UHI to launch multilingual Island Voices archive with Inverness film night

More than 500 films capturing community life, language and cultural heritage will be preserved for future generations through a new multilingual archive at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

The Island Voices Multilingual Archive will launch at Cultarlann Inbhir Nis in Inverness on Monday 23 November 2026. Featuring almost 40 languages, it brings together recordings created with communities in the Western Isles, across Scotland and internationally.

The launch will take the form of a film night, starting at 7pm, with screenings of selected films from the archive and an opportunity to ask questions of the team behind the collection. Registration is not required.

Led by UHI’s Language Sciences Institute and UHI Archives, the initiative has received £42,527 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with UHI contributing a further £29,955.

The archive preserves the first 21 years of Island Voices/Guthan nan Eilean, a community project founded by Gordon Wells in 2005. Rooted in Gaelic-speaking communities, it captures “slices of life in and beyond the 21st century Hebrides”, with people sharing their stories, knowledge and experiences in their own words.

Visitors can explore conversations, memories, songs, poetry and documentaries in languages including Gaelic, English, Scots, Shaetlan, Irish and Welsh. International collaborations extend to South Asia and the Caribbean.

Alongside the films, the archive preserves blogposts, audio recordings, transcripts and research, providing a free resource for communities, language learners, teachers and researchers while protecting the collection against digital loss or damage.

Professor Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, Gaelic research professor and Director of UHI’s Language Sciences Institute, said:

“The Island Voices Multilingual Archive is an invaluable cultural and ethnographic resource not just for Gaelic communities, but also for those who value cultural and linguistic diversity globally. Island Voices demonstrates the key importance of placing the community voice at the heart of how we interpret and engage with the social and cultural requirements of our linguistic minorities.”

Gordon Wells, who developed the Island Voices project, said:

“I was really pleased that UHI supported this work during my final six months with the university, ensuring that 21 years of community recordings are safely preserved for future generations.

“As we enter a new age of artificial intelligence, this diverse and multilingual collection of real human voices will help keep us grounded and remind us where we’ve come from.”

Philippa Currie, UHI Archivist and Information Governance Manager said:

“The UHI Archive was delighted to receive this collection, which will support current and future research in this field, and showcase the important work conducted by the university to support and develop its communities.”

By preserving everyday speech and memories of island life, the collection supports efforts to maintain and revitalise Gaelic and offers a model for other language communities. Island Voices will continue creating and sharing material, while the archive provides a permanent home for its first 21 years.

The archive is freely available at www.archive.uhi.ac.uk/island-voices/

Attendees can indicate that they plan to attend through the Facebook event page: Guthan nan Eilean | Facebook.