The town of Oban, known as the Charing cross of the Highlands and as gateway to the isles, will be showcasing its wealth of Gaelic culture to locals and visitors alike as businesses increase the visibility of the language ahead of the National Mòd.

This week, the town’s business community has been equipped with a multi-platform toolkit to help them to engage with Gaelic ahead of the return of Scotland’s premiere celebration of Gaelic language and culture the to the town in October, the Royal National Mòd.

This package for businesses includes an extensive phrase-bank, signage and décor guide, as well as a series of free Gaelic for business taster sessions, hosted by Furan Gaelic centre.

Local business owner Daniel MacIntyre has been amongst the first to add some Gaelic flair to his venue, The View, with traditional Gaelic phrases now adorning the walls as well as a range of bi-lingual signage.

Daniel said “Gaelic contributes so significantly to the culture of the local area that we often end up overlooking it – we host cèilidhs with traditional musicians and highland dancers here all through the summer, with stellar pipers playing here as well.

All of these things have a Gaelic background, and I’m really happy to get to showcase that now within the venue itself, for locals to enjoy as well as the visitors that we can’t wait to welcome over the summer and during the Mòd.”

Furan Gaelic Centre have also arranged a series of Gaelic taster sessions, aimed at local businesses, which will be taking place throughout April and May. 

It is hoped that front of house staff and business owners alike will be able to pick up a bit of Gaelic ahead of the National Mòd in 2024, where thousands of Gaelic revellers will be descending upon the town’s business community for a week of celebration.

The Royal National Mòd is Scotland’s premiere celebration of Gaelic language and culture and will see the town fit to bursting with Gaels and revellers taking part in hundreds of competitions as well as the fringe atmosphere.

Find more info about our offering of Gaelic taster sessions in conjunction with Furan Gaelic centre on our social media pages, and download our full business toolkit online here.