Scotland has an acute shortage of qualified Gaelic teachers, so parents on the western island of Mull were stunned when the UK government refused to grant a visa for the sole candidate for a new position at one of its local schools. 

Blocking entry to Canadian Sìne Halfpenny has meant children at Bunessan primary school have been denied the chance to be taught in Gaelic -- seen as a vital way to maintain the ancient but endangered language -- for more than half a year.