Tag Archives: place names

Land of Falling Water

‘Eas’ in the Gaelic landscape marks a named waterfall Leugh ann an Gàidhlig There must be thousands of waterfalls cascading off mountains in the Scottish Highlands, most of which are marked on our maps with the simple English label ‘waterfall’. … Continue reading

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Tìr nan Easan ʼs nan Steall

ʼS iomadh eas a chithear air a’ Ghàidhealtachd, agus tha ainmean sònraichte air feadhainn dhiubh. Read in English Feumaidh gu bheil na mìltean de dh’easan ann an Alba mhòr bheanntach an uisge ach mar as trice chan fhaicear air a’ … Continue reading

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The Leaping Dolphins

A number of species of leumadairean – dolphins – can be seen in Scottish waters. Leugh ann an Gàidhlig There is a rocky point of land to the south of the village of Clachtoll in Assynt (North West Sutherland) which … Continue reading

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Stones of Inverness

Stones with special names and stories – in and around the Highland capital – are among the treasures highlighted in a new book published by NatureScot. Leugh ann an Gàidhlig As the author of the recently published ‘Place-Names of Inverness and … Continue reading

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Clachan Inbhir Nis

Tha clachan le ainmean agus dualchas sònraichte – ann an agus timcheall prìomh bhaile na Gàidhealtachd – am measg nan neamhnaidhean ann an leabhar ùr a chaidh fhoillseachadh le NatureScot. Read in English Mar ùghdar an leabhair ‘Place-Names of Inverness … Continue reading

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Bearing Down on Ursid Toponyms

Wild bears have long gone from Scotland’s landscape but echoes of them remain in our place-names … Read in Gaelic It’s far from clear when European brown bears became extinct in Scotland, but it wasn’t yesterday, and it is therefore … Continue reading

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Mac-talla a’ Mhathain air Tìr

ʼS fhada on a dh’fhalbh na mathain fhiadhaich mu dheireadh, ach tha na creutairean seo a’ nochdadh – an siud ʼs an seo – nar n-ainmean-àite fhathast … Read in English Chan eil e soilleir cuin a bhàsaich am mathan … Continue reading

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Soilleireachadh ‘dubhair’ air mapaichean / Shedding light on toponymic ‘darkness’

Airson ainmean-àite le ‘dubh’ a thuigsinn, ʼs dòcha gum feumar coimhead air slighe na grèine / To interpret place-names with the descriptor ‘dubh’ you may need to look at the path of the sun … Soilleireachadh ‘dubhair’ air mapaichean Is … Continue reading

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Aiteann – ceangal eadar Dà Dheoch / Juniper – a link between Gin and Whisky

Bidh daoine a’ ceangal aiteann ri sine ach air a’ Ghàidhealtachd tha am preas cuideachd ceangailte ri uisge-beatha / Juniper is intimately linked with gin but, in the Highlands of Scotland, it also has connections to whisky … Aiteann – … Continue reading

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An t-Ùraisg – Mac-meanmnach no Fìor? / The Urisk – Scotland’s ‘Bigfoot’?

Ma nochdas ainm ‘gnè ainmhidh’ air mapa oifigeil, feumaidh gu bheil e fìor is creideasach … no an fheum …? / If an ‘animal species’ is named on an official map, it must surely be a biological reality …. mustn’t … Continue reading

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