Fears for future of Gaelic language as community workers’ jobs under threat

The coast of Tiree, an island in the Hebrides, where Gaelic was once the primary language. Photograph: PictureScotland/Alamy

Gaelic-language campaigners and MSPs have protested furiously about plans to axe a network of Gaelic community workers, raising fresh fears about the survival of the language.

Up to 27 Gaelic development workers based in Hebridean islands, rural counties and Scotland’s major cities are being laid off after the Scottish government cut funding to Bòrd na Gàidhlig (BnG), the body charged with protecting and reviving Gaelic.