Gaelic oath for Catriona

Trainee lawyer is first to take the Notary Public oath in Gaelic

News, 31 March 2005

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A Fort William trainee solicitor has become the first person in Scotland to take her Notary Public oath in Gaelic.

Catriona Steele (30), whose parents are both native Gaelic speakers, is a passionate advocate of the language and felt it would be an appropriate way to mark her progress in the profession.

A second year trainee at MacPhee and Partners, Catriona said: “Gaelic is important to me. I grew up with it at home and it is a significant part of my culture. I think it's important for Gaelic speakers to take every opportunity they can to use the language, as it helps keep Gaelic alive and shows how diverse the language can be.

“I asked if I could take my oath in Gaelic but was told that nobody had ever done that before. The Law Society of Scotland said it would be fine but that they didn’t have any Gaelic speaking lawyers to officiate.

“They had to approach Murdo MacSween from Portree and ask him if he wanted to become qualified to officiate just so that I could take my oath.

"It was a very simple straightforward ceremony but it felt good - it was definitely worth all the trouble.”

Catriona also wrote her motto in Gaelic - ceartas agus firinn (truth and honesty).

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