The Scottish Gaels

The Scottish Gaels, otherwise known as the Scoti, Gàidheal or Highland Scots are a group of Gaelic-speaking Celts that inhabited (and still inhabit) the Scottish highlands.

In the Fifth Century, a group of Irish Gaels migrated from Ireland into what is now Scotland. This group of Gaelic-speakers became known as the Scoti — though this is a Latin name, and it is not believed that these early Scots used this word to refer to themselves. The Gaels founded a kingdom known as Dál Riata. The Gaelic Scoti also merged with a group of Celts already in Scotland, the Picts, to become the modern Scottish people, with Dál Riata and Pictland merging to form the Kingdom of Alba, which would come to be known as Scotland.

Over time, the Gaelic language of the Scots developed into its own distinct language, Scottish Gaelic. Although it still closely resembles Irish, Scottish Gaelic has a number of changes in syntax, pronunciation and vocabulary.

More recently, a group of Scottish Gaels travelled to Nova Scotia, Canada, and settled on Cape Breton Island, where some native Scottish Gaelic speakers remain today.