Faodaidh ainmean-àite le sneachd innse dhuinn mu àiteachan far an laigh an stuth geal sa gheamhradh, agus àiteachan a thaisbeanadh a dhearbhas dhuinn buaidh blàthachadh na h-aimsire / Gaelic place-names with sneachd can help to inform our understanding of the nature of snow lie and perhaps throw clues our way as to the consequences of climate change …
‘Sneachd’ air Aghaidh na Tìre
Tha sinn a-nise fo bhuaidh a’ gheamhraidh, agus ʼs fhiach beachdachadh air far an nochd an stuth geal, co-dhiù a rèir ainmean-àite na Gàidhealtachd. Bidh an eileamaid ‘sneachd’ a’ nochdadh air aghaidh na tìre meadhanach tric. ʼS e an t-àite as aithnichte – ged a tha e gu tric air fhuaimneachadh ceàrr le sreapadairean is muinntir spòrs nam beann – Coire an t-Sneachda ann an ceann a tuath a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh. Ann an Gàidhlig Shrath Spè, ʼs e Coir’ an t-Sneachdaidh a chanar. Tha aghaidh a’ choire ris a’ cheann a tuath agus bidh e a’ cumail a chuid sneachda airson ùine mhòr.
Coire an t-Sneachda (northern corries, Cairngorms) in winter.
(C)William M. Connolley (fromWikimedia Commons)
Beagan mhìltean air falbh, gu h-àrd sa Mhonadh Ruadh air Beinn Bhrotainn, tha coire eile leis an aon ainm, ged a tha e air taobh an earra-dheas na beinne. Tha Coire an t-Sneachda eile ri lorg air beinn air a bheil Toll Creagach ann an Gleann Afraig – àite iomallach far am bi sgithearan dhen nòs Lochlannach agus feadhainn a thogas taighean-sneachda a’ dol bho àm gu àm.
Os cionn Loch Iall ann an Loch Abar tha àite ‘sneachdach’ eile – Beinn an t-Sneachda, le Allt Eas an t-Sneachda air a leathad. Agus air ais anns a’ Mhonadh Liath, siar air Bail’ Ùr an t-Slèibh, tha Sneachdach Slinnean, ged a bhiodh dùil air Slinnean Sneachdach mar dhreach an ainm. Chan eil ‘sneachdach’ ro chumanta air aghaidh na tìre – mar as trice ʼs e an dreach ginideach dhen ainmear – ‘an t-sneachda’ – a dh’innseas dhuinn gum bi sneachd a’ laighe ann.
Bidh ainmean ‘sneachda’ rin lorg eadhon faisg air a’ chladach air taobh an iar na Gàidhealtachd. An cois na mara air Eilean Seona Beag ann am Muideart, tha Coir’ an t-Sneachda. Tha e a’ coimhead a dh’ionnsaigh na h-àird a tuath agus tha e air a dhìon le beinn bho ghaoth bhlàth an iar-dheas. Tha coire eile anns a’ mhonadh deas air Loch Suaineart air a bheil Coire an t-Sneachda cuideachd.
The maritime Coire an t-Sneachda on the north coast of the island of Shona Beag at the mouth of Loch Moidart. The spelling of Coire as Coir’ reflects the loss of pronunciation of the terminal ‘e’ in front of the vowel in the article ‘an’. This is a common feature of Coire place-names.
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Tha Glac an t-Sneachda faisg air Mullach Glac an t-Sneachda anns an Ros Mhuileach agus, air ais air taobh sear na h-Alba, ann an Gleann Ìle, fear de ghlinn Monadh Aonghais, tha Dail na Sneachd. Feumaidh gun robh sneachd boireanta ann an seann Ghàidhlig Sgìr’ Aonghais.
Bidh sneachd gu tric na laighe ann an glacan is claisean far am bi uillt a’ ruith, agus corra uair bidh a leithid de shruth a’ giùlan an ainm Allt an t-Sneachda. Tha fìor dheagh eisimpleir air taobh a tuath an Aonaich Mhòir faisg air a’ Ghearasdan far a bheil goireasan mòra spòrs-sneachda. Faisg air Loch Muic ann an Siorrachd Obar Dheathain tha allt eile dhen aon ainm; gu siar air tha Allt an Uisge – feumaidh nach eil an sneachd a’ fuireach reòite cho fada an sin.
