Highlander’s Institute
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Aitreamh nan Gàidheal
Anns na 1920an, thòisich daoine ag iarraidh ‘club fàilte’ a chruthachadh no àite sam faodadh Gàidheil coinneachadh a bha ùr don bhaile. Bheireadh e dhaibh cothrom air coinneachadh ri daoine eile le Gàidhlig agus naidheachdan mu chosnadh fhaotainn a thuilleadh air fealla-dhà ann an cruth chèilidhean is dhannsaichean. Dh’fhosgail an club mu dheireadh thall ann an 1925 aig 27 Sràid Elmbank far an deach gabhail ris gu blàth – chun na h-ìre agus gun deach a ghluasad gu togalach nas motha aig 34 Sràid Berkeley ann an 1961. B’ e Aitreabh nan Gàidheal an t-àite a b’ fheàrr le daoine coinneachadh agus mar a bha e do na diofar chomainn Ghàidhealach ann an Glaschu. Dh’fhuirich e fosgailte gu 1979.
At the Berkeley Street building there was a large ballroom that hosted many ceilidhs and dances and was filled to capacity every Friday night.
In the 1920s, people began asking for the creation of a ‘welcome club’ or a general gathering place for Highlanders who had moved to the city. It would give them a chance to meet other Gaelic speakers and find news of employment as well as providing entertainment in the form of ceilidhs and dances. The club eventually opened in 1925 at 27 Elmbank Street where it was received warmly — so much so that it was moved to a bigger building 34 Berkeley Street in 1961. The Highlander’s Institute became the favoured meeting place for the various Glasgow Highland and Island association. It remained open until 1979.
The Highlanders Institute was designed by the architect Dr Colin Sinclair who, although born in Glasgow, was a staunch supporter of Gaelic through his parents and learnt Gaelic as an adult. He wrote his thesis at The University of Glasgow on Celtic Art in Architecture. Sinclair was also the architect behind the Highland Clachans at both the 1911 and 1938 Empire Exhibitions and a published authority on the thatched houses of the Highlands.
