I don’t often post the general Outlander TV series related news but I figured today would be a good exception since most of the articles are calling out the attention paid to Gàidhlig language and culture in the production. I’m also including a link to the BBC Radio Nan Gàidheal program Aithris Na Maidne.

The Scotsman

The first article released yesterday was from The Scotsman. It’s a bit filled with hyperbole for my taste. The author makes it sound a bit like 2000 Outlander fans have been storming Doune Castle. Àdhamh isn’t credited as the Gaelic coach in this article but they did talk to Sam a bit about it and he highlights the Gàidhlig being an important part of the story. I am a bit worried now about exactly how bad Jamie’s scars are going to look after this quote from Sam:

Heughan, who admitted he has had to die his hair red for the part, said: “It feels like I get beaten up in every show. I do have hundreds of scars in the show. My whole back is covered in them. It looks really gruesome. We did a shoot last week when there was a crowd of extras there and people were almost passing out when they saw them. They look amazing.”

You can read the entire The Scotsman article here.

The Daily Record

The next article is the one in the Daily Record. This article calls out Sam’s previous role as Livingston FC footballer Andrew Murray in River City (a Scottish soap opera, I believe). Sam does speak about the role of Gàidhlig in the show in this article as well:

 “Gaelic is a strong part of the show and I’m passionate about that. It’s my character’s first language and it’s used to separate Claire from the people in the alien world she has fallen into.”

Nothing about Àdhamh’s work in this article either but you can read the entire article here.

The Herald Scotland

The Herald article is doesn’t focus as much on the Gàidhlig aspects of the show, but they do at least credit Àdhamh and Carol-Anne, the Scottish dialect coach.

Much of the Scottish parts involve speaking Gaelic, which will be presented on the show with no subtitles – the actors have learned the language from Gaelic tutor Adhamh O Broin and non-Scottish actors have received help in Scottish accents and language from dialect coach Carol-Anne Crawford

There is also an added treat, as the author, Phil Miller, also posts an accompanying blog post to the article with a little more info. The blog post gives some great clues as to the scenes they were filming yesterday. You can read the main article here and the blog post here.

The Sun Scotland

I haven’t actually been able to find a copy of The Sun article online without paying to subscribe, but @gryffenstrong was kind enough to tweet a picture (sorry about the language).

Holy fuck!!!!! I’m defo happy now!!! #Outlander#Heughligans#lovetheclanpic.twitter.com/0mpLud8L2t

— gryffenstrong (@gryffenstrong) March 12, 2014

BBC

This article on BBC.com has a headline designed to cause panic among UK Outlander fans.  Sounds like click-bait to me. However, they did give some nice space to Àdhamh’s work with the cast.

With Gaelic being the language of the highlander in 1743, it was of vital importance that members of the cast learned their Gaelic lines correctly.

The vast majority of dialogue is in English but for the small segments of Gaelic that feature in Outlander, a Gaelic coach was employed.

Adhamh Obroinn was permanent presence on set to help the cast with pronunciation and delivery.

He said helping the cast learn the subtleties of Gaelic was something he relished over the course of the production and he hoped the high-profile series would promote the language across the world, particularly in Scotland.

Mr Obroinn said: I’m hoping that the exposure of Gaelic will hit home to people in Scotland that we have something absolutely priceless here.

“We will see what happens but it’s all very positive so far.”

You can read the full article here.

And last but not least

Many thanks to Àdhamh for letting us know via Facebook that he would be on the BBC Radio Nan Gàidheal program Aithris Na Maidne this morning.  I listened to it online and amused myself by picking out Gàidhlig words I knew here and there.  I was very pleased that I mostly understood the weather forecast.  However, the real reward is that Sam is interviewed for a few minutes during the piece on Outlander and they switch to English after exchanging “Good afternoon”, “How are you”, and “very well” courtesies. Àdhamh has his bit of the interview as well, but unfortunately (for us that is) it is in Gàidhlig and I can’t understand it all.

You can listen to the show for the next seven days using this link. The Outlander piece starts approximately 23:48 into the broadcast.