487: A catchment area of 5.97 square miles (15.47 km ). This feeds the Cuaich station discharging into the north-east end of Loch Ericht at 1,168 ft (356 m) AOD. Loch Ericht has a surface area of 8.64 square miles (22.4 km ) and a catchment area of 52.37 square miles (135.6 km ). A second path begins at Loch Garry, which is at 1,352 feet (412 m) AOD. It has a surface area of 406 acres (164 ha) and
1000-524: A central feature of court life there. The semi-independent Lordship of the Isles in the Hebrides and western coastal mainland remained thoroughly Gaelic since the language's recovery there in the 12th century, providing a political foundation for cultural prestige down to the end of the 15th century. By the mid-14th century what eventually came to be called Scots (at that time termed Inglis ) emerged as
1125-823: A challenge to revitalization efforts which occur outside the home. Positive engagements between language learners and native speakers of Gaelic through mentorship has proven to be productive in socializing new learners into fluency. In the 2022 census, 3,551 people claimed Gaelic as their 'main language.' Of these, 1,761 (49.6%) were in Na h-Eileanan Siar, 682 (19.2%) were in Highland, 369 were in Glasgow City and 120 were in City of Edinburgh; no other council area had as many as 80 such respondents. Gaelic has long suffered from its lack of use in educational and administrative contexts and
1250-521: A cohort of Donegal Tunnel Tigers, Irish tunnelling specialists who moved from job to job. The scheme was expected to generate 635 Gigawatt-hours a year, and by 1986 it had achieved an average of 663 GWh a year. The first stage of the project involved the construction of the Clunie Dam at the eastern end of Loch Tummel. This raised the level of the loch by 17 feet (5.2 m), and more than doubled its length. Two drum gates control
1375-484: A contract for the work was awarded to Site Services of Aberdeen. The new gates had to comply with modern codes of practice, but could not be heavier than the originals, so that they could be lifted by the original control mechanism. They were manufactured in parts, each of which had a maximum weight of five tonnes, which were then assembled on site. The weight limit allowed them to be lifted into place by an existing overhead gantry, as it would have been too difficult to access
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#17327871561811500-551: A dialect known as Canadian Gaelic has been spoken in Canada since the 18th century. In the 2021 census , 2,170 Canadian residents claimed knowledge of Scottish Gaelic, a decline from 3,980 speakers in the 2016 census . There exists a particular concentration of speakers in Nova Scotia , with historic communities in other parts of Canada having largely disappeared. Scottish Gaelic is classed as an indigenous language under
1625-489: A full range of language skills: speaking, understanding, reading and writing Gaelic. 40.2% of Scotland's Gaelic speakers said that they used Gaelic at home. To put this in context, the most common language spoken at home in Scotland after English and Scots is Polish, with about 1.1% of the population, or 54,000 people. The 2011 UK Census showed a total of 57,375 Gaelic speakers in Scotland (1.1% of population over three years old), of whom only 32,400 could also read and write
1750-504: A house of strength on an island in the loch. The Clan Macdonald of Clanranald were rebuilding the house, which her father James V had previously ordered to be demolished. The historic route of the Road to the Isles went along Loch Rannoch as part of the route between Pitlochry on the main Stirling to Inverness road, and Lochaber , and Loch Rannoch is one of the places mentioned in
1875-586: A language ideology at odds with revitalization efforts on behalf of new speakers, state policies (such as the Gaelic Language Act), and family members reclaiming their lost mother tongue. New learners of Gaelic often have a positive affective stance to their language learning, and connect this learning journey towards Gaelic language revitalization. The mismatch of these language ideologies, and differences in affective stance, has led to fewer speaking opportunities for adult language learners and therefore
2000-805: A national centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, based in Sleat , on the Isle of Skye . This institution is the only source for higher education which is conducted entirely in Scottish Gaelic. They offer courses for Gaelic learners from beginners into fluency. They also offer regular bachelors and graduate programs delivered entirely in Gaelic. Concerns have been raised around the fluency achieved by learners within these language programs because they are disconnected from vernacular speech communities. In regard to language revitalization planning efforts, many feel that
2125-549: A process of Gaelicisation (which may have begun generations earlier) was clearly under way during the reigns of Caustantín and his successors. By a certain point, probably during the 11th century, all the inhabitants of Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, and Pictish identity was forgotten. Bilingualism in Pictish and Gaelic, prior to the former's extinction, led to the presence of Pictish loanwords in Gaelic and syntactic influence which could be considered to constitute
2250-610: A proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 65% (the highest value is in Barvas , Lewis , with 64.1%). In addition, no civil parish on mainland Scotland has a proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 20% (the highest is in Ardnamurchan , Highland , with 19.3%). Out of a total of 871 civil parishes in Scotland, the proportion of Gaelic speakers exceeds 50% in seven parishes, 25% in 14 parishes, and 10% in 35 parishes. Decline in traditional areas has recently been balanced by growth in
2375-623: A scheme proposed in 1919, but there was strong opposition to it, and the plans did not come to fruition. The potential for hydro-electric power in the Highlands of Scotland was recognised by the Snell Committee, who published reports in 1919 and 1920. Against this background, the Grampian Electricity Supply Bill was laid before Parliament. The promotors were aware of the "fundamental principles" set out by
2500-536: A situation where new learners struggle to find opportunities to speak Gaelic with fluent speakers. Affect is the way people feel about something, or the emotional response to a particular situation or experience. For Gaelic speakers, there is a conditioned and socialized negative affect through a long history of negative Scottish media portrayal and public disrespect, state mandated restrictions on Gaelic usage, and highland clearances . This negative affect towards speaking openly with non-native Gaelic speakers has led to
