Gaelic Names Liaison Committee

Gaelic place name principles

Ordnance Survey aim to use recognised authoritative advice and established conventions to determine the correct depiction of names in Gaelic.  For Gaelic place names, these are the Gaelic Names Liaison Committee and the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

During 2006, the Gaelic Names Liaison Committee (GNLC) published a revised set of Orthographic Principles to be applied when determining the correct form of Gaelic place names.  This 2006 edition is an extensive revision and expansion of the first version of these principles which was published in 2001. The GNLC have developed the 2006 version in the light of experience gained from their continuing work.

These principles supplement the Gaelic Orthographic Conventions (GOC) published by the Scottish Qualifications Authority during 2005, which are used in the teaching of Gaelic in schools.  The 2005 edition of the Gaelic Orthographic Conventions replace the previous conventions which dated from 1981. 

Download the GNLC Orthographic Principles (PDF - 98kb)  

The Gaelic Orthographic Conventions can be downloaded from the Scottish Qualifications Authority website.

These two publications will result in greater clarity and consistency in future work on orthography for Gaelic place-names.