Abstract
In this paper, we question the apparent contradiction between the stated desire of the Scottish and Irish governments to promote local minority languages and the marginalization of these languages in the national celebrations of self and of the diaspora taking place in Ireland in 2013 and in Scotland in 2014.
We thus present the first hypotheses and results of our current sociolinguistic investigations regarding the place of local minority languages in Ireland and Scotland in the construction of a new discourse about the nation in the context of an economic crisis, and the diminution of State powers related to the financialization of capitalism (HARVEY, 2005).
More specifically, we ask how, if at all, language and Celticness are tied to an image of the Nation as an independent and forwardlooking entity, in light both of the current economic crisis that undermines the power of the Irish government and the independence of the Republic, and of the upcoming referendum on independence in Scotland. This article will focus on institutional texts produced in the context of two nearly identical celebratory events: the Gathering 2013 in Ireland and the Homecoming 2014 in Scotland, the latter being a sequel to the Homecoming 2009 event. These two events are worth investigating in that they do not merely put forth a mundane touristic image: they entail a strong affective dimension and seek explicitly to reach the diaspora. The term “gathering” is traditionally used to refer to Irish or Scottish Clan reunions bringing together members scattered around the world, and “homecoming” evokes the specter of emigration in bygone times and the myth of a return to the homeland.