Today is the 10th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament passing the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act and the irony of such an Anglocentric date, St George's Day and William Shakespeare's putative birthday, was not completely lost on the Gaels in the public gallery that spring afternoon observing this piece of linguistic history.

Indeed, some went so far as saying it was the first legislation addressing the anti-Gaelic thrust of the Statutes of Iona (1609) and, drams in hand, it was hailed as "dies mirabilis" by many in the Gaelic movement who saw this national recognition for the language as the culmination of a campaign stretching back to the founding of An Comunn Gaidhealach in 1891, or even earlier.

Politically, the Gaelic language issue has generally received support from all the parties although this has not necessarily been seen as advantageous to its development and its Holyrood cross-party group gives it a place alongside other special causes. In the other Celtic nations, the use of the national languages is evident in political nomenclature, for instance Plaid Cymru (for the nationalist party in Wales) and, in Ireland, Gaeilge (Irish) is the accepted language for the Taoiseach (equivalent of prime minister) and the Dail (for the parliament).

In Scotland, Minister for Learning Dr Alasdair Allan includes Scotland's languages as part of his portfolio; at UK level, the-then government signed up to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2000 with respect to Gaelic (and Scots); and the legislation of 2005 was introduced by the Labour-Liberal Democrat administration in Edinburgh. However, in light of the 2011 census figures still showing the number of speakers at below 60,000, including reduced numbers in the traditional heartlands, and notwithstanding the establishment of Bord na Gaidhlig (the national body charged with promoting the language) and the requirement on public bodies to publish language plans, it is obvious the language is far from secure.

Since 2005, the major educational progress has been the establishment of the all-through Glasgow Gaelic School and free-standing Gaelic primary schools in Edinburgh and Inverness; Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the national centre for Gaelic language and culture on Skye, has celebrated 40 years and is the distinctively Gaelic college in the University of the Highlands and Islands; and the creation of BBC Alba in 2008 is arguably the most significant cultural development and visible sign of progress for the language nationally in recent times. Combined with the increase of public signage in the language, it can be argued that, thanks to these initiatives, our nation is more recognisably Gaelic than in the previous century.

Minority language renaissance by its very nature, as the late American linguist Joshua Fishman explained, is a perpetual enterprise. In our context, I would suggest numbers nationally with some knowledge of Gaelic can only be increased by expanding provision of Gaelic for learners at primary and secondary school and in further education colleges and adult education. There is considerable scope for expansion in the spirit of broad general education complementing the productive work in Gaelic-medium schools and this fits in with the principles of Curriculum for Excellence in addition to contributing to the Scottish Government's welcome commitment to all pupils studying at least two languages in addition to English. The Scottish universities, of which only five have Gaelic on offer, should be challenged to teach this discipline as part of either their language or cultural courses.

To this strategy, I would add four pathways through which Gaelic could be promoted. There should be closer links between the language movement and camanachd (shinty) as the recognised Gaelic sport; with crofting as the main traditional economic activity in the Gaelic heartlands; more cultural links, especially in drama through the National Theatre of Scotland; and, finally, there is huge potential in emphasising the international dimension through extending links with Ireland and Nova Scotia.

Writing in 1958, Kenneth Jackson, the eminent Professor of Celtic at Edinburgh University, predicted Gaelic would be extinct by the middle of this century unless radical action was taken. As David Leask made clear in his supportive article in The Herald, there is, it seems, a fresh awakening nationally of the need to ensure this is not allowed to happen and the revival continues but, by leave of England's patron saint, there may be more dragons to slay in the process.