An iar-thuath air Bail’ a Chaisteil Bhràigh Mhàrr air ceann a deas Beinn a’ Bhùird, tha cruinneachadh beag de dh’ainmean ‘sneachdach’ – ann an àite a chumas a chuid sneachda fada. Bidh allt a’ sruthadh às an Iar-choire Sneachdach (Iar-choire an t-Sneachda gu h-ionadail) a’ coinneachadh ri allt eile a shruthas às an Ear-choire Sneachdach (Ear-choire an t-Sneachda gu h-ionadail). An dèidh a’ chomair, ʼs e Allt an t-Sneachda a th’ air an t-sruth. Agus tha caochan (allt beag falaichte) deas air Srath Fharagaig anns a’ Mhonadh Liath air a bheil Caochan an t-Sneachda.
Aerial view over the summit of Ben Macdui to Braeriach beyond, Cairngorms.. ©P&A Macdonald/NatureScot
A bharrachd air sneachd, bu chòir dhuinn a bhith mothachail gum bi am facal cuithe a’ dèanamh tuairisgeul air a leithid oir tha e a’ seasamh airson àite far an laighe sneachd nas fhaide na gach àite timcheall. Feumar a bhith faiceallach, ge-tà, nach e cuidhe a bha luchd nam mapaichean a’ ciallachadh – tha sin a’ seasamh airson crò no buaile. Tha dà dheagh eisimpleir de dh’ainmean-àite le cuithe anns a’ Mhonadh Ruadh – le chèile A’ Chuithe Chrom (oir ʼs e sin an cumadh orra). Tha tè air taobh an earra-dheas Beinn nan Cìochan agus tè eile air leathad a tuath a’ Chùirn Ghuirm (chithear i às an Aghaidh Mhòir air latha math). Gu mì-fhortanach, ʼs ann ainneamh a chithear tè a’ Chùirn Ghuirm air mapaichean. Bhiodh na seann daoine a’ dèanamh fàisneachd air aimsir an t-samhraidh agus toradh an fhoghair a rèir a’ chinn-latha air am briseadh no am falbhadh cuitheachan-sneachda.
Ma tha sibh shuas sa mhonadh sa gheamhradh am-bliadhna, cumaibh ur sùilean a-mach airson ainmean ‘sneachda’ ionadail. Bithear an dòchas, agus blàthachadh na gnàth-shìde oirnn, gum faicear sneachd annta fhathast.
‘Snow’ in the Gaelic Landscape
As we have now reached the time of year when snow is once more close at hand, it is worth considering where the white stuff might be expected to lie – at least according to Gaelic place-names on our landscape. The Gaelic word for snow is sneachd (approximately ‘SHNEH-uchk’), which has cognates in many European languages, including Russian снег (‘sneg’), German ‘schnee’, Swedish ‘snö’, English ‘snow’ and Scots ‘snaw’.
The best-known place-name containing the element sneachd is Coire an t-Sneachda ‘the corrie of the snow’ in the northern corries of the Cairngorms. The pronunciation – approximately ‘kor(-uh) un TRE-uchk-uh’ – seems to often pose a challenge to members of the outdoor fraternity who commonly frequent the location for skills training and pleasure. The corrie is well-named; north-facing and relatively sheltered, it holds its snow for a long time.
Coire an t-Sneachda (Coir’ an t-Sneachdaidh ‘kor un DRECHK-ee’ in local Strathspey Gaelic) is a well-known and much-loved topographical feature at the northern end of the Cairngorms. The t- blocks the sound of the ‘S’ in speech. Its name means ‘the corrie of the snow’.
