For the second session of the A’Chraobh project in Thurso, we finally decided on a name of our own. Highland Homecoming and A’Chraobh are the over-arching banners for the project, but who are we and what are we all about? We’re investigating who we are, where we come from, our families, our roots, the places that we call home. At its heart, our project is about ‘belonging.’

Belonging in English.

A’Buntainn in Gaelic.

But, Gaelic heritage can make for a controversial topic in Caithness. See here for a snippet of the Gaelic-road-signs-in-Caithness saga that’s been unfolding in the Groat over the past year. Many a Caithness person would claim stronger ties with our old Norse heritage than any Gaelic history, and would argue till blue in the face over it. Is opting for a gaelic term in a Caithness project asking for a stooshie? Or is it fair play, Gaelic heritage is a part of many of us as individuals regardless of your view of Caithness’s heritage…

So, what’s ‘belonging’ in Old Norse anyway? Doesn’t immediately trip off anyone’s tongue… But, after a lot of research and a lot of networking with learned academics, we’ve got ourselves a translation: Tilhøre. So this is our project:

Belonging: A’Buntainn: Tilhøre

The participants round the table had varied views on the languages of our heritage, and what terms we should use for the project. Some wanted just plain English, nice and easy for all to understand (and say!). Others wanted the other aspects of our heritage acknowledged. So we’ve opted for all three. At least now we have a name.