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notes from the parish – a visit to greyfriars kirk gaelic service

text lydia ranke, photo gerald biebersdorf

There are over 60 churches in Edinburgh, but only one where you can experience a service in Gaelic. Every Sunday at 12.30 pm, Greyfriars Kirk in the Old Town holds a Gaelic Service for its small but loyal congregation. Usually, attendance is between 10 and 20 people. So visitors are heartily welcome!

As a non-Gaelic-speaker, the service is a great opportunity to get a sense of this traditional, historic, and endangered language. And if you’re very lucky, you might even get to listen to a Gaelic song sung by a native Gaelic speaker, like 87-year-old Roddy Macdonald from the Isle of Skye. The basic content of the Service is also kindly translated for the visitor.

After the service, the visitor may stay and chat, have a tea or a coffee, and enjoy the charming company of the members of the congregation. And after all that, if you’re still not ready to move on, the famous kirkyard surrounding the church, dating back to the 16^th century, is well worth a stroll around.

1 Greyfriars, Edinburgh EH1 2QQ.

Services every Sunday: Main Service 11am, Gaelic Service 12.30pm.

Duration: approx. 1 hour.

Tip: Bring some change for the collection.

www.greyfriarskirk.com