NOTE: This page will be updated as additional information becomes available. If you are interested in attending any of the activities listed below, check back here for contact information for individual cities!
Edited Sat 2/7 – Salt Lake City details
Edited Mon 2/9 – SoCal and Seattle details
Edited Mon 2/23 – SoCal, Colorado Springs and Seattle
Do you wish you understood the Gaelic spoken in Outlander? I sure do… and one person who definitely does understand is the show’s Gaelic expert and tutor, Àdhamh Ó Broin. Your chance to ask him “what did Jamie say when he offered to take Leghair’s beating?” may be coming up! Through the hard work of several Outlander fans, Àdhamh will be coming to the US on a tour of 5 western cities at the end of March.
Stephanie Elkins of Colorado Springs is heading up the tour. “I have a strong passion for languages and Scotland. I had become burnt out on studying traditional languages, and didn’t even go near them, until about two years ago I heard Gaelic spoken and I was mesmerized. I knew from that moment, I had to study the language. So when Outlander came about for the small screen, I sought out its Gaelic coordinator. I had been talking to Àdhamh to see if he would like to come to Colorado to be a keynote speaker for a Gaelic/Outlander conference, and then from that is when the tour idea developed,” Stephanie said.
When the idea was proposed, Àdhamh says, “I initially thought it was a great idea of course, something that had crossed my mind before in fact, but that might be a good bit off yet. Then Stephanie suggested that I could do a tour and that she would start sounding out different groups to host me if I was interested. I figured, ‘sure, have at it and we’ll see what happens!’ I’ve never been to the West Coast actually. I once went from Savannah, GA and back along the Blue Ridge Parkway by car with some friends, but that was 10 years ago and I haven’t been back since. I was treated with incredible hospitality by the American people, though. I was truly blown away, they were wonderful. So the bar’s been set high!”
One thing Àdhamh is particularly looking forward to is a visit that the Seattle group is setting up for him. “The folks up in Washington and I began to talk about tribal visits to compare notes on minority language revival, something I feel could be very rewarding. Part of what I am doing in reviving my little-known dialect of Dalriada Gaelic from my home area of Argyll is that I am contributing to a worldwide struggle against the loss of indigenous language, culture and identity so the opportunity to learn from others involved in similar ventures will be priceless.”
Àdhamh will visit five cities, with time to tour each city. But each stop will include several activities open to Outlander fans (some free, some with a fee). City coordinators have been doing fundraising to pay for the cost of the trip and activities. Seattle, for example, ended a highly successful t-shirt sale recently, exceeding planners’ hopes for number of shirts sold. There are still a couple of fundraisers that anyone can participate in – links and information are below.
Part of the fundraising will go towards a donation to a place that Àdhamh supports. “It’s the Friends of Auchendrain in Argyll. Auchendrain Heritage Village is the only intact crofting township in Scotland. Although uninhabited since the 1960s, the village provides a fantastic educational environment for schools and tourists alike to learn more about the traditional Scottish way of life. They are very sympathetic to my efforts towards revitalising the local Gaelic dialect in an area where – not so long ago – there would have been very little English understood!”
Details are still being developed for each city, and contact information to register and purchase tickets is being worked out. Be aware that tickets for many of these activities will be limited; some activities will be free, but most will have a charge of some kind. If you are interested in attending any of these events, bookmark this article – as registration info is firmed up, I’ll update this page.
Friday, March 20: Seattle
Àdhamh will do a radio interview. It is likely that this interview will be available to stream at www.northwestprime.com. Info to come.
Saturday, March 21: Seattle
Evening program. This will be a ticketed event. Àdhamh will discuss the history of Gaelic in Scotland, possibly teach a few words, and perform a few songs. He will take photos with participants and sign autographs. For more information, contact Koko Pipkin, @KokiePipkin or @Outmanders.
TO ATTEND: SOLD OUT
2nd event added on Sunday, March 22: click here for tickets
Tuesday, March 24: Sacramento
Program will begin about 3:30 pm, and continue for about 2 hours. This part of the program will feature Gaelic lessons, folklore and singing. The program will break and then resume at about 6 pm, and offer Outlander trivia and a Q&A session.
TO ATTEND: Contact info to come.
FUNDRAISING: see the group’s GoFundMe site. Some terrific incentives are available for top donors. This is a blind donation – donors won’t know until the end of the donation period which incentive, if any, they will receive.
2 hour free afternoon program (registration required) at the West Hollywood Public Library, with Gaelic lessons, Scotland history, Outlander bits, “what’s my name in Gaelic,” and Q&A and pictures. ONLY A FEW SPACES LEFT.
Morning session (10 am) – tickets available, see below.
Evening program is ticketed – dinner at a Culver City restaurant, with the Dark Isle Pipers (this group performed at the Outlander event in LA last January), and more songs and storytelling.
TO ATTEND: click here.
Fundraising: 1) Raffle to support Àdhamh’s visit: click here. 2) Donate $5 and receive a “pocket person” – click here.
Tuesday, March 31: Salt Lake City
Event is 4-9 pm at Sons of the Pioneer building in Salt Lake City. Tickets will be $5 for Scottish Association members and Utah Outlander fans, $15 for general public. Refreshments included.
TO ATTEND: Ticket link coming soon.
Fundraising: Donations requested at the group’s GoFundMe site.
Saturday, April 4: Colorado Springs
Full day of activities planned at the International Dance Club, 9 am-4 pm (registration required): Lecture and singing; afternoon will include smaller classes to learn your name and some phrases in Gaelic; demos and other classes will be available.
Evening: Viewing party of the first episode of Outlander’s second half with Àdhamh at a local pub. Tickets will be available for a cost.
TO ATTEND: click here.
One additional fundraiser went live today. You can purchase a t-shirt or sweatshirt with beautiful hand-created artwork. Here’s the link for that campaign.
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