1994: Comunn na Gàidhlig, the national body for Gaelic development, commissions Dr John Shaw to investigate and evaluate the feasibility of establishing an archive network of Gaelic heritage materials. The feasibility report, entitled Dualchais- Gaelic Cultural Heritage, Community and Technology 1994 concludes that there is substantial interest in, and support for, a fully developed Gaelic archive network.
1997: Proposals are taken forward in a position paper for Comunn na Gàidhlig, entitled Tobar an Dualchais: National Gaelic Archive.
These proposals are extended to include Scots and Highland English by the Tobar an Dualchais Advisory Group and Steering Committee.
1998: Dr Martin MacIntyre is appointed as Project Coordinator.
A partnership of seven organisations signs a Memorandum of Understanding committing the partners to work together to progress the project and through it, the creation of a national Gaelic and Scots archive network. The partners consist of The University of Edinburgh, Comunn na Gàidhlig, Comataidh Craolaidh Gàidhlig (the Gaelic Broadcasting Committee), the National Trust for Scotland, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and the UHI Millennium Institute and its component colleges.
1999: An application is submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding of £1.974 million towards a £3.2 million project for the safeguarding of 18,000 hours of Gaelic and Scots recordings.
2000: Pròiseact Thiriodh, an online pilot to test and prove the planned methodology and technologies for Tobar an Dualchais, is unveiled. 30 hours of Tiree material from BBC Alba and the School of Scottish Studies are digitised and then catalogued on Tiree by members of the community.
Application for funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund is unsuccessful.
2001: Revised application is submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund of £1.29 million toward overall project costs of £2.6 million to safeguard 12,000 hours of recordings.
£850,000 is raised through public and private funders.
2002: Heritage Lottery Fund approve the application for funding.
2003: £1.39 million is awarded to the project by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
2006: Margaret MacDonald is appointed as Director of Tobar an Dualchais, based at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.
Staff are recruited, including Shona MacDonald as Manager of the South Uist office, Kenny Beaton as Technical Manager, Kirsty MacDonald as Catalogue Co-ordinator and Emma MacKay as Copyright Officer.
Tobar an Dualchais is launched in Edinburgh by Patricia Ferguson, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport.