2625-558: A small area remains at the Black Wood of Rannoch on the southern shore of the loch. Loch Rannoch forms part of the Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area , one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development by restricting certain forms of development. The surrounding area has many attractions, which can be found on
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#17327871561812750-607: A steel pipeline then ran down the hillside to Rannoch power station. Several smaller projects supplemented the flow into Loch Ericht by diverting the headwaters of the River Truim, the Allt Ghlas, and other streams. This phase was completed in November 1930. A dam was also constructed at the northern end of Loch Ericht close to the village of Dalwhinnie to contain the raised water level, and prevent it from discharging into
2875-625: A translation of the New Testament. In 1798, four tracts in Gaelic were published by the Society for Propagating the Gospel at Home, with 5,000 copies of each printed. Other publications followed, with a full Gaelic Bible in 1801. The influential and effective Gaelic Schools Society was founded in 1811. Their purpose was to teach Gaels to read the Bible in their own language. In the first quarter of
3000-719: Is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family ) native to the Gaels of Scotland . As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as both Irish and Manx , developed out of Old Irish . It became a distinct spoken language sometime in the 13th century in the Middle Irish period, although a common literary language was shared by the Gaels of both Ireland and Scotland until well into
3125-490: Is a significant step forward for the recognition of Gaelic both at home and abroad and I look forward to addressing the council in Gaelic very soon. Seeing Gaelic spoken in such a forum raises the profile of the language as we drive forward our commitment to creating a new generation of Gaelic speakers in Scotland." Bilingual road signs, street names, business and advertisement signage (in both Gaelic and English) are gradually being introduced throughout Gaelic-speaking regions in
3250-570: Is an interconnected network of dams , power stations , aqueducts and electric power transmission in the Grampian Mountains of Scotland . Roughly bounded by Dalwhinnie in the north, Rannoch Moor in the west and Pitlochry in the east it comprises a water catchment area of around 1,800 square kilometres (690 square miles) and primary water storage at Loch Ericht , Loch Errochty , Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel , in Perth and Kinross . Water, depending on where it originates and
3375-451: Is described by Historic Environment Scotland as "an outstanding example...a bold modernist design by Harold Tarbolton." Sir Edward MacColl was the board's engineer having previously been responsible for other hydro schemes. The contracting engineers were Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners and around 12,000 workers were employed at the peak of construction with workers including German and Italian former prisoners of war as well as
3500-403: Is fed with water from Loch Garry. Cuaich power station is the most northerly of the scheme, and its single turbine is fed from Loch Cuaich, which is dammed at its southern end. A tunnel brings further water to Loch Cuaich from Loch an t-Seilich, which is dammed at its northern end. There are four main water paths in the completed scheme, all of which ultimately discharge into Loch Tummel to feed
3625-479: Is impounded by the Clunie Dam located in a narrow valley at the eastern end of the loch. The construction of this dam raised the water level by 17 feet (5.2 m) to create a reservoir with a capacity of 36,400,000 cubic metres. Loch Tummel is at 466 ft (142 m) AOD, has a surface area of 1,430 acres (579 ha) and a catchment area of 315.92 square miles (818.2 km ). Water then passes through Clunie station to Loch Faskally which feeds
3750-411: Is no evidence that Gaelic was ever widely spoken. Many historians mark the reign of King Malcolm Canmore ( Malcolm III ) between 1058 and 1093 as the beginning of Gaelic's eclipse in Scotland. His wife Margaret of Wessex spoke no Gaelic, gave her children Anglo-Saxon rather than Gaelic names, and brought many English bishops, priests, and monastics to Scotland. When Malcolm and Margaret died in 1093,
3875-837: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages , which the UK Government has ratified, and the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 established a language-development body, Bòrd na Gàidhlig . The Scottish Parliament is considering a Scottish Languages Bill which proposes to give the Gaelic and Scots languages official status in Scotland. Aside from "Scottish Gaelic", the language may also be referred to simply as "Gaelic", pronounced / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ k / GAL -ik in English . However, "Gaelic" / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik also refers to
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4000-655: The Great War , there were plans to fell it completely. The wood has been owned and managed by the Forestry Commission and its successor body, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), since 1947. FLS manage the wood as a forest reserve as well as to provide Scots pine seeds for use in regeneration projects across Scotland. Scottish Gaelic language Scottish Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ k / , GAL -ik ; endonym : Gàidhlig [ˈkaːlɪkʲ] ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic ,
4125-555: The Outer Hebrides , accommodation ethics exist amongst native or local Gaelic speakers when engaging with new learners or non-locals. Accommodation ethics, or ethics of accommodation, is a social practice where local or native speakers of Gaelic shift to speaking English when in the presence of non-Gaelic speakers out of a sense of courtesy or politeness. This accommodation ethic persists even in situations where new learners attempt to speak Gaelic with native speakers. This creates
4250-747: The Rannoch and Tummel Tourist Association site which has information about the glen. The loch offers good sport fishing , with brown and ferox trout , arctic charr , pike and perch all present, although there are no salmon in the loch. Fishing is managed by the Loch Rannoch Conservation Association, which issues permits and control catches in accordance with the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003 . Areas of forestry around Loch Rannoch owned by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) form part of
