The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners

Here is a traditional story – "The Ox and the Donkey". An ox and a donkey were lived on the same farm. The ox had a poor life. He worked every day from dawn to dusk. But the donkey had a good life. He didn't do any work. He just rested. One day, the ox said to the donkey, "I'm fed up of working all the time." "You do too much," the donkey agreed. "You plough, you harrow and you pull a cart. I'll tell you what to do. Pretend you’re not well. Then you won’t have any work." Find out more in this week's podcast. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

This is in Dwelly’s dictionary – ùruisg: ‘being supposed to haunt lonely and sequestered places, water-god’. People were believing in urisks in many places. They were strong in Perthshire. A verse names the best-known ones in Breadalbane. Learn more about this verse and the characters in it, in this week'd podcast. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag

Roddy was telling you about Taigh nam Bodach, or Taigh na Cailliche, near Loch Lyon. People put the stones out of the ‘house’ every Beltane. They bring them in again for the winter at Halloween. Find out more in this week's podcast. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag

Bha Ruairidh ag innse mu Thaigh nam Bodach – no Taigh na Cailliche – ann an Gleann Cailliche ann an Siorrachd Pheairt. Tha iomadh ciall air an fhacal cailleach.

Ruairidh was telling you about MacGregor's Leap. Gregor MacGregor jumped over it in the sixteenth century. There was another man who tried to do the same thing. He was an acrobat. But he didn't succeed. He lost his life.

We’re still in Glenlyon in Perthshire. West of Fortingall, the road is close to the river. There is a thick wood there. The river is in a gorge. It is fast-running and narrow. On the map it’s called MacGregor’s Leap. Leum Mhic-Griogair. But who was the MacGregor? Why was he jumping? Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag

Roddy was telling you about Fortingall in Perthshire. The name means “the church of the fort”. Was the place sacred to the pagans, before there was a church there? Some people think it was because there is a famous yew tree growing next to the church. It’s very old. They say that it’s the oldest tree in Europe. It’s between two thousand and five thousand years old. It’s not whole now. But it’s still alive! Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Ruairidh was recently in Glenlyon in Perthshire. That area is famous for history and oral tradition. And, according to oral tradition, the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, was born in the area. His father was in Scotland as part of the Roman army. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

This week Roddy tells us about a programme that he's been enjoying. It's from Denmark. It is called Forbrydelsen. That means “The Killing”. It takes place in Copenhagen. It’s about murder and the investigation the police make. It inspires Roddy to think about Danish, English, Scots and Gaelic words connected with death. Find out more in this week's podcast. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Last week Roddy told us the story The Descendants of the Speckled Horse who was Never Wise. It’s from the Loch Lomond area. The story tells how the name Mac an Oighre or MacNair/Macnair came into being. Mac an Oighre means “the son of the heir”. This week he shares another story from the area. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

What’s the Gaelic for MacNair/Macnair? Well, in Rossshire it’s Mac ̓an Uidhir. It means Mac Iain Uidhir. That’s the old form of Mac Iain Odhair or “the son of John of the sallow complexion”. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Roddy was telling you about the Bràisteach Mòr, George Gunn. He was the clan chief of the Gunns. Roddy told how he and seven of his sons were killed. That was in combat with the Keiths of Ackergill. The Keiths stole the famous brooch and a sword from the Bràisteach Mòr’s body. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Roddy continues his tale about George Gunn, the clan chief of the Gunns. He had a nickname – the Bràisteach Mòr [“the great brooched one”]. He was alive in the 15th Century. He had a castle at Kinbrace in Sutherland. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

The village of Kinbrace is in the county of Sutherland. The Gaelic for it is Ceann a’ Bhràist. Find out more in this week's podcast. Accompanying text is available in both English and Gaelic at bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

St Andrews is the English name for the town in Fife, Cill Rìmhinn. To begin with, "St Andrews" was connected only to the church. It wasn’t connected to the town.