June Journey / Turas an Ògmhìos
A Remarkable Revival of Scots Gaelic Heritage at Tait’s Corners
Written by Trevor Aitkens | Directed by Antje Giles
Performed November 15–16, 2025
The Glencoe & District Historical Society was honoured to sponsor and support June Journey / Turas an Ògmhìos, a beautifully crafted Gaelic play written by Trevor Aitkens and hosted at the historic Tait’s Corners Schoolhouse. Over three sold-out performances on November 15–16, 2025, audiences filled the lovingly restored 1910 one-room school to experience a deeply moving, often humorous, always heartfelt return to the early school days of our region.
A Cast of 18 Bringing 1910 Back to Life
The production featured a remarkable cast of 18 local actors, intergenerational in age and representing families from across Southwest Middlesex and Strathroy-Caradoc. Their portrayals of teachers, students, elders, and neighbours transported audiences directly into a 1910 classroom at the very moment when Scots Gaelic—the language of their parents and grandparents—was slipping out of daily use.
The cast brought warmth, laughter, tenderness, and occasional heartbreak to the stage. Audience members noted that the play felt “like watching our great-grandparents speak again.”
A Story Rooted in a Lost Language
Set in 1910, June Journey follows the students and teacher of Tait’s Corners School as they rediscover the physical landscape and cultural heritage of their Scottish Gaelic ancestors. The play weaves together local history, Scots Gaelic phrases, songs, children’s lessons, and community lore.
Writer Trevor Aitkens, a sixth-generation descendant of Scottish Highlanders in the Talbot Settlement, has devoted 26 years to studying Scots Gaelic.
Why Gaelic Matters: A History Almost Lost
The play underscored a powerful truth: Scots Gaelic was once a vibrant Canadian language. Although rarely discussed in mainstream history, the numbers tell an astonishing story:
- Between 1770 and 1850, more than 200,000 Scottish Highlanders immigrated to Atlantic Canada and Upper Canada.
- By 1867, the year of Confederation, Scots Gaelic was Canada’s third-most spoken European language—after English and French.
- In some regions of Ontario and Nova Scotia, Gaelic was spoken in more than 40% of rural households.
- Presbyterian church records from the Longwoods, Ekfrid, and Brooke-Alvinston districts show Gaelic sermons being delivered well into the 1880s.
- In 1871, the Canadian census recorded over 80,000 Gaelic speakers, though historians estimate the true number to be double that due to underreporting.
But the decline was rapid. Canadian schools—mirroring British colonial policy—often discouraged or outright punished students for speaking Gaelic. Corporal punishment was not uncommon. Children quickly learned that their mother tongue belonged “outside,” not inside the schoolhouse.
By 1930, fewer than 10,000 speakers remained nationwide.
Today, the 2021 census records only 1,100 Canadians reporting any knowledge of Scots Gaelic—a drop of over 98% in 150 years.
Losing a language also meant losing:
- oral histories
- ancestral place names
- plant and land-based knowledge
- music, songs, and poetry
- cultural frameworks for kinship and community
- stories that explained who people were and how they belonged to this land
This loss was felt in our region too. Families who once spoke Gaelic at home gradually shifted to English, leaving only a few phrases, pronunciations, and stories behind.
CBC story – Scottish Gaelic revival spans North America
A Local Revival, Sparked at Tait’s Corners
The extraordinary turnout for June Journey suggests a renewed interest in reclaiming this nearly lost heritage. Audience members ranged from elders who remembered hearing Gaelic in their childhood to teenagers hearing it for the first time. Many expressed a desire to learn the language themselves.
Across Canada, the Scots Gaelic revival has gained momentum:
- In Nova Scotia, over 500 students now study the language each year through community programs and online learning.
- The province’s Gaelic Affairs Office reports an annual rise in youth participation of 14%.
- Linguists now estimate that Canada has the world’s second-largest potential revival community—after Scotland itself—due to the number of descendants of Highland settlers.
A Community That Came Together
This play could not have happened without the collaborative spirit of:
- The Tait’s Corners Community, who steward the schoolhouse as a living heritage centre
- The Glencoe & District Historical Society, which proudly sponsored and promoted the event
- Director Antje Giles, whose vision brought the cast together in joyful harmony
- The dedicated volunteers who handled seating, parking, staging, props, Gaelic pronunciation guides, and refreshments
- The audience – a full house for three performances.
The Cast
- Narrator – Alyssa Giles
- Mr. Ingle – Nathan Reycraft
- Mr. McLauchlin – Trevor Aitkens
- Seanaid – Sophia Rodgers
- Seasaidh – Alexandra Giles
- Rut – P. Thelma Tangah
- Raonaid – Alyssa Vandepol
- Mairead – Kaitlyn Heyda
- Mairi – Jillian Heyda
- Miss McKellar – Amy Giles
- Mr. MacKay – Jeff Giles
- Mr. MacPhail – Ron Hills
- Mrs. Fraser – Bertha Rose Park
- Mr. Dewar – Colin McGugan
- Mrs. Campbell – Marilyn Dolbear
- Mr. McLean – Donald Neil Leitch
- Mrs. MacAlpine – Mary Campbell
Scottish Gaelic in Southwestern Ontario
by Donald Leitch and Colin McGugan
If you were walking down the street in Dutton, West Lorne, Rodney or Glencoe in the late 19th century, you might have heard people greeting each other with “Ciamar a tha thu” or Dè tha dol”, with responses of “Tha gu math” or “Chan eil moran”. Many of the residents of these areas had roots in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, where Scottish Gaelic was the everyday language.
You can still hear the language in Scotland and in parts of Nova Scotia. It has mostly died out in southern Ontario. Language is a part of cultural history, and to appreciate the culture of many of the early settlers in Southwestern Ontario, a knowledge of their language is desirable.
When Scottish settlers arrived in Canada in the 1800s, many of them spoke Gaelic as their first and perhaps only language. Groups of settlers came from the same areas in Scotland and settled close to each other so they could live their daily lives conversing with their neighbours here in Gaelic. Their children grew up speaking it at home, but when they went to school, the use of Gaelic was discouraged or forbidden.
As the Scottish settlers integrated with other English speaking residents, the language slowly died out. When a Gaelic speaker married a non-Gaelic speaker, the language was not used in the household, and the children probably did not learn it. Up to about 1900 there were still many families that spoke Gaelic at home. Now it would be hard to find a Gaelic speaking household in Ontario. Many peoples’ great grandparents probably knew some Gaelic, but it died out in the 20th century.
Language is an important part of cultural heritage. Expressions and idioms reflect the history of the speakers. Gaelic has its roots in western Europe and was influenced by the farmers and seafarers that lived in Ireland and Scotland. There are many expressions to describe the weather, as would be expected if you have ever visited that part of the world.
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language and is similar to Irish Gaelic and Manx. Gaelic was brought to Scotland by Irish immigrants about 1500 years ago and has evolved since. Norse invaders influenced the language in the western areas of Scotland.
There are many resources available for people who would like to learn more about Scottish Gaelic. https://learngaelic.scot has good resources. Duolingo provides free on-line lessons. The Gaelic College in Cape Breton delivers University level on-line courses for a fee at https://gaeliccollege.edu. Speak Gaelic at https://speakgaelic.scot. The Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the island of Skye in Scotland https://www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/ionnsachadh/ .
While learning Scottish Gaelic may seem intimidating at first, after spending some time on it you will appreciate the sound and cadence of the language. The music and poetry of the Gàidhealtachd is worth exploring, so why not give it a try!