4375-513: The River Tummel for 5 miles (8 km) to a narrow point where Dunalastair dam creates an artificial loch known as Dunalastair Water . From there an open aqueduct carries the water the remaining 3 miles (5 km) to Tummel where a head of 170 feet (52 m) powers two 24,000 hp (18,000 kW) horizontal generators, with the electricity generated connected into the same transmission line as Rannoch. The discharge water then rejoined
4500-688: The Scottish Lowlands . Between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, the number of Gaelic speakers rose in nineteen of the country's 32 council areas. The largest absolute gains were in Aberdeenshire (+526), North Lanarkshire (+305), the Aberdeen City council area (+216), and East Ayrshire (+208). The largest relative gains were in Aberdeenshire (+0.19%), East Ayrshire (+0.18%), Moray (+0.16%), and Orkney (+0.13%). In 2018,
4625-630: The Scottish folk song named after the road . The road is now classified as the B846 , which runs along the north shore of the loch. The road terminates at Rannoch railway station on the West Highland Line , some 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (9 km) west of Loch Rannoch. The route of the Road to the Isles continues only as an untarmaced track from here to the west. Rannoch Power Station, on
4750-541: The Tay Forest Park , a network of FLS forests spread across the Highland parts of Perthshire that are managed to provide walks and amenities for visitors. A crannog is present at Eilean nam Faoileag in the western half of the loch. A folly was constructed on the island in the nineteenth century, reputedly by a Baron Granbley. The folly, which is still standing, takes the form of a tower, and may be based on
4875-786: The significant increase in pupils in Gaelic-medium education since that time is unknown. Gaelic Medium Education is one of the primary ways that the Scottish Government is addressing Gaelic language shift. Along with the Bòrd na Gàidhlig policies, preschool and daycare environments are also being used to create more opportunities for intergenerational language transmission in the Outer Hebrides. However, revitalization efforts are not unified within Scotland or Nova Scotia, Canada. One can attend Sabhal Mòr Ostaig ,
5000-477: The 17th century. Most of modern Scotland was once Gaelic-speaking, as evidenced especially by Gaelic-language place names. In the 2011 census of Scotland , 57,375 people (1.1% of the Scottish population aged over three years old) reported being able to speak Gaelic, 1,275 fewer than in 2001. The highest percentages of Gaelic speakers were in the Outer Hebrides . Nevertheless, there is a language revival , and
5125-544: The 19th century, the SSPCK (despite their anti-Gaelic attitude in prior years) and the British and Foreign Bible Society distributed 60,000 Gaelic Bibles and 80,000 New Testaments. It is estimated that this overall schooling and publishing effort gave about 300,000 people in the Highlands some basic literacy. Very few European languages have made the transition to a modern literary language without an early modern translation of
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5250-404: The 2011 Census. The 2011 total population figure comes from table KS101SC. The numbers of Gaelic speakers relate to the numbers aged 3 and over, and the percentages are calculated using those and the number of the total population aged 3 and over. Across the whole of Scotland, the 2011 census showed that 25,000 people (0.49% of the population) used Gaelic at home. Of these, 63.3% said that they had
5375-521: The 485 feet (148 m) to Rannoch power station on the northern bank of Loch Rannoch. At the time Rannoch was fitted with two 22,000 hp (16,500 kW) water turbines with provision for a third. Steel towers , some 97 feet (30 m) high, carried 132 kV power lines east along the bank of the Loch, continuing for 58 miles (93 km) to connect to the National Grid at Abernethy , to
5500-407: The 4th–5th centuries CE, by settlers from Ireland who founded the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata on Scotland's west coast in present-day Argyll . An alternative view has been voiced by archaeologist Ewan Campbell , who has argued that the putative migration or takeover is not reflected in archaeological or placename data (as pointed out earlier by Leslie Alcock ). Campbell has also questioned
5625-569: The Bible; the lack of a well known translation may have contributed to the decline of Scottish Gaelic. Counterintuitively, access to schooling in Gaelic increased knowledge of English. In 1829, the Gaelic Schools Society reported that parents were unconcerned about their children learning Gaelic, but were anxious to have them taught English. The SSPCK also found Highlanders to have significant prejudice against Gaelic. T. M. Devine attributes this to an association between English and
5750-503: The Board at the end of the proceedings, stated that the benefits of providing electricity to remote areas where it would be uneconomic to do so without such a scheme outweighed the small amount of damage that might be done, and he was adamant that the tourists would still come to Pitlochry and that the livelihoods of the residents would be maintained. The final report, when it was published, largely agreed with this position, and recommended that
5875-467: The Board's plans resulted in the resignation of the first chair of the board Lord Airlie, and Tom Johnston was appointed to run the board in 1946. His tenure lasted until 1959 and he successfully completed many projects by pushing an agenda of social change through development. There had been concerted opposition to the Board's first scheme, that at Loch Sloy , but when the Tummel Garry scheme
6000-462: The Clunie and Pitlochry stations. From the north the highest storage point in the scheme is at Loch an t-Seilich, which is at 1,391 ft (424 m) above ordnance datum (AOD). The loch covers 280 acres (113 ha) and has a catchment area of 23.52 square miles (60.9 km ). Water passes through a tunnel to Loch Cuaich at 1,319 feet (402 m) AOD, which covers 115 acres (47 ha) and has
6125-641: The Clunie generators coming online in April, June and November 1950, while the Pitlochry generators came online in October and December 1950. A formal opening by Lady MacColl was due to be held on 16 July 1951, but Edward MacColl died on the previous day. The second phase of the project involved constructing a dam across Glen Errochty close to the junction of the Errochty Water and Allt Con. This impounded
6250-594: The EU's institutions. The Scottish government had to pay for the translation from Gaelic to other European languages . The deal was received positively in Scotland; Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy said the move was a strong sign of the UK government's support for Gaelic. He said; "Allowing Gaelic speakers to communicate with European institutions in their mother tongue is a progressive step forward and one which should be welcomed". Culture Minister Mike Russell said; "this
