Spotlight on Gaelic education
The successes and challenges of Gaelic-medium education (GME) in Edinburgh will come under the spotlight at a discussion organised by the Gaelic community group Ionad Gàidhlig Dhùn Èideann. GME has grown impressively since it began in 1988 and today more than 700 children are enrolled at the city’s dedicated Gaelic primary school, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce, and James Gillespie’s High School.
The event will bring together current and former GME teachers in Edinburgh to reflect on their experiences and offer their thoughts about the future development of Gaelic education in the city. Panelists include Donna MacIver, Depute Head Teacher at James Gillespie’s High School; Karen Reid, Depute Head Teacher at Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce; Mona Wilson, the first GME teacher in 1988 and director of Primary Education with Gaelic at Moray House, University of Edinburgh. Chairing the session will be Professor Matthew MacIver, former Chief Executive of the General Teaching Council for Scotland and former chair of Bòrd na Gàidhlig and the Gaelic Media Service.
The event will be held at the National Library of Scotland on Saturday 31 May at 2pm.
Art exhibition at Thomson’s Tower
Under Open Skies by Jennifer Austin will run from 8 to 14 June at Thomson’s Tower, the yellow octagonal building on the shores of Duddingston Loch.
Jennifer has exhibited previously; in Orkney at the Workshop and Loft Gallery in St Margaret’s Hope (May 2024) and at Highland Park in Kirkwall (March 2025) and in Edinburgh, at the Morningside Gallery (2024). She is completely self-taught and a pupil of the school of trial and error; she is the first to admit that her painterly craft and subsequent success and achievement owes much to YouTube during lockdown.
This exhibition is a celebration of light; more specifically how light falls in, on and through the natural world. On display will be a mixture of oils and prints that illustrate Jennifer’s relationship with light – a relationship that has been acquired through her Orkney upbringing. ‘Light’ in Orkney is special – in the summer it can go on forever while in the winter, though in shorter supply, it can reveal itself in moments of intensity. It’s in Jennifer’s blood and in the air she breathes; both are revealed in her paintings – none more so than in the impressive ‘Golden Hour’.
New place to eat out
KUBA has opened at Edinburgh Printmakers in Fountainbridge, near the canal.
The café is intended as a fusion of pan-African and Scottish cuisine bringing vibrant flavours and community spirit to Fountainbridge in the bright, airy, accessible space at Edinburgh Printmakers
- Award winning chef Babatunde Abifarin has devised a menu that brings together the vibrant soul of Pan-African cuisine with the comforting, hearty offerings of Scotland for a memorable experience that inspires artistic creativity and cultural unity
- Café will host a programme of special events as well as providing private dining experiences
Rubik’s cube competition to be held at Meadowbank
More than 200 Rubik’s Cube solvers will come to Edinburgh this weekend for the Kewbz Scottish Championship 2025 — set to be the biggest speedcubing competition ever held in Scotland, and one of the largest in Europe this year.
The competition takes place from Friday 30 May to Sunday 1 June at Meadowbank Sports Centre, with competitors from more than 20 countries attempt to solve the Rubik’s Cube — as well as a range of other events from blindfolded to one handed — in the shortest possible time.
The competition, which is the first ever Scottish Championship to be held, is hosted by the UK Cube Association, with its results officially recognised by the World Cube Association (WCA), the international governing body for speedcubing.
Adam Leyton, one of the UKCA event organisers said: “Speedcubing has exploded in popularity in recent years. “People often think of the Rubik’s Cube as a retro toy from the 1980s, but it’s actually now more popular than ever! It’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to host such a high-profile competition right here in Edinburgh.”
https://www.ukca.org
Facebook: @UKCubeAssociation
Town Hall meeting – EIJB board awaits recommendations from officers
The packed meeting at the Augustine United Church on Monday night tells the officers who will be writing the reports for the next Edinburgh Integration Joint Board meeting one thing – the people who use the funding consider it vital. Both the Chair and Vice-Chair said they await the recommendations of officers ahead of the next meeting.
Cllr Tim Pogson was clear that he considered the board was out of ideas to close the £30+million funding gap and he was at the meeting to listen. He said if anyone has ideas he is open to all suggestions.
One stark reminder of how important this funding is – and how small the possible cuts of £2.2million are in the picture of a £900 million budget controlled by the EIJB – came from one of the people who depend on the Stafford Centre on Broughton Street which could face closure. He said from the floor that there are people who will face a bleak future without the care provided.
Watch the two hour long meeting on Change Mental Health’s Facebook page.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
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