Theme for 2025

Our theme this year is “Vikings and their influence on Celtic culture”, which ill hopefully start to get your mind going on potential projects to explore our relationship to it as Celts.

We will be accepting offers of workshops and will keep you advised on how we will weave them into the programme. The programming group will be hard at work to create something special. Contact the programming group

Fancy-dress welcome – This will also be the fancy-dress theme and traditional games theme as well. Note that the Vikings were not what they were typically depicted as in the films and comics – costume authenticity is encouraged!

Please use our contact page to get in touch with the programming committee.

Programme

We are tailoring a programme to allow for collaboration, time together, and the time to really master or understand something. It’s very important to allow space to meet and enjoy each others company, collaborate, and for spontaneous activity (or just relaxation!)

We also have space for community, poetry, music and song. Let’s be creative and see what we can do, as we have always done at GT.

The programme for 2024 will be carefully planned for hall, back room, marquee and deck use. Some workshops may run concurrently e.g. art and dance, as it is a big space. There are many possibilities for outdoor programming, weather permitting.

We will be accepting offers of workshops but may not be able to do all this year. The programming group will be hard at work to create something special, and we will have registration forms out by 1st October, where you can also submit your programming ideas.

Opening Ceremony

The Opening ceremony will be at <TIME TO BE ADVISED>, followed by lunch and ‘Meet the Tutors’, and afternoon/evening programming.

This is the official start of the Gaidhealtachd, the start of the circle of events that runs through the Summer School and culminates at the Closing Ceremony. It is a welcome to everyone from Trust Board to all the participants of the Gaidhealtachd. It is also an opportunity to meet everyone.

Daily Meeting
Each morning at 8.45 am there is a meeting to advise on the day’s programme and any important housekeeping or safety items. Everyone is expected to attend these meetings.

Workshops
Workshops start daily at 9 a.m. immediately after the daily meeting. There are numerous workshops available during the day for both adults and children. These are facilitate both by participants and by tutors. Most adults workshops are 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours long. There are breaks for morning and afternoon tea, and for lunch. Workshops may cover such things as dance, music, language, history, art, etc.

Ceilidhs
There are Ceilidhs held most nights on site. There is a theme each of the Ceilidhs – e.g Welsh, Irish & Scottish, a kids ceilidh, and the final night is a showcase for any items learned during the week.

Games and Banquet
On one afternoon instead of the usual workshop programming we hold the Games which are open to all age groups and are roughly based on the theme for the year. Later the same evening there will be a banquet feast , with catering supplied to all registrants, and with special evening festivities.

Closing Ceremony
This is is held on the last day. There will be no workshops held on this day. The morning is for packing up your campsite and cleaning up the camp, so that we can leave everything as we found it or better.

You are welcome to stay the night of 7 January if you want to attend the final tutors concert.
Please note that you will have to supply your own food for this evening.