A CELTIC connection has brought French student Valentine Clot to the Hebrides this week to add some Gallic flavour to the indigenous Gaelic language.

The 18-year-old from Brittany, who is learning Gaelic, is visiting Scotland on a scholarship and has joined the army of volunteers that helps run the award-winning Hebridean Celtic Festival as part of a study of the language and those who speak it. During the four-day event, which opened last night and runs until Saturday, she will be part of the festival’s Gaelic team, which promotes the language and encourages visitors to try out key phrases.

Valentine will make a film of her visit and will also keep a logbook of her day-to-day experiences. These will be kept in the National Library of France and shared with members of the Zellidja Foundation, which funded her trip.