Jim Watson

Manager of Interpretation at the Nova Scotia Museum's Highland Village (Baile nan Gàidheal) in Iona, Cape Breton, Jim Watson's a long-time advocate and ethnographer dedicated to the Maritime region’s Scottish Gaelic traditions and tremendous tradition-bearer in his own right.  Jim also assisted his long-time friend and collaborator Dr. John Shaw in recording several of the Island’s last Scottish Gaelic speakers in 1987.  This year Jim is returning to the Macphail Homestead to offer workshops in regional Scottish Gaelic song and storytelling. He and his wife Professor Marlene Ivey of NSCAD joined the Macphail homestead for last year's inaugural summer Institute and have since offered workshops onsite concerning their collaborations exploring the role of design and digital technology in socially-driven minority language renewal, highlighting their work on the award winning website An Drochaid Eadarainn.