Editing Inner Hebrides (section)

==Gaelic language==
[[File:Scots Gaelic speakers in the 2011 census.png|thumb|Geographic distribution of Gaelic speakers in Scotland (2011)]]

There are about 4,000 Gaelic speakers in the Inner Hebrides, equal to 20% of the population of the archipelago.

There have been speakers of [[Goidelic languages]] in the Inner Hebrides since the time of Columba or before, and the modern variant of [[Scottish Gaelic]] (''Gàidhlig'') remains strong in some parts. However, the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 led to generations of Gaels being forbidden to speak their native language in the classroom, and is now recognised as having dealt a major blow to the language. Children were being beaten for speaking Gaelic in school as late as the 1930s.<ref>[http://www.simplyscottish.com/readingroom/history/gaelic_education.htm "Gaelic Education After 1872"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716072637/http://www.simplyscottish.com/readingroom/history/gaelic_education.htm |date=16 July 2011 }} simplyscottish.com. Retrieved 28 May 2010.</ref> More recently the [[Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005|Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act]] was enacted by the [[Scottish Parliament]] in 2005 in order to provide continuing support for the language.<ref name="about">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20110717185530/http://www.gaidhlig.org.uk/en/the-bord/government/the-gaelic-act.html "The Gaelic Language Act "], Bòrd na Gàidhlig. Retrieved 6 March 2011.</ref>

By the time of the 2001 census [[Kilmuir, Skye|Kilmuir]] parish in Skye had 47% Gaelic speakers, with Skye overall having an unevenly distributed 31%. At that time Tiree had 48% of the population Gaelic-speaking, Lismore 29%, Islay 24%, Coll 12%, Jura 11%, Mull 13% and Iona 5%.<ref name=MacT>Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2004) {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20101207211745/http://www.linguae-celticae.org/dateien/Gaelic_1901-2001.ppt ''1901-2001 Gaelic in the Census'']}} (PowerPoint) Linguae Celticae. Retrieved 1 June 2008.</ref> Students of Scottish Gaelic travel from all over the world to attend [[Sabhal Mòr Ostaig]], a Scottish Gaelic college based on Skye.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060502020016/http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/en/colaiste/index.php "Welcome to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig"] UHI Millennium Institute. Retrieved 8 March 2008.</ref>