Abstrakt
In the first half of the twentieth century, the decline of Gaelic in Scotland continued; at the same time, Scottish nationalism was gaining momentum and in the 1920s and 1930s, the Scottish National Party emerged as a consolidation of various cultural and political groups. Ruaraidh Erskine of Marr (1869-1960), aristocrat with Scottish roots who learnt Gaelic from his nanny, sought to combine the independence movement and Gaelic revival.
Erskine saw Gaelic as pivotal to the independence cause and to this end, he established several influential Gaelic magazines, sponsored them, and contributed to them. Although Erskine was in his time one of the most important figures of the Gaelic revival, almost no research has been devoted to him.
This paper is the first step of a larger project seeking to redress this neglect. Erskine's activities and thought also provide insights into the roots of modern Scottish national movement, a force which continues to influence both the British Isles and Europe.