6375-538: The Forth–Clyde line and along the northeastern coastal plain as far north as Moray. Norman French completely displaced Gaelic at court. The establishment of royal burghs throughout the same area, particularly under David I , attracted large numbers of foreigners speaking Old English. This was the beginning of Gaelic's status as a predominantly rural language in Scotland. Clan chiefs in the northern and western parts of Scotland continued to support Gaelic bards who remained
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#17327871561816500-684: The Gaelic Act falls so far short of the status accorded to Welsh that one would be foolish or naïve to believe that any substantial change will occur in the fortunes of the language as a result of Bòrd na Gàidhlig 's efforts. On 10 December 2008, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , the Scottish Human Rights Commission had the UDHR translated into Gaelic for
6625-762: The Gaelic aristocracy rejected their anglicised sons and instead backed Malcolm's brother Domnall Bán ( Donald III ). Donald had spent 17 years in Gaelic Ireland and his power base was in the thoroughly Gaelic west of Scotland. He was the last Scottish monarch to be buried on Iona , the traditional burial place of the Gaelic Kings of Dàl Riada and the Kingdom of Alba. However, during the reigns of Malcolm Canmore's sons, Edgar, Alexander I and David I (their successive reigns lasting 1097–1153), Anglo-Norman names and practices spread throughout Scotland south of
6750-446: The Grampian company via a link to the national grid at Abernethy and Balfour was ready to proceed with the Grampian scheme. The 1922 Act of Parliament allowed the Grampian company to raise the maximum level of Loch Ericht by 53 feet (16 m) and to vary the level by 77 feet (23 m) when the scheme was operating. There were much stricter limits on Loch Rannoch, where the level could only vary by 8 feet (2.4 m). Some ingenuity
6875-619: The Highland and Island region. In 1616, the Privy Council proclaimed that schools teaching in English should be established. Gaelic was seen, at this time, as one of the causes of the instability of the region. It was also associated with Catholicism. The Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (SSPCK) was founded in 1709. They met in 1716, immediately after the failed Jacobite rising of 1715 , to consider
7000-416: The Highlands and Islands, including Argyll. In many cases, this has simply meant re-adopting the traditional spelling of a name (such as Ràtagan or Loch Ailleart rather than the anglicised forms Ratagan or Lochailort respectively). Some monolingual Gaelic road signs, particularly direction signs, are used on the Outer Hebrides , where a majority of the population can have a working knowledge of
7125-726: The Inner Hebridean dialects of Tiree and Islay, and even a few native speakers from Western Highland areas including Wester Ross , northwest Sutherland , Lochaber and Argyll . Dialects on both sides of the Straits of Moyle (the North Channel ) linking Scottish Gaelic with Irish are now extinct, though native speakers were still to be found on the Mull of Kintyre , on Rathlin and in North East Ireland as late as
7250-410: The Irish language ( Gaeilge ) and the Manx language ( Gaelg ). Scottish Gaelic is distinct from Scots , the Middle English -derived language which had come to be spoken in most of the Lowlands of Scotland by the early modern era . Prior to the 15th century, this language was known as Inglis ("English") by its own speakers, with Gaelic being called Scottis ("Scottish"). Beginning in
7375-421: The Pitlochry station. The scheme power stations are generally, though not exclusively, named for their physical location as opposed to the source of their water supply. For example, Loch Ericht station is fed from Loch Garry but is adjacent to, and discharges into, Loch Ericht. A notable exception is Errochty power station, which discharges into Loch Tummel. It is also known as Tummel Bridge to distinguish it from
7500-541: The River Ericht some distance downstream of the loch's outlet, which raised the water level by 14 feet (4.3 m). In order to drain the loch down to 5 feet (1.5 m) below its original level, a channel was cut from the dam for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) at this lower level. This resulted in approximately 78,050 acre feet (96,277,000 m of water storage. Water then passes through tunnels and increasingly narrow pipes, reducing from 12 ft 4 in to 7 ft 10.5 in (3.7 m to 2.4 m), as it drops
7625-410: The River Truim and flooding Dalwhinnie. The dam has a concrete core with earth embankments on the upstream and downstream faces. It is around 1,150 ft (350 m) long and has a maximum height of 15 ft (4.5 m) above ground level. The growing need for electricity in the central belt of Scotland meant that the scheme was able to supply 12 MW to the Central Electricity Board, and when
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#17327871561817750-412: The River Tummel. In the centre of the system the headwaters of the River Bruar and of several of the tributaries of the River Garry are fed to storage at Loch Errochty, at 1,076 ft (328 m) AOD. It has a surface area of 748 acres (303 ha) and a catchment area of 19.66 square miles (50.9 km ). Most of the water feeds Errochty power station, which discharges into the River Tummel just to
7875-543: The Snell Committee, and ensured that these formed part of the bill. Consequently, the scheme would treat a single catchment area comprehensively, and would ensure that some of the power generated would be made available to residents who lived within the catchment of the scheme. The promotors included the Duke of Atholl and the chairman of Lloyds Bank , John William Beaumont Pease, both men who were known to be honest and trustworthy, and who were held in high regard locally. The bill became an Act of Parliament in 1922, and allowed
8000-409: The Tummel at Tummel Bridge . Rannoch and Tummel power stations were notable for being the first storage high-head stations, where water is held in a reservoir above the power station, rather than simply relying on water passing as part of the run of the river as had previously been done in Scotland. Water from the surrounding hills collects in Loch Ericht. At its southern end, the dam was built on
8125-428: The UK Government as Welsh . With the advent of devolution , however, Scottish matters have begun to receive greater attention, and it achieved a degree of official recognition when the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act was enacted by the Scottish Parliament on 21 April 2005. The key provisions of the Act are: After its creation, Bòrd na Gàidhlig required a Gaelic Language Plan from the Scottish Government. This plan
