An inspirational reflection on a personal journey
The University of Edinburgh’s Rebellious Truth Lecture-recital series in its fifth year, in partnership with Edinburgh TradFest. The role of the lecture is to explore the role of traditional artists and the arts in addressing societal concerns, with presentation and performances. Previous lectures have covered topics such as ecological concerns, gender and mental health. Introduced by Dr Lori Watson, it was explained that this Rebellious Truth lecture reflects integral nature of Gaelic to the arts and community of Scotland, particularly its expansion and regeneration.
Opening today’s performance was a compelling set from Fraser Fifield, the current Traditional Artist in Residence at the University. Over the course of 30 minutes, he took use through a variety of instruments and melodies, interspersing reels from the border pipes with the low whistle and saxophone. This was a well-programmed set, varying in pace and intensity, with charming insights from Fraser about the tunes and their provenance and how names can vary. The haunting low whistle improvisation was particularly stirring, and a personal highlight.
After Fraser’s set, it was time for Joy Dunlop and her presentation of “No Wrong Path: A Gaelic Learning Journey”. Coming from Connel, a small village in Argyll, Joy took us through her life with Gaelic, as a singer, a speaker, educator and step dancer, and her career to date, including weather reporting, conducting a Gaelic choir in Eurovision Choir 2019, and her role in SpeakGaelic, the learning platform.
Coming from a family that did not speak Gaelic, Joy was first introduced to the language through phonetically learning songs at the age of nine, when the Royal National Mòd was held in Oban, and then taking it up in high school, to the chagrin of her teachers when she chose it over a more conventional modern language. A sudden decision to leave her 6th year in high school in favour of attending an immersion course at the Gaelic college in Skye (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig) lead her away from her desire to study medicine, and unlocked her career path in educating and advocating for the Gaelic language.
Throughout the hour, Joy’s professional broadcasting experience shone through, and the time sped by. Her engaging and conversational tone was welcoming and passionate about her subject, without becoming preachy. What really added power to this lecture, rather than it remaining biographical in nature, were the reflections on the negative experiences she’s had on this journey. Whilst at pains to note the Gaelic community is a welcoming one, there is still a stigma being attached to being a ‘learner’ and having ‘no pedigree’ as her family did not have Gaelic lineage. Joy acknowledged this aspect of the community with class and sensitivity, with a clear understanding and ability to communicate why a subset of native speakers may feel this way.
Gaelic infiltrates every aspect of Joy’s life and following a brief Q&A with the audience, the lecture was rounded out with a song, unaccompanied and beautifully clear, and a short example of step dancing, with Lori on fiddle. A multi-faceted and highly engaging 2 hours came to a close, with warm appreciation from the audience.
I left the Rebellious Truth lecture reflecting on my own Gaelic experience – as someone born and bred in the Highlands, my exposure was largely confined to kids TV (namely Padraig Post, and Dòtaman) and the odd word or phrase my family adopted. Being told my room was “a bùrach”, probably doesn’t require much imagination to translate… However, having had the experience of hearing Joy speak with such passion and belief today, and feeling newly inspired to find out more, SpeakGaelic has a new learner. Ceud mìle taing!
Edinburgh TradFest runs from 2nd – 12th May 2025. For more details, please see: https://edinburghtradfest.com/
Rebellious Truth is presented in partnership with Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Find out more from celtscot.ed.ac.uk