169: Placenames 169: Ainmean-àite

B1 - Intermediate - The Little LetterB1 - Eadar-mheadhanach - An Litir Bheag

Litir shìmplidh sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is eadar-theangachadh. A simple weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and translation.

Tha an litir bheag ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The little letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.

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Gaelic & English Text Teacsa Gàidhlig & Beurla

Ainmean-àite

Gaelic Gàidhlig

Bha mi ann an Arcaibh o chionn ghoirid. Tha na h-ainmean-àite ann an Arcaibh inntinneach. Tha a’ chuid as motha aca Lochlannach.

Chuir mi seachad dà latha ann an Stromness. Tha am bàt’-aiseig a’ dol a-steach a Stromness. ’S e baile beag brèagha a tha ann. Agus tha e gu math eachdraidheil. Chaidh mòran à Stromness a dh’obair don Hudson’s Bay Company ann an Canada.

Bha mi a’ feitheamh ri deagh shìde oir bha mi a’ falbh ann an gheat. Ach cha robh an t-sìde freagarrach.

Tha Stromness a’ ciallachadh “sruth-mara aig an rubha”. Faisg air a’ bhaile, tha rubha ann. Tha sruth-mara làidir anns a’ chaolas. Tha e doirbh seòladh na aghaidh.

Gu deas air Stromness tha eilean Hòdhaigh. Tha Hòdhaigh a’ ciallachadh “eilean àrd”. Agus tha e àrd. Chaidh mi seachad air an eilean anns a’ bhàt’-aiseig. Tha Hòdhaigh eadar-dhealaichte bhon chòrr de dh’Arcaibh. Tha mòinteach ann. Tha fraoch ann. Tha na h-eileanan eile torrach, feurach, ìosal.

Choimhead mi air mapa dhen eilean. Bha ainm no dhà ann a bha a’ coimhead rudeigin Gàidhealach. Bha aon ainm ann air a litreachadh c-l-i-c-k-n-a-f-e-a. “Rudeigin na fèith” ’s dòcha – of the bog channel?

Chaidh mi don leabharlann ann an Kirkwall. ’S e Kirkwall prìomh bhaile Arcaibh. “Ciamar a chanas mi an t-ainm-àite seo?” dh’fhaighnich mi dhen leabharlann-aiche. Ach bha ise Èireannach! Cha robh fios aice.

Gu fortanach bha boireannach eile ag obair ann. Bha ise à Arcaibh. Dh’innis i dhomh gur e Click-na-FIA a chanas iad. Fhuair mi a-mach gu bheil fea a’ tighinn bhon t-seann Lochlannais fjall, a’ ciallachadh “cnoc”. Tha e cumanta gu leòr. Agus chan eil e Gàidhealach idir.

Ach tha feadhainn dhen bheachd gun tàinig cuid bheag de dh’ainmean-àite ann an Arcaibh à cànan Ceilteach – Gàidhlig no Cruithnis. Bheir sinn sùil air feadhainn an ath-sheachdain.

Placenames

English Beurla

I was in Orkney recently. The place-names in Orkney are interesting. Most of them are Scandinavian.

I spent two days in Stromness. The ferry goes into Stromness. It’s a beautiful little town. And it’s very historic. Many people from Stromness went to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada.

I was waiting for good weather because I was leaving in a yacht. But the weather wasn’t suitable.

Stromness means the “tidal current at the peninsula”. Close to the town there is a peninsula. There is a strong current in the narrows. It’s difficult to sail against it.

South of Stromness is the island of Hoy. Hoy means “high island”. And it is high. I went past the island in the ferry. Hoy is different from the rest of Orkney. There is moorland. There is heather. The other islands are fertile and grassy and low.

I looked at a map of the island. There were a couple of names that looked a bit Gaidhealach. There was one name spelt c-l-i-c-k-n-a-f-e-a.“Some-thing of the fèith” perhaps – of the bog channel?

I went to the library in Kirkwall. Kirkwall is the capital of Orkney. “How do I say this place-name?” I asked the librarian. But she was Irish! She didn’t know.

Fortunately there was another woman working there. She was from Orkney. She told me that it is Click-na-FIA they say. I found out that fea comes from the Old Norse fjall, meaning “hill”. It’s common enough. And it’s not Gàidhealach at all.

But some people think that a few place-names in Orkney came from a Celtic language – Gaelic or Pictish. We’ll look at some next week.

Gaelic TextTeacsa Gàidhlig