Labour MSP Claire Baker acknowledges Ms Forbes' argument that ratification would benefit Gaelic, but adds it would be a positive move for the whole of the UK.

She expresses concern that cuts to local authority budgets is impacting their ability to host events which promote culture.

Ms Baker also warns that traditions may be lost in favour of commercialism, pointing to Hogmanay in Edinburgh.

Tradfast - a festival in Edinburgh which showcases the best of traditional music, dance and storytelling - was launch in 203.

It brings together the folk arts and kicks-off a season of festivals across the country.

David Taylor, Creative Scotland's portfolio manager special projects, said: "The traditional arts in Scotland are all about building on the artistic inheritance of the past while looking imaginatively towards the future.

"That philosophy of innovation as well as emulation lies at the heart of TradFest Edinburgh."

Image source, bbc

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says it is an honour to follow Kate Forbe's accomplished and polished contribution.

Mr Rennie says Ms Forbes has probably done more for the Gaelic language today than this parliament has done for some time.

He says it is important to support the intangible heritage of the Highland Games and calls for seed funding to help them thrive.

He says a small grant scheme would help make them grow.

SNP MSP Kate Forbes is now delivering a speech on Gaelic, in Gaelic, so MSPs don their headphones.

She says UNESCO status would provide protection for the Gaelic language for future generations but this is not possible until the UK government ratifies the convention.

Gaelic is not only the language of history but is a living language, Ms Forbes argues.

The language is worth of £148.5m to the Scottish economy each year, the member says.

Image source, Getty Images

Last summer we reported that the future of Gaelic in Scotland could be down to parents - even if they do not speak the language themselves, according to researchers.

The University of Strathclyde said increased use of a language at home was a "first step" in its use in wider society.

Researchers surveyed 236 parents and children on the Isle of Lewis and on Sardinia.

The study included speakers and non-speakers of Gaelic and Sardinian.

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

Labour MSP Johann Lamont says Gaelic is not intangible, it is all too tangible as were the policy choices that meant her generation lost it.

She says she was the first person to speak in Gaelic in the chamber.

Ms Lamont calls for action to revive the Gaelic language.

The good news I think SNP MSP Kate Forbes is about to help do just that!

Image source, PA

Traditional Highland Games sports such as tossing the caber and tug-of-war are to be taught to pupils at schools in Caithness and Sutherland.

The initiative has been backed by Prince Charles through his new charity The Prince's Foundation.

The prince, who is chieftain of Caithness' Mey Games, hopes to help encourage more young people to participate in Highland Games.

The sports could be taught as part of PE classes.

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Maurice Corry says: "Preserving our cultural heritage is something we need to hold in high regard."

Mr Corry says some sorts of intangible heritage are difficult to protect, like traditions and events.

The Tory MSP says Highland Games must be protected for example.

Scotland misses out on international recognition of its culture because the UK has not ratified the convention, SNP MSP Ash Denham says.

Image source, bbc

Labour MSP Claire Baker says reocognising, nurturning and celebrating our intangible cultural heritage is important.

Ms Baker says there is a growing feeling in the sector that there is growing inequality in being able to access this heritage.

The Labour MSP says this heritage helps us share the experiences of our diverse and shared heritage.

Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton confirms her party will support the Scottish government motion and explains her amendment "adds meat to the bones".

Just because the convention has not been ratified yet does not mean nothing has been done to protect intangible culture, she insists.

"There is a wealth of cultural experience on offer" throughout Scotland, the MSP states.

Young people must be involved in traditions to cement their longevity, argues Ms Hamilton.

Haggis is of course considered part of Scotland's intangible cultural heritage.

Image source, PA

Scotland is to start exporting haggis to Canada for the first time in 46 years, it has been announced.

Canada lifted a ban on imports of red meat from Europe in 2015 but still does not allow imports of offal.

This has left Scottish producers, including Macsween of Edinburgh,working on new haggis recipesto meet local regulations there and in the US.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown welcomed the news during his tour of the US and Canada.

Read more.

Harris Tweed is considered part of Na H-Eileanan Siar's intangible culture.

Image source, Kathryn MacLeod

Luskentyre, on the Isle of Harris in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, is home to the kind of scenery more commonly associated with tropical locations: white sand and turquoise sea, framed by a row of hills in the distance.

Beautiful in any weather, it’s one of my favourite views on Earth. But on the grey spring day I found myself back in Harris, I wasn’t there to admire the view; I’d come to witness Harris Tweed weaving in action, something I hadn’t seen since my childhood in the neighbouring Isle of Lewis.

It’s in Luskentyre, in the village by the beach, that Donald John Mackay has been weaving Harris Tweed since 1970. The handwoven cloth, unique to the islands of the Outer Hebrides, is soft and warm, available in rich colours and complex patterns that range from plain twills to traditional herringbones.

Read the rest of the story here.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop explains cultural heritage is not just about the physical aspects, but also about traditions.

These intangible aspects are hugely important, "a living form of heritage" she says.

A core aim of the UNESCO convention is to safeguard this heritage and Scotland has already done much to protect it, adds Ms Hyslop.

She commends Museums and Galleries Scotland for its work in the area.

However, the cabinet secretary says Scotland is missing out on many of the protections because the UK has not ratified the convention.

The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, external was passed by the UNESCO General Conference held in 2003.

At that time, the international community recognised the need to raise awareness about cultural manifestations and expressions that until then had no legal or programmatic framework to protect them.

Along with other international instruments that protect cultural heritage, the 2003 Convention is aimed at safeguarding the uses, representations, expressions, knowledge and techniques that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals, recognise as an integral part of their cultural heritage.

The UK has not ratified the Convention.

Image source, Getty Images

The Scottish government leads a debate entitled 'Scotland's Support for the (UNESCO) Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage'.