The Past Inside our Present

The lessons of history strike such a resonant chord when the figures of the past are our own family members. Once we learn those lessons our lives may take some unexpected turns.

For example: Kate Howley.

Kate Howley—whose maiden name was Beaton—was from Mabou. She did not learn to speak English until she went to school, where her mother-tongue of Gaelic was banned. For Anne Williams, this fact about her great-grandmother, Kate, was enough to start her on the path to learning more about the world that Kate belonged to.

“When I was a teenager, I remember asking my mother a lot of questions about her side of the family. She told me that her grandmother, was a native Gaelic Speaker, but she wasn’t allowed to speak it on school property. So, that really got me interested. I just wondered why Gaelic became this thing that was frowned upon, and I wanted to find out more about Gaelic being spoken today.”

Anne graduated from Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional high school in Antigonish back in 2008. It was there at school where she first took a class in Gaelic studies. The school did not offer Gaelic Language classes, but her class did teach students a great deal of Gaelic history, and the teacher, Brian MacNeil, would often sprinkle his lessons with Gaelic phrases and words.

“I really enjoyed [the class], and then I discovered that I could study Celtic Studies in university, and it just kind of went on from there.”

It certainly has. During her four years studying Scottish and Irish Gaelic at St.FX Anne received a scholarship to study in Ireland, and after completing her undergrad she hopped across the pond once again to earn her master’s degree in Irish Gaelic from the University of Cambridge.

If Kate Howley could take a stroll through the hallways of today’s high-schools and hear the language of her household being spoken, what would she think? She would probably have a lot of questions about what has changed over the years. After-all, one year after her Great-grand daughter graduated high school, Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional high school became one of many schools in Nova Scotia to offer Gaelic Language classes. And as for Anne’s achievements, I think it’s safe to say that Kate would be immensely proud. 

Gach deagh dhùrachd / Every good wish

Anne's favorite word in Gaelic is, gealach / moon.