Gaelic Language, Heritage and Culture

In Applecross into the 1970s, the main language of the community was Scottish Gaelic. Although the numbers have fallen since then, there has been a revival of interest in Gaelic, and its associated culture. For centuries, those who spoke Gaelic were told their language and culture were worthless, barbaric and backward. At Applecross Croft, Gaelic is our mother tongue and has been in our families in Applecross and the Western Isles for generations. We are delighted to share our language with you, taking pleasure in the fact that it helps us to interpret the natural world we live in and work in, to understand the patterns of nature and the changing seasons, and to feel what the land was used for in the past … and how it can be used and nurtured into the future. A deep-rooted understanding of the link between language and nature influences our design process and runs right through our ethos of production which is as ethical and environmentally-restorative as possible. 

We incorporate the place names, the animal names, the emotions and the landscape into our work and our designs, and we hope that this gives our customers, friends and supporters another window through which to observe nature. There are few more wonderful summer sights than a watching a dealan-Dè flitting through the flowers – this is, of course, a butterfly, or literally God’s Fire or God’s Lightning, which also means what you would see if you were twirling a burning stick around.

While the world moves with ever-growing rapidity, the old proverb Cha suaicheantas corra air cladach might be used. This means ‘nothing new’ or ‘nothing doing’, and references the corra-sgritheach, the screeching heron, whose sharp cry still sets the heart racing as you walk the shoreline at dusk. We rejoice in the fast-growing birch or connadh in our local dialect, the same word as ‘fuel’, because it burns so hot. This is especially welcome as we await sneachd beag nan uan, the lambing snow, the third and hopefully final of the spring snowfalls which the old Gaels anticipated, through which bròg na cuthaige, the ‘cuckoo’s shoe’ or bluebell, might poke its head. 

Our HeartStorm design features the swelling surges of the seas as they meet the shore, and the swelling surges of emotions which are woven through our lives. The creatures of the sea, real and imagined, meet the Gaelic and English words for the visceral and different kinds of love we experience. We cannot have language, land and emotion without each other. 

Our pure silk scarves make thoughtful, indulgent gifts for others or to treat yourself. You can view our design collections inspired by the Scottish Highlands and created in Applecross here.