The producers of “Outlanderā are ašll about making the show as authentic as it can be.
That starts with shooting in the foggy hills of the Scottish Highlands ā including turning real-life ruin Castle Doune into fictional Castle Leoch, home of the MacKenzie clan, whose exploits are recounted in Diana Gabaldonās best sellers ā garbing the men in real kilts, which are composed of some 10 yards of tartan and then folded by hand; and having the Scots speak Gaelic, the language of the time. Thatās why resident hunk Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) often affectionately refers to Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) as āSassenach,ā which means āoutlanderā in Gaelic, a derisive term that Jamie turns into a pet š °š name.
Since Gaelic is nearly a dead laānguage, sprinkling it liź¦berally through the scenes took some doing. For starters, the show hired Ćdhamh Ć Broin to serve as the showās Gaelic dialect coach.
The series, which has been renewed for a second season, was lucky to find Ć Broin. The married father of four has dedicated much of his life to the study and preservation of the language and its multiple dialects, and he brought that expertise to bear on āOutlandšer.ā
āI grew up on the western coast of Scotland, where I was surroundāed by Gaelic place names, so I was aware of it from a very early ageš,ā he says.
As English became the pervasive language throughout Scotland, Gaelic began to die out. āMy grandmother thought it was an injustice, and šthat someone in the family should learn it and bring it back,ā he says. āOnce I got a taste for it, I got bitten by the bug. For the past 10 years, it has been an obsession.ā
The show is taking some risks with its use of the language, mainly by not suābtitling it. However, Claire doesnāt speak Gaelic either, so thereās ušÆsually someone standing next to her translating. Ironically, Irish-born Balfe is the one person in the cast who actually knows Gaelic.
The ancient language came easier for some actors than others. Gary Lewis (āBilly Elliott,ā āGangs of New Yorkā), who plays clan leader Colum MacKenzie, hails from Glasgow, and gives several long speechšes in the language. Another Scotsman, Graham McTavish (āThe Hobbitā) plays Columās powerful brother, Dougal, and heās aš¹lso frequently called on to speak in Gaelic.
āI wish I spoke Gaelic,ā McTavish says. āItās a beautiful langušage, but itās aš difficult one to learn.ā
Thatās where Ć Broin comesš° in, constantly coaxing sounds from the aį©į©į©į©į©į©ā¤ā¤ā¤ā¤į©ā¤ā¤ā¤ā¤į©ā¤ā¤ā¤ā¤į©š±į©į©į©ctors theyāve never previously made. He hopes that exposing millions of people to the language will help save it.
āIf you want to destroy a people, destroy their language. It containš»s their entire history and their way of looking at the world,ā he says. āIt will be fantastic to have a whole new generation of people interested in Scotland, our language and our culture.ā