Host Organisation: National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh
HEI: Sabhal Mor Ostaig- National Gaelic College
PhD Research Synopsis:
The Gaelic Heroic Narrative is a pan-Gaelic tradition, concerning the exploits of superhuman characters such as the warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill; and also characters like Deirdre, Naoise, Fraoch in the Irish Ulster Cycle. My research traces the development of Heroic ballads from manuscript to oral narrative form, and investigates the historical factors which have led to Heroic Narratives becoming situated in different areas in the Scottish Gàidhealtachd as local stories. I seek to draw comprehensive links between ballad development in written form in Gaelic Scotland, to toponymical evidence and local oral tradition. In this way, the Heroic tradition is understood as a rooted, complex and widely- connected local phenomenon.
Hi! Is mise Ceit (Kate) Langhorne. Tha mi san treasamh bliadhna a-nis air a’ PhD agam, (air a mhaoineachadh le SGSAH), aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig- Colaiste Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig san Eilean Sgitheanach (Oilthigh na Gàidhealtachd agus nan Eilean). Thairis air trì mìosan am bliadhna, ghabh mi greis gnìomhachais os làimh ann an Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba ann an Dùn Èideann. Ghabh mi ùine dheth bhon PhD airson a bhith aig an Leabharlann. Bha mi a’ dèanamh an rannsachadh agam fhìn ann, agus a’ gabhail pàirt ann an coinneamhan is còmhraidhean mu leasachadh na Gàidhlig sa Leabharlann. Dè mar a chleachdas sinn na cruinneachaidhean Ghàidhlig ann an dòighean ùra, cruthachail. Bha an greis gnìomhachais mì- fhoirmeil, fosgailte is cruthachail, agus bha an luchd-obrach uamhraidh fhèin càirdeil ann cuideachd!
Hi there! I’m Ceit (Kate) Langhorne. I’m in the third year of my SGSAH- funded PhD, at Sabhal Mor Ostaig- National Gaelic College on the Isle of Skye (UHI). Over three months, I undertook an internship at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. I took these three months off from my PhD, to be at the Library. There, I did my own research, and participated in conversations about the development and intergration of Gaelic at the library, and using Gaelic collections in new and creative ways to tell new, fresh stories. The internship was informal, open and creative, with a very friendly staff indeed!
Carson a Chaidh thu air Greis Gnìomhachais?
Why did I undertake this? This internship was suggested by my supervisor, as part of a wider collaboration and exchange between the National Library and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. A number of Library professionals have visited the College in Skye to showcase their collections and to college and local primary school pupils. While at the Library, I was encouraged to advise on different ways in which to outreach in Highland communities, when the Library takes their collections on the road.
When conducting my own research, I perused mostly 18th/ 19th century manuscript collections of the Heroic ballads; the Otherworldly adventures and battles of the superhuman warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his band (amongst others). I investigated the wider work and beautiful journals of folklorist John Francis Campbell. I also accessed map resources to contrast how these characters have been adapted in placenames and on archaeological sites.
PICTURE 1: Book of Dean of Lismore, compiled by Rev. James MacGregor (1512-1526). The oldest written source in Scotland for Heroic material, including the ‘Death of Diarmad’ and the ‘Lay of Fraoch.’ Available to view online by the NLS, or in person by special request. Image courtesy of the National Library Archives and Collections, Adv.MS.72.1.37.
PICTURE 2a and 2b: From the travel journals of folklorist and collector John Francis Campbell, or Iain Òg Ìle (1821-1885). Campbell and his contemporaries collected oral versions of heroic ballads and stories throughout the Highlands, in the 1860s and 1870s. Adv.MS.50.2.2.Courtesy of National Library Archives and Collections.
Càit an Deach mi? Dè rinn mi?
I was based in the General Collections at the National Library. This was a good place to be as it was a very front-facing and dynamic part of the Library, with many people approaching to show me a particular item they were cataloguing, particularly in their Gaelic collections. I compiled and recorded the audio tour of the Library in Gaelic. I began designing an exhibition aimed at tourists, in partnership with Visit Scotland (this project is still in progress). This exhibition focuses on a location in the Gàidhealtachd- Glencoe- now a typical tourist area, and allows the audience to be better acquainted with that area through the local traditions I study. This exhibition is primarily focused on a variety of material from .
In September 2025, I conducted a talk on my studies and relevant material in the Library Collections, with storytelling and music, in collaboration with musicians Munro Gauld and Neil Baillie.
PICTURE 3a and 3b: Two well-known views of Glencoe which feature in our exhibition design. A view to be challenged, or made more complex by the introduction of local oral tradition to the audience. (83377980.2; 205429168.2 Courtesy of National Library Archives and Collections).
Dè an rud a bu Luachmhor dhut air a’ Ghreis Gnìomhachais?
The public talk was perhaps the most rewarding aspect of my internship. It was an opportunity to speak on my research to a general audience, with the aim to entertain and give a fresh and informative perspective on the Gaelic Heroic Tradition. Outwith the Gaelic-speaking audience in Edinburgh, many people in the Central Belt would only associate these stories with eighteenth century (mainly English language) stylings of them, and would not know the richness or the true diversity of this tradition as it exists in Gaelic. The talk was a great way to take a collections-focused approach, to give people proper pointers for understanding this tradition more generally. It was a chance for me to showcase my own talents and confidence in this area. The musical contributions from Gauld (flute) and Baillie (cittern) widened the lens from Heroic ballads to the wider musical collection work of the collectors that we introduced in the talk. I learnt a lot for being able to put my work in wider context.
PICTURE 4a and 4b: My public talk featured the story of the Death of Diarmad, combining versions from Tiree, Knapdale, Glenelg and Kintail. A strange ballad called Duan na Ceàrdaich (the Lay of the Smithy) was presented in song and spoken word form.
Ciamar a thug an Greis Gnìomhachais Buaidh air na Planaichean a th’ agad airson an Àm ri Teachd?
The internship has influenced my approach to researching going forward. I have a better idea of the collections in the National Library, and I now have contacts and know the process much better, with regards to accessing their older materials. I will be a more thorough, and better connected researcher going forward.
In the future, I hope to continue and develop as a freelance creative, working primarily in Gaelic Cultural Heritage, and Scottish folklore more generally. Navigating and interpreting lesser-known corners of the Library’s collections, will be key to this approach.
A bheil Comhairle sam bith agad dha Chuideigin a tha a’ Beachdachadh air Greis Gnìomhachais a Dhèanamh?
Any tips for someone thinking of doing an internship? I took a few months off the PhD programme to focus on my time at the Library. It is personally much easier for me to focus on one aspect at a time, and so I would recommend taking that time from the writing and research, to focus on the internship. I felt like I could focus my energy on creating contacts, and undertake some much needed wider research in a relaxed manner.
I would also recommend going somewhere where there is a structured shared working environment, with a focused trajectory of actions to complete over the course of the internship. After months of working alone, it is refreshing to be working alongside a group of people.
CONNECT WITH CEIT
E-mail: 11009624@uhi.ac.uk
Read more about my research on the Gaelic Heroic Narrative, in a previous blog I wrote for SGSAH: A’ leantainn na sgeulachdan ghaisgeil air cruth-tire na h-Alba / Tracing Heroic Tales in the Scottish Landscape – SGSAH Blog
To find out more about my research, aswell as freelance work, have a look at my soundclound platform:
Freelance: Stream Ceit Langhorne music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud
Post-grad researcher platform: Stream Fhuair an Ceò am Bròg – The Mist is Exiled. | Listen to podcast episodes online for free on SoundCloud