Young Celtic language creatives unite in innovative exchange

Welsh, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic and Irish language speakers have taken part in a pioneering exchange programme celebrating their shared linguistic heritage.

The Celtic Exchange programme, developed by the British-Irish Council, brought together young creative professionals to learn new media skills and co-create multilingual content while exploring their common cultural roots.

Participants travelled through the Western Isles and met with filmmakers, content creators and musicians to learn how these ancient languages are an intrinsic part of their modern creative work.

They discovered more about the similarities between their languages and cultures and built a new and fresh network to develop ideas and multilingual content in the future.

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Ifan Prys works at Rondo Media and was part of the exchange. He said: “The trip was a unique opportunity to meet other Celtic language content creators, to share ideas and strengthen the networks between the linguistic communities.

“The programme was full of varied and rich activities.  We had the opportunity to network with MG ALBA and BBC Alba and with local producers, discussing our opportunities, challenges and ambitions.

“The opportunity to learn, share and inspire alongside creative people from diverse linguistic backgrounds was invaluable. It has really reinforced the importance of continuing to work creatively in our languages.”

The young creatives gained hands-on experience by producing multi-lingual content, which premiered at the 2025 Celtic Media Festival in Newquay, Cornwall.

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Bethan Campbell from Boom Cymru also took part in the exchange. She said: "The trip to Scotland was a very special experience. The activities were valuable and very diverse.

“I really enjoyed everything while creating treasured memories. The highlight was spending time with the group of young people who were with us, and making friends from every corner of Britain by sharing stories, experiences, and our hopes for the future! It was inspiring to collaborate with passionate and creative people, all reinforcing the need to create content in our own languages.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who was part of organising it all. Experiences like this don't happen often, and I feel so lucky."

Welsh Language Secretary Mark Drakeford said: "The Celtic Exchange programme celebrates our living languages and supports young people to build creative careers using their indigenous languages, wherever they chose to live and work.

"We’re proud to work with our partners across the nations to grow our languages, strengthen our cultural connections and help people develop opportunities and careers in their indigenous languages.”