8250-581: The Western Isles (−1,745), Argyll & Bute (−694), and Highland (−634). The drop in Stornoway , the largest parish in the Western Isles by population, was especially acute, from 57.5% of the population in 1991 to 43.4% in 2011. The only parish outside the Western Isles over 40% Gaelic-speaking is Kilmuir in Northern Skye at 46%. The islands in the Inner Hebrides with significant percentages of Gaelic speakers are Tiree (38.3%), Raasay (30.4%), Skye (29.4%), Lismore (26.9%), Colonsay (20.2%), and Islay (19.0%). Today, no civil parish in Scotland has
8375-589: The Western Isles. The Scottish Qualifications Authority offer two streams of Gaelic examination across all levels of the syllabus: Gaelic for learners (equivalent to the modern foreign languages syllabus) and Gaelic for native speakers (equivalent to the English syllabus). An Comunn Gàidhealach performs assessment of spoken Gaelic, resulting in the issue of a Bronze Card, Silver Card or Gold Card. Syllabus details are available on An Comunn's website. These are not widely recognised as qualifications, but are required for those taking part in certain competitions at
8500-466: The age and reliability of the medieval historical sources speaking of a conquest. Instead, he has inferred that Argyll formed part of a common Q-Celtic -speaking area with Ireland, connected rather than divided by the sea, since the Iron Age. These arguments have been opposed by some scholars defending the early dating of the traditional accounts and arguing for other interpretations of the archaeological evidence. Regardless of how it came to be spoken in
8625-408: The annual mods . In October 2009, a new agreement allowed Scottish Gaelic to be formally used between Scottish Government ministers and European Union officials. The deal was signed by Britain's representative to the EU, Sir Kim Darroch , and the Scottish government . This did not give Scottish Gaelic official status in the EU but gave it the right to be a means of formal communications in
8750-413: The bill be strengthened, a revised bill was published; the main alteration was that the guidance of the Bòrd is now statutory (rather than advisory). In the committee stages in the Scottish Parliament, there was much debate over whether Gaelic should be given 'equal validity' with English. Due to executive concerns about resourcing implications if this wording was used, the Education Committee settled on
8875-625: The census of pupils in Scotland showed 520 students in publicly funded schools had Gaelic as the main language at home, an increase of 5% from 497 in 2014. During the same period, Gaelic medium education in Scotland has grown, with 4,343 pupils (6.3 per 1000) being educated in a Gaelic-immersion environment in 2018, up from 3,583 pupils (5.3 per 1000) in 2014. Data collected in 2007–2008 indicated that even among pupils enrolled in Gaelic medium schools, 81% of primary students and 74% of secondary students report using English more often than Gaelic when speaking with their mothers at home. The effect on this of
9000-568: The cities and professors of Celtic from universities who sought to preserve the language. The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 provided universal education in Scotland, but completely ignored Gaelic in its plans. The mechanism for supporting Gaelic through the Education Codes issued by the Scottish Education Department were steadily used to overcome this omission, with many concessions in place by 1918. However,
9125-570: The concept of 'equal respect'. It is not clear what the legal force of this wording is. The Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament unanimously, with support from all sectors of the Scottish political spectrum, on 21 April 2005. Under the provisions of the Act, it will ultimately fall to BnG to secure the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland. Some commentators, such as Éamonn Ó Gribín (2006) argue that
9250-532: The design of a small island prison. There may also be crannog at Eilean Beal na Gaoire at the very western end of the loch, however the level of the loch has been raised causing the island to become submerged, and so its status as a crannog was regarded as uncertain when surveyed in 1969. Mary, Queen of Scots , who was in Glen Tilt , wrote to Colin Campbell of Glenorchy on 3 August 1564, asking him to demolish
9375-499: The dialect of the Scottish Gaelic language, and also mixed use of English and Gaelic across the Highlands and Islands. Dialects of Lowland Gaelic have been defunct since the 18th century. Gaelic in the Eastern and Southern Scottish Highlands, although alive until the mid-20th century, is now largely defunct. Although modern Scottish Gaelic is dominated by the dialects of the Outer Hebrides and Isle of Skye, there remain some speakers of
9500-484: The discharge of flood water through the dam. To allow fish to continue to reach the upper river, a fish ladder consisting of 34 pools was built. The main contractor was George Wimpey . From the dam, a 2-mile (3.2 km) long tunnel was constructed, which is horseshoe shaped in cross section, and was the largest tunnel in Britain at the time, with the same capacity as a 23 ft (7.0 m) diameter pipeline. At
9625-548: The eastern end it feeds three 12 ft (3.7 m) diameter steel pipelines, which each feed a 20.4 MW turbines. The water then discharges into the River Tummel, just below its junction with the River Garry. A memorial arch, with the same cross section as the tunnel, was built at the entrance to the car park, to commemorate those who died during the construction. The main contractor for the tunnel and power station
9750-416: The eastern end of Loch Rannoch, Kinloch Rannoch weir regulates the outflow into the River Tummel, which soon reaches Dunalastair Reservoir, at 643 ft (196 m) AOD. Its surface area is 358 acres (145 ha) and its catchment area 266.62 square miles (690.5 km ). Water from Dunalastair Reservoir feeds Tummel power station, built as part of the 1930s Grampian scheme, with the water discharging into
9875-582: The entire region of modern-day Scotland was called Scotia in Latin, and Gaelic was the lingua Scotica . In southern Scotland , Gaelic was strong in Galloway , adjoining areas to the north and west, West Lothian , and parts of western Midlothian . It was spoken to a lesser degree in north Ayrshire , Renfrewshire , the Clyde Valley and eastern Dumfriesshire . In south-eastern Scotland, there
10000-560: The first time. However, given there are no longer any monolingual Gaelic speakers, following an appeal in the court case of Taylor v Haughney (1982), involving the status of Gaelic in judicial proceedings, the High Court ruled against a general right to use Gaelic in court proceedings. While the goal of the Gaelic Language Act was to aid in revitalization efforts through government mandated official language status,
