Gaelic-English roads signs: Culture and language

Contemporary collecting provides a way of exploring and documenting the impact of changing laws and policies, as well as shifting attitudes, on communities across Scotland.

Today, all of the signs on trunk roads across the North-West region of Scotland carry a place name in Gaelic first with English underneath. In this film, singer Anne Martin and Gaelic language specialist Eilidh Sgaimel discuss the impact of these bilingual signs. Reflecting on a replica road sign from Skye, donated by Transport Scotland, we hear about the diverse origins of Scotland’s place names, and the distinct relationship between the Gaelic language and the landscape.

This road sign will be preserved in the National Collections and is not currently on display.