Jason Bond
Jason’s life changed forever one fateful Fall day in 2005. While browsing Youtube for traditional music, he stumbled across a Runrig song. The Gaelic had an indescribable magic to it - he was hooked immediately. A flame of interest was kindled deep inside him, one that lit the way to a Celtic Studies degree at St FX University in Nova Scotia. That flame quickly became a bonfire and Gàidhlig became a central part of his life.
Deeply motivated to share the magic of Gaelic with others, Jason completed an Education degree and moved to Scotland, where he taught at Islay High School for five years. Determined to give his students the best possible learning experience, he cultivated an immersive teaching style rooted in authentic expression and has been refining it ever since.
After striking out as a freelancer, Jason began writing novels for learners and building a Youtube channel, Gaelic with Jason, while living in Thailand, Vietnam, and later a farm with Highland cows. He continues to help countless folk grow their Gaelic and deepen their fluency from a yurt in a small wooded grove in Maine.
Dr. Michael Newton
Dr Michael Newton, Ph.D. in Celtic Studies from the University of Edinburgh, was an Assistant Professor in the Celtic Studies department of St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia 2008-2013. He is a fluent Gaelic speaker, has written a multitude of books and articles about Gaelic culture and history, and is a leading authority on Scottish Gaelic heritage in North America. The books he has edited and written have won a hosts of accolades, including the Saltire Society’s 2006 Research Book award and the Gaelic Books Council of Scotland’s Best Gaelic Non-Fiction Book of 2020, as well as nominations for the 2009 Katharine Briggs Award for folklore research and the Scholarly Writing category of the 2015 Atlantic Book Prizes. In 2014 he was rewarded with the inaugural Saltire Award by the St. Andrews University Scottish Heritage Center (North Carolina) for “outstanding contributions to the preservation and interpretation of Scottish history and culture.” In 2018 he was recognized with the International award at the annual Scottish Gaelic awards in Glasgow, Scotland. He also teaches online courses and designs board games based on Gaelic history and culture.
Michael MacKay
Michael Mackay began studying Scottish Gaelic in 1997 and has become fluent through the help of ACGA-sponsored events and through the teachers and native speakers he has met through the years. He has appeared on the BBC Radio nan Gaidheal station for news interviews for over twenty years, on programs such as Aithris na Maidne the Coinneach Mòr program, and Naoi gu Deich,, and has appeared on television news programs such as an Là nd Eòrpa. He contributed to the Internet podcast program Gaelcast. Michael has also taught Gaelic to students across the country, both on behalf of ACGA and via Skype on the Internet.He has competed several times in the ACG Mòd in Scotland, in traditional singing, poetry recitation, and storytelling.
Caroline Root
Caroline Root
Caroline has been teaching Gaelic for 17 years and studying it for 27 years. She has a B.A. hon. in Celtic Studies from St. Francis Xavier university and a teaching degree in Gaelic Medium Education from the University of Strathclyde. She also completed a course in Gaelic language and traditional music. Originally from Colorado she spent several years living in Nova Scotia and Scotland. She now lives in Virginia.
Caroline supports Gaelic learners on several platforms. She is the founder, curriculum developer and a teacher at Gàighlig Gach latha (Daily Gaelic). She offers live group and private lessons on-line with her own curriculum as well as teaching several classes with Sgoil Gàidhlig Bhaile an Taigh Mhóir. She runs the Daily Gaelic facebook group and Youtube channel. She also offers self paced video courses on Thinkific and runs the Daily Gaelic Patreon site, where she supports learners with daily posts that tackle grammar subjects, vocabulary building, practicing things like telling time and saying dates as well as encouraging students to have fun with their learning. "My goal for students is that they enjoy learning Gaelic and develop confidence in communicating in Gaelic and be able to use it in their daily lives."
My website is: www.gaidhliggachlatha.com -Caroline