10125-479: The initiatives must come from within Gaelic speaking communities, be led by Gaelic speakers, and be designed to serve and increase fluency within the vernacular communities as the first and most viable resistance to total language shift from Gaelic to English. Currently, language policies are focused on creating new language speakers through education, instead of focused on how to strengthen intergenerational transmission within existing Gaelic speaking communities. In
10250-502: The language. Compared with the 2001 Census, there has been a diminution of about 1300 people. This is the smallest drop between censuses since the Gaelic-language question was first asked in 1881. The Scottish government's language minister and Bòrd na Gàidhlig took this as evidence that Gaelic's long decline has slowed. The main stronghold of the language continues to be the Outer Hebrides ( Na h-Eileanan Siar ), where
10375-517: The language. These omit the English translation entirely. Bilingual railway station signs are now more frequent than they used to be. Practically all the stations in the Highland area use both English and Gaelic, and the use of bilingual station signs has become more frequent in the Lowlands of Scotland, including areas where Gaelic has not been spoken for a long time. Tummel hydro-electric power scheme The Tummel hydro-electric power scheme
10500-532: The late 15th century, it became increasingly common for such speakers to refer to Scottish Gaelic as Erse ("Irish") and the Lowland vernacular as Scottis . Today, Scottish Gaelic is recognised as a separate language from Irish, so the word Erse in reference to Scottish Gaelic is no longer used. Based on medieval traditional accounts and the apparent evidence from linguistic geography, Gaelic has been commonly believed to have been brought to Scotland, in
10625-459: The members of Highland school boards tended to have anti-Gaelic attitudes and served as an obstacle to Gaelic education in the late 19th and early 20th century. Loss of life due to World War I and the 1919 sinking of the HMY Iolaire , combined with emigration, resulted in the 1910s seeing unprecedented damage to the use of Scottish Gaelic, with a 46% fall in monolingual speakers and
10750-734: The mid-20th century. Records of their speech show that Irish and Scottish Gaelic existed in a dialect chain with no clear language boundary. Some features of moribund dialects have been preserved in Nova Scotia, including the pronunciation of the broad or velarised l ( l̪ˠ ) as [w] , as in the Lochaber dialect. The Endangered Languages Project lists Gaelic's status as "threatened", with "20,000 to 30,000 active users". UNESCO classifies Gaelic as " definitely endangered ". The 1755–2001 figures are census data quoted by MacAulay. The 2011 Gaelic speakers figures come from table KS206SC of
10875-532: The modern era. Some of this was driven by policy decisions by government or other organisations, while some originated from social changes. In the last quarter of the 20th century, efforts began to encourage use of the language. The Statutes of Iona , enacted by James VI in 1609, was one piece of legislation that addressed, among other things, the Gaelic language. It required the heirs of clan chiefs to be educated in lowland, Protestant, English-speaking schools. James VI took several such measures to impose his rule on
11000-405: The nearby, pre-existing Tummel station. The scheme made many changes to the natural water courses across the region. Many of the schemes rivers and lochs are categorised as Heavily Modified Water Bodies (defined as a body of surface water which, as a result of physical alterations by human activity, is substantially changed in character.) Near the highest point in the scheme the upper River Garry
11125-548: The new organisation, and Balfour Beatty became its engineers and managers. They realised that the scheme could only be economic if some of the power generated was exported to the industrial heartland of central Scotland, as their own area was too sparsely populated. Indeed, the newly-formed Central Electricity Board rejected the idea of extending the national grid into the Grampian area, because of its low demand for power. However, in June 1927 they had agreed to buy bulk electricity from
11250-462: The northern shore of the loch, is part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme , which is operated by SSE . The power station has a vertical head of 156 m (512 ft) and a total generating capacity of 44 MW , and uses water fed by pipeline and tunnel from Loch Ericht which is discharged into Loch Rannoch. The Black Wood of Rannoch, a fragment of the former Caledonian Forest , lies on
11375-434: The number of speakers of the language under age 20 did not decrease between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. In the 2022 census of Scotland , it was found that 2.5% of the Scottish population had some skills in Gaelic, or 130,161 persons. Of these, 69,701 people reported speaking the language, with a further 46,404 people reporting that they understood the language, but did not speak, read, or write in it. Outside of Scotland,
11500-695: The official language of government and law. Scotland's emergent nationalism in the era following the conclusion of the Wars of Scottish Independence was organized using Scots as well. For example, the nation's great patriotic literature including John Barbour's The Brus (1375) and Blind Harry's The Wallace (before 1488) was written in Scots, not Gaelic. By the end of the 15th century, English/Scots speakers referred to Gaelic instead as 'Yrisch' or 'Erse', i.e. Irish and their own language as 'Scottis'. A steady shift away from Scottish Gaelic continued into and through
11625-459: The outcome of the act is distanced from the actual minority language communities. It helps to create visibility of the minority language in civil structures, but does not impact or address the lived experiences of the Gaelic speaker communities wherein the revitalization efforts may have a higher return of new Gaelic speakers. Efforts are being made to concentrate resources, language planning, and revitalization efforts towards vernacular communities in
11750-560: The overall proportion of speakers is 52.2%. Important pockets of the language also exist in the Highlands (5.4%) and in Argyll and Bute (4.0%) and Inverness (4.9%). The locality with the largest absolute number is Glasgow with 5,878 such persons, who make up over 10% of all of Scotland's Gaelic speakers. Gaelic continues to decline in its traditional heartland. Between 2001 and 2011, the absolute number of Gaelic speakers fell sharply in