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Just a few miles away on Beinn Bhrotainn, also high in the Cairngorms, is another corrie of the same name, although this one faces south-east. Yet another Coire an t-Sneachda is to be found on Toll Creagach west of the Great Glen in Glen Affric – a remote hill that is occasionally frequented in winter by Nordic skiers, ski mountaineers and igloo-builders. Above Loch Eil in Lochaber is another ‘snowy’ place – Beinn an t-Sneachda ‘the mountain of the snow’, whose western side is drained by Allt Eas an t-Sneachda ‘the burn of the waterfall of the snow’. And back in the Monadh Liath, west of Newtonmore, is the unusually-named Sneachdach Slinnean ‘snowy shoulder’; the opposite word-order ie Slinnean Sneachdach would be expected. The adjective sneachdach is not common in the landscape; more usually the genitive or possessive form of the noun, ie an t-sneachda ‘of the snow’ is used as the descriptor.
‘Snow’ names are even found on the milder west coast (perhaps reflecting a naming process that took place when winters were considerably colder). Close to sea level on the island of Shona Beag in Loch Moidart, there is another Coir’ an t-Sneachda, a small wooded corrie that runs down to a rocky and muddy shore. It is north-facing and under a steep hill which protects it from both direct sunshine and the effects of the mild south-westerly wind. Another Coire an t-Sneachda with a similar aspect, although a little higher in altitude, is in the hills south of Loch Sunart.
Stob Coire an t-Sneachda derives its name from the corrie below. In the background is the southern slope of Cairn Gorm. ©Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under this Licence
The Ross of Mull boasts another west coast hollow named for retaining its snow. North-west of Beinn Chreagach is Glac an t-Sneachda ‘the depression of the snow’. And, back in the east, Glen Isla – one of the famed Angus Glens – hosts in its upper reaches a ‘snowy field or dell’, Dail na Sneachd, the word sneachd here being feminine (it is masculine in most locations).
Snow will often lie in the dells and depressions created by burns in the hills, and occasionally the relevant burn is named Allt an t-Sneachda ‘the burn of the snow’. A classic example is a burn of that name which drains the northern side of Aonach Mòr near Fort William, one of Scotland’s major snowsport centres. Another example near Loch Muick in Aberdeenshire is instructive; the adjacent burn to its west is Allt an Uisge ‘the burn of the water’, possibly named in comparison to its snowy companion.
Allt Coire an t-Sneachda where it meets Allt na h-Imrich near Beinn a’ Mheadhain, Glen Affric.
North-west of Braemar at the southern end of Beinn a’ Bhùird is a collection of fascinating ‘snow’ names (in an area renowned for good snow in winter). The Iar-choire Sneachdach ‘western snowy corrie’ (locally called Iar-choire an t-Sneachda) and nearby Ear-choire Sneachdach ‘eastern snowy corrie’ (locally Ear-choire an t-Sneachda) are drained by burns which join to form yet another Allt an t-Sneachda. And another stream named for snow – Caochan an t-Sneachda ‘the hidden streamlet of the snow’ – is to be found in the Monadh Liath south of Stratherrick.
In addition to sneachd, a consideration of ‘snow’ names in our landscape should also take in the occasional appearance of the element cuithe ‘snow wreath’ ie a place where snow continues to lie when it has melted all around. One has to be careful with such names, however, as cuithe can be confused with cuidhe ‘cattle-fold, enclosure’. Two clear examples of cuithe ‘snow’ names – both Cuithe Chrom ‘crooked snow-wreath’ – are on Cairn Gorm and Lochnagar, the former rarely being shown on maps. The date of the breaking or complete melting of a cuithe could be used to predict the weather for the remainder of the summer and the likelihood of a favourable harvest.
If you’re out in the hills this winter, see if you can spot any local ‘snow’ names. Hopefully, in these days of climate change, the description will still apply.
The Author
Bha am blog seo air a sgrìobhadh le Ruairidh MacIlleathain, a tha na sgrìobhadair, craoladair, eòlaiche-nàdair is sgeulaiche, stèidhichte ann an Inbhir Nis.
This blog was written by Inverness-based writer, broadcaster and storyteller Roddy (Ruairidh) Maclean, whose work highlights the connections between the Gaelic language and Scotland’s environment.
Scotland's Nature 
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