Scottish Gaelic Studies is the pride and joy of all Aberdeen’s Gaelic scholars, and indeed, being the being the flagship journal of our wide range of Gaelic study, is a vital treasure for all Scotland’s Gaels, academic and otherwise. It was founded primarily at the instigation of John Fraser, the first Gaelic lecturer at Aberdeen University (appointed in 1916) but did not appear until 1926, long after Fraser’s departure. But from the beginning it was the product of Aberdeen University’s Celtic scholars, the first editor being John MacDonald, Fraser’s successor here: and volume one, part one, is still in print today! They must have published too many copies of it, for most later issues down to 1955 are long out of print and hard to find. The main editors for the rest of the twentieth century were the Heads of the Celtic Department, Derick S. Thomson, Donald MacAulay and Professor Donald E. Meek.
Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig
It may fairly be said that in the year 2000 Scottish Gaelic Studies gave birth to a new academic venture, the conference we call Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig: this name represents a translation (of sorts) for ‘Scottish Gaelic Studies’, and the conference was so successful, and so new as a general academic gathering for Gaels, that is continues to be held each even-numbered year at other university centres, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish NS, returning to Aberdeen in 2010. In 2012, Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig is being hosted by the University of Glasgow.