11875-492: The path it takes, may pass through as many as five of the schemes nine power stations as it progresses from north-west to south-east. The scheme was constructed in the 1940s and 50s incorporating some earlier sites. It is managed by SSE plc . The idea of Loch Ericht as a source for hydro-electric power was first anticipated in 1899, when the Highland Water Power Bill was put before Parliament. The plan
12000-622: The power would be sold in bulk to the Scottish Central Electric Power Company and the Fife Electric Power Co. The newly formed Grampian Electricity Supply Company failed to raise the £1.75 million of authorised capital, and asked George Balfour for help. Balfour, with Andrew Beatty, had formed the engineering company Balfour Beatty in 1907, and in October 1922 this had been restructured so that Power Securities Corporation Ltd bought
12125-475: The project. Gaur power station is located on the banks of the River Gaur, 0.3 miles (0.5 km) below Gaur Dam, which impounds water in Loch Eigheach. After passing through the turbine, the water is discharged into the River Gaur to reach Loch Rannoch. Because of its remote location, the station was the first in Scotland to be automated. Loch Ericht power station is on the eastern bank of Loch Ericht, and
12250-478: The promotors to use the waters of Loch Ericht, Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel. Loch Ericht would be augmented by water diverted from Loch Seilich and Loch Garry , increasing the catchment area to 418 square miles (1,080 square kilometres). The power generated would supply an area of over 5,000 square miles (13,000 square kilometres), covering the counties of Perth , Kinross and Forfar , together with parts of Inverness-shire , Argyllshire and Stirlingshire . Some of
12375-466: The prosperity of employment: the Highland economy relied greatly on seasonal migrant workers travelling outside the Gàidhealtachd . In 1863, an observer sympathetic to Gaelic stated that "knowledge of English is indispensable to any poor islander who wishes to learn a trade or to earn his bread beyond the limits of his native Isle". Generally, rather than Gaelic speakers, it was Celtic societies in
12500-460: The reform and civilisation of the Highlands, which they sought to achieve by teaching English and the Protestant religion. Initially, their teaching was entirely in English, but soon the impracticality of educating Gaelic-speaking children in this way gave rise to a modest concession: in 1723, teachers were allowed to translate English words in the Bible into Gaelic to aid comprehension, but there
12625-587: The region, Gaelic in Scotland was mostly confined to Dál Riata until the eighth century, when it began expanding into Pictish areas north of the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. During the reign of Caustantín mac Áeda (Constantine II, 900–943), outsiders began to refer to the region as the kingdom of Alba rather than as the kingdom of the Picts. However, though the Pictish language did not disappear suddenly,
12750-411: The residents of Pitlochry. There were claims that the amenity of the area would be destroyed, tourists would no longer come to the area, and that salmon fishing would no longer be possible. Edward MacColl , the Board's Chief Executive, was unable to appear as he was ill, and Lord Airlie was a less able witness, who had suffered months of vicious abuse in the press. However, he recovered his composure on
12875-625: The river Tummel for 1.2 miles (1.9 km) before entering Loch Tummel. The various works were designed and built by Balfour Beatty with consultant engineer William Halcrow . Subsequently, both Tummel and Rannoch power stations have become Category A listed buildings, being designed in "a simple classical style and with a bold outline." Kinloch Rannoch weir consists of three floodgates, each 40 feet (12.2 m) wide, which were designed and built by Glenfield and Kennedy of Kilmarnock , Ayrshire. The gates lasted for almost 80 years, but in 2009, SSE decided that they needed to be replaced, and
13000-572: The sale of bulk electricity was doubled to 24 MW in late 1930, the Grampian Board had the resources to extend their network to some of the more remote parts of their authorised area, and to press on with the second phase of the scheme. This was the Tummel development, on which work started in Spring 1931. A control weir was built at the outlet to Loch Rannoch, and the river channel below that
13125-594: The scheme should proceed. There were attempts to derail the progress of the bill in Parliament, which raised the same issues again, but the MP for Perth and Kinross, William Snadden, failed to convince the House of Commons that the confirmation order should be annulled, and Lord Kinnaird was persuaded not to bring a similar motion in the House of Lords. Edinburgh based architect Harold Tarbolton of Tarbolton & Ochterlony
13250-554: The second day, and emphasised that the scheme would benefit much of the North of Scotland and the Islands. From day six, fishery experts, civil engineers, architects, hotel owners, youth hostelers and environmentalists argued the case for the opposition. There were calls for the Board to develop schemes elsewhere, such as Affric , or the more remote parts of the Highlands. The allegations were acrimonious, but R P Morison, summing up for
13375-487: The share capital of Balfour Beatty and a number of utility companies for which they had provided engineering or management expertise. Power Securities was created specifically to provide funding for capital intensive schemes, and despite the deep depression of late 1922, were able to help. They bought the Grampian company, which was passed to the Scottish Power Company Limited , the Scottish arm of
13500-604: The site with a mobile crane. In the early 1940s various schemes were proposed for electricity development across Scotland and the nationalised North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was established in 1943 to undertake some of them. The schemes, including the then named Tummel-Garry Scheme, were not universally welcomed. At the time the Tummel-Garry scheme was introduced, only 1 in 6 farms and 1 in 200 crofts in Perthshire had electric power. The concerted opposition to
13625-428: The south-east of Perth . A separate 33 kV transmission line ran for 74 miles (119 km) to Arbroath . Loch Rannoch formed the main storage for the next station in line at Tummel, about 8 miles (13 km) downstream to the east. The weir at Kinloch Rannoch regulates the depth at the exit of Loch Rannoch to 8 feet (2.4 m), this being an increase of about 4 ft (1.2 m), with water passing down
