2009 has been labelled the year of Homecoming Scotland – this provided the perfect platform to hold the biggest clan gathering ever! ‘The Gathering’ which took place in Edinburgh’s Hollyrood Park was a chance for clans to come together from all over the world to celebrate their Scottish heritage. Representing Gaelic, along with Bòrd Na Gàidhlig, An Comunn and the Gaelic Books council mygaelic.com were there to spread the Gaelic word.

Held over two days, The Gathering was awash with Tartan, Sun and of course the odd Scottish shower. Saturday was a scorcher with many unsuspecting burned faces leaving at the end of the day. The Gathering was about people coming together and there was a real community atmosphere, with people immerged, deep in conversation with random strangers about heritage, culture and language, history and so much more. We were pitched by the side of the stage in the Bòrd Na Gàidhlig tent, dubbed the ‘Gaelic Village’, and were lucky enough to hear some of the best singers Gaelic has to offer including Kristine Kennedy, Kirsteen MacDonald, Calum Martin, Darren MacLean, Arthur Cormack and so many more. Even Prince Charles stopped by to check out the tent and its displays of historic and modern Gaelic plus, Gaelic took over the main stage with Capercaillie and Julie Fowlis wowing crowds with amazing performances.

Sunday brought an atmosphere as good as Saturday but with an added pinch of rainfall. Not as bad as the forecast foretold, spirits where not dampened by any means and the highland party continued. Pipers, drummers, singers and dancers scuttled about the grounds from open to close, exploring all the tents and stalls. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers where a definite highlight of day 2, along with Caber Tossing in the games ring – displaying some fine performances of Scotland’s rock ‘n roll side.

As Scotland’s oldest and national language, Gaelic had an important message to put across – that Gaelic is alive and kicking. Between some phenomenal performances, some beautiful displays, interesting talks and some banter - Gaelic was successfully portrayed as a language that is still going strong, despite what some may think. mygaelic.com and all those in the Gaelic village tent brought the language to the tartan masses and encouraged many to learn and keep learning, and got many to think about what Gaelic meant to them and to Scotland. Our verdict is that ‘The Gathering’ was an all round success and that Gaelic plays an important a part as ever in contributing to Scotland’s rich culture.

The Gathering was a special success for Jenny Lugton from Surrey who won our Free Prize Draw!!! Jenny will be receiving an HP Pavilion Entertainment Notebook PC worth £500 and a mygaelic.com goodie bag which includes a Digital Camera, MP3 player and more!!! Well Done Jenny!

If you where at ‘The Gathering’ leave us a comment below and tell us what you thought!

Check out our photos from the day: