Aye Write: The Guide to Gaelic Scotland

6 November 2025 7:45 pm

Gaelic speaker and South Uist native Coinneach Maclean sits down with travel writer and BBC radio presenter Maureen Macleod to discuss his new book, Travels in Another Country: A Guide to Gaelic Scotland.

When you picture the Highlands and Islands, the heart of Gaelic-speaking Scotland, what comes to mind? A castle? Heilan Coos? Standing stones? A great stag? The lone piper?

That narrative bears little relation to the lived experience of the people who call it home. In Travels in Another Country, Coinneach journeys through the Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland from the perspective of the native Gaels. Using their songs, stories, poetry, and place names, he sets out to change the romanticised image of the Highlands and teach tourists (and tourist boards) a bit about the true experience of past and present Gaels.