13750-544: The southern shore of Loch Rannoch. It is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and is the largest remaining area of Caledonian Forest in Perth and Kinross. The forest supports a number of rare plants including species such as coralroot Corallorhiza trifida and serrated wintergreen Orthilia secunda . It also supports populations of Scottish crossbill and capercaillie . The Black Wood of Rannoch had been used to provide timber for nearly 200 years, and during
13875-472: The upper river. The generated power is carried by underground power lines to Clunie power station, so there are no overhead pylons in the area. The whole project was beset by the difficulty of obtaining the necessary supplies of aggregate, sand, cement and heavy plant. Obtaining workers was worse, and a general shortage of labour continued through 1946, 1947 and early 1948. The Board expected the power stations to be operational by late 1947, but delays resulted in
14000-419: The waters of those two rivers, to form Loch Errochty, and the volume of water impounded was increased by a long tunnel which headed northwards and then to the east, collecting water from several of the upper tributaries of the River Garry. A second tunnel and buried pipeline, 6.2 miles (10 km) long, fed the water from the loch to Errochty power station, at the western end of Loch Tummel. Errochty power station
14125-399: The west of Loch Tummel. Some bypass water, used to maintain a small river known as Errochty Water, is used to generate power at Trinafour . Errochty Water joins the River Garry, which flows into Loch Faskally, and is the only power station in the scheme where the water does not eventually reach Loch Tummel. Regardless of path that it takes, most of the water arrives at Loch Tummel, where it
14250-455: The wild expanse of Rannoch Moor extends to the west of the loch. The area surrounding Loch Rannoch, along with Rannoch Moor itself, was formerly part of the native Caledonian Forest that stretched across much of Northern Scotland. Native forest is now largely absent from much of the area, due partly to logging, and partly to the climate becoming wetter, and Loch Rannoch is now largely surrounded by commercial forestry and open hillsides, although
14375-474: Was Cementation Company . Loch Faskally was created by the construction of the Port-na-Craig Dam at Pitlochry. The water level of the loch is maintained by two automatic drum gates, and varies very little. The gates were the first time that such an arrangement had been used in Britain. The power station contains two 7.5 MW generating sets, and a pool and orifice fish ladder allows fish to reach
14500-399: Was accepted in 2008, and some of its main commitments were: identity (signs, corporate identity); communications (reception, telephone, mailings, public meetings, complaint procedures); publications (PR and media, websites); staffing (language learning, training, recruitment). Following a consultation period, in which the government received many submissions, the majority of which asked that
14625-414: Was completely dry for a distance of 20 km (12 miles) from the 1950s until a project in 2017 returned some water, around 1 m (35 cu ft) per second, to the section. Other associated changes included the removal of a weir at Struan to allow fish to pass up the river. The scheme has nine named dams and one weir. The 1930 dam at Ericht (for Rannoch) appears to have been extended as part of
14750-445: Was larger than any of the other stations, with two turbines and an installed capacity of 75 MW. Water which passed through the power station was then used again at Clunie and Pitlochry. In order to maintain some flow on the Errochty Water, compensation water is fed through a pipeway and into the river channel. A small turbine is installed in the pipeway, so that even this water generates electricity. Three small stations completed
14875-554: Was long suppressed. The UK government has ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Gaelic. Gaelic, along with Irish and Welsh, is designated under Part III of the Charter, which requires the UK Government to take a range of concrete measures in the fields of education, justice, public administration, broadcasting and culture. It has not received the same degree of official recognition from
15000-404: Was made deeper. A dam was built at Dunalastair, 4 miles (6.4 km) below the control weir, creating a new loch called Dunalastair Water. Three miles (4.8 km) of open aqueduct were constructed, running from the dam along the south side of the valley, at the end of which the water descended 170 ft (52 m) through two steel pipes to reach the Tummel power station located on the banks of
15125-510: Was no further permitted use. Other less prominent schools worked in the Highlands at the same time, also teaching in English. This process of anglicisation paused when evangelical preachers arrived in the Highlands, convinced that people should be able to read religious texts in their own language. The first well known translation of the Bible into Scottish Gaelic was made in 1767, when James Stuart of Killin and Dugald Buchanan of Rannoch produced
15250-467: Was part of the NoSHEB architectural panel, along with Reginald Fairlie and James Shearer . The panel was responsible for much of the design of the later scheme's structures several of which are now listed . Listings include Pitlochry which is Category A (defined as "Buildings of special architectural or historical interest which are outstanding examples of a particular period, style or building type.") and
15375-484: Was published as the second scheme to be implemented, the Secretary of State, Tom Johnston received 25 objections. Johnston therefore set up a tribunal to consider the application, overseen by John Cameron, Sir Robert Bryce Walker and Major G H M Brown Lindsay. The hearing lasted for ten days, and the transcripts ran to 1,188 pages. Opposition was spearheaded by Perthshire County Council, a number of riparian landowners and
15500-541: Was required to make the scheme work efficiently under all conditions. The solution adopted was to use a power station on the River Tummel below Loch Rannoch to provide most of the power under flood conditions, and to store water in Loch Ericht. When there was less water available, most of the power would come from a power station on the banks of Loch Rannoch, fed with water from Loch Ericht, and Loch Rannoch would be used to store water. Accordingly, Rannoch power station had
15625-474: Was to generate electricity for industrial purposes, but the bill did not receive Parliamentary approval. The next attempt was the Loch Ericht Water and Electricity Power Act, which received approval in 1912, but it included a clause that prohibited alteration of the water level of the loch, making the scheme uneconomic. Dundee Corporation sought to use Loch Ericht, Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel in
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