Linguists say so. The language was certainly still in use at the time of the Napoleonic Wars in the area of Perthshire made up of Strath Ardle, Glen Shee and Glen Isla (for purists, the old provinces of Strathearn, Atholl and Gowrie), and may have survived in Glen Isla until Victoria's reign. It was also being used in Ayrshire in the area of Waterhead (under control of the MacAdams of Waterhead) which was at the literal convergence of several river's waterheads. The Gaelic speaking MacAdams (sept of the MacGregors) had a lively commerce running via waterways. They traded with Ireland, Holland, France-- anyone except the English. The linguistic isolation was maintained until after the defeat of the Jacobite Rebellion when roads were built into the highlands.

It is understandable how Gaelic survived in Waterhead, but such linguistic loyalty in Perthshire in the face of centuries of governmental determination to destroy the native tongue is amazing. Consider, the lands in Perthshire were granted to the church in the 12th century (Gaelic's oldest enemy), and from the church to the transplant Campbells (MacGregors' oldest enemy) via Donald Campbell, the last Abbot of Coupar Angus Abbey (Reformation era) who managed to distribute these lands to six of his illegitimate sons.

In spite of the presence of our enemies, the Glens were a lovely place and they birthed some of the finest minds in Gaelic literature. Dugald Buchanan, the great spiritual poet of Balquhidder. James and Alexander Stuart, who gave us the Gaelic Bible (New Testement published in 1767, the entire Bible in 1783-1801). Alexander Robertson, who worked on the Gaelic Dictionary. Donald MacIntosh, who collected the first important book of Gaelic Proverbs-- And last, but greatest!-- James MacGregor of Fortingall, who wrote the Book of the Dean of Lismore (compilation of which began in 1512).

The following is from the Book of the Dean and was written in an older form of Gaelic and in praise of Glen Shee. Try to ignore the stilted pattern produced by translation and look at this nearly pastoral passage as proof of the reverence our ancestors felt for their land:

Gleann Siodh an gleann-so rem thaoibh,
i mbinn faoidh ean agus Ion;
An gleann-so fa Bheinn Ghulbainn ghuirm,
as allie tulcha fa ghrein....

The glen beside me is Glen Shee, wherein
are sweet birds and game.
This glen under green Ben Gulabin,
whose knolls are the fairest beneath the sun...

If you have further interest in this subject, I recommend the 1997 summer and fall issues of Cothrom (a bi-lingual magazine available from CLI at 62 High St., Invergordon, Ross-shire IVI8 0DH Scotland www.gaelic.net/cli), and (if you can stand the translation-stilted poetry), The Book of the Dean. Information about the MacAdams family can be found at www.jps.net/mcadams

For more accessible poetry that celebrates Scottish nature, try Robert Burns or Hugh MacDiarmid. For utterly ridiculous Scottish poetry, try William McGonagall.