Between 1773 and 1850, tens of thousands of Gaels made the journey across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in Eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. They tended to settle amongst their own kinship groups - people who came from a particular area of Scotland, sharing similar traditions, dialects and beliefs. The Highlands and Islands of Scotland where the Gaels came from and where Gaelic was traditionally spoken is known to this day as the Gàidhealtachd.
Large areas around the Bras d'Or lakes were settled by people from the Island of Barra and the Gaelic spoken today in that region of Cape Breton still closely resembles the Gaelic spoken on Barra. Similarly, areas in Antigonish and Inverness Counties were settled by Gaels from mainland areas of Scotland who brought with them stories from those areas as well as their local dialects.
Here is a list of regions Gaels came from in the Gàidhealtachd, or Highlands and Islands of Scotland:
|
Morar and Moidart |
South Uist |
Wester Ross |
|
Lochaber |
North Uist |
Glenurquhart and the Aird |
|
Barra |
Lewis and Harris |
Skye |
|
Coll and Tiree |
|
|
