Place Names
by mygaelic.com
- BeurlaEnglish
- Gàidhlig ShìmplidhSimple Gaelic
- GàidhligGaelic
We’re surrounded by thousands and countless thousands of place names. Many are so familiar that we don’t stop to think for a second what they mean. But if we do pause to look for the meaning, we are often rewarded with a glimpse of the past, a warning of danger, a description of the place, a reminder of an area’s beauty, or perhaps just the knowledge that someone once lived there. Some place names and their meaning remain a mystery, however, many can tell us something valuable or intriguing about a place.
Gaelic place names map much of Scotland, whose landscape comes to life with the sounds and meanings of these names. Who would think that there was a monastery in Beauly from the English place name? In Gaelic, however, Beauly is a’ Mhanachainn or the Monastery. And we are given a timely warning of the dangers of the Corryvreckan or an Coire Bhreacain which means the speckled cauldron – an allusion to the churning waters that mark the famous whirlpool. We are also given fair warning in the name Lochmaddy or Loch nam Madadh which means the Loch of the Wolves – the wolves being the treacherous rocks which await the unwary seafarer in the bay. Who would deny Lochaline’s beauty? The Gaelic name, Loch Àlainn, tells us just that: it is the ‘Beautiful Loch’. And how many places with a ‘Kil’ tell us that a church, burial place or religious centre was once, or still is, present in the area. The word comes from the Gaelic cille, meaning a church or churchyard, or a cell (as in a monk’s cell). Kilmarnock is Cille Mheàrnaig or the Church of the saint M’Ernoc or Ernoc for example. And Acharacle tells us that history connects Tarracail or Torquil to this ford in Lochaber, as the name means Àth Tharracail or Torquil’s Ford. In Achiltibuie we find the field of the yellow-haired boy – Achd Ille Bhuidhe.
Gaelic place names provide a key to history and a word-map of Scotland which is informed by a rich and vibrant culture. Sometimes the meaning of a place name is unclear, and the place retains an element of mystery as a result, but more often than not, Gaelic can tell us the story of a place. Look around you and you will see the land, its history, its meanings, its uses, and its stories come to life through places and their names.
Learn more about Gaelic Place names:
Gaelic Place Names of Scotland - The main organisation researching the Gaelic place names of Scotland
Scottish Place Name Society - A group who research and publish findings on Scottish place names
Gazetteer for Scotland - Contains a wealth of information on the geography, history and place names of Scotland
Bartholomew Maps - A Gaelic map of Scotland
Ordnance Survey - Information about Gaelic place names in Britain
