The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners

We have nicknames for the islands of Scotland. For example we call Skye Eilean a’ Cheò (Isle of the Mist). We call Lewis Eilean an Fhraoich (Isle of the Heather). And here now are the names of three more islands. Do you know them? Find out more in this week’s podcast. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Ruairidh was telling you last week about goats. The old people were saying that goats killed and ate snakes. Well, Ruairidh is not so sure about that. Goats appear often in Gaelic proverbs. Here is one for you: With violets and goats’ milk anoint your face, and there is not a king’s son in the world will not be after you. Find out more in this week’s podcast. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Ruairidh saw goats in the summer. He doesn’t mean a farmer’s goat. He means wild goats on the hills. He was walking in the deer forest of Letterewe. He was in Glen Bianasdail. Close by there was Meallan Ghobhar [little rounded hill of the goats]. He saw tracks in the heather. The ground was steep. It is goats that made the paths. find out more about the goats in this week's podcast. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

We were taking a wee look at the poetry of Rob Donn last week. Rob was a Gaelic bard in the Mackay Country in the Eighteenth Century. He never spoke English. He wasn’t highly educated either. This week, Ruairidh is going to have a wee look at a poem he wrote. It’s about the environment – particularly in the Mackay Country. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Ruairidh starts by reciting the same refrain as last week. He was telling you about the famous poet from the Mackay Country – Rob Donn (“brown-haired Rob”). He was living for a time in Strath More, south of Loch Hope. He was alive in the Eighteenth Century. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Ruairidh begins with a refrain of a famous Gaelic poem/song. Glen Golly is in the Mackay Country. That’s in the north of the Highlands. And who is the poet? Well, none other than Rob Donn – a very famous poet. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Eric MacLeod moved to Kerracher in 1976. Kerracher is on the shore of Loch a’ Chàirn Bhàin in Assynt. Eric had a wife and two daughters. The old house wasn’t in a good condition. Thus, they took a caravan with them to Kerracher. But there wasn’t a road going there. Learn more about Kerrochar and the family who lived there in this week's podcast. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Ruairidh was in an unusual garden recently. It is called Kerracher Gardens. There is no road to it at all. Ruairidh went there in a boat. The garden is on the shore of Loch a’ Chàirn Bhàin in Assynt. It’s open to the public. But this is the last year it will be open. Learn more about Kerrochar and a family who lived there in this week's podcast. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Ruairidh wants to tell you about a thing that happened to himin Orkney. He was in the village of Longhope. That was in the summer this year. There was a maritime accident in Longhope forty years ago. Eight people from the area died. They were the crew on the Longhope lifeboat. This year the people of Longhope were remembering the accident. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Eric MacLeod moved to Kerracher in 1976. Kerracher is on the shore of Loch a’ Chàirn Bhàin in Assynt. Eric had a wife and two daughters. The old house wasn’t in a good condition. Thus, they took a caravan with them to Kerracher. But there wasn’t a road going there. Eric built a big raft. He got help from a fisherman who was living in Kylesku. The fisherman pulled the raft to Kerracher with his boat. Learn more in this week's podcast. Accompanying text in both English and Gaelic can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/litirbheag.

Ben Lawers is above Loch Tay. It is in Perthshire. The mountain is very high. It’s covered with snow in the winter. And it’s famous for plants. Lawers is also the name of a small settlement and an area adjacent to Loch Tay. Gaelic was strong in that area at one time. There was a famous woman once living in Lawers. She had the second-sight.

This week Ruairidh talks about an email he recieved from a man who belongs to Inverness. The man's mother was brought up in an area called Merkinch in the town. Gaelic was alive in Merkinch longer than in any other area of Inverness.

This week, Ruairidh talks about the island Boreray. Boreray means "fort-island" in Old Norse. It's close to North Uist and Berneray.

Last week, Ruairidh was looking at old maps. Old Maps of Scotland. It was the Dutchman Joan Blaeu that made the maps. That was in the Seven-teenth Century. He based the maps to a large extent on the work ano-ther man did. He was the Scot, Timothy Pont.

North of Assynt, on the western sea-board of Scotland, there is Eddrachillis Bay. Eddrachillis. It comes from the Gaelic Eadar Dà Chaolas [“between two kyles”]. Eadar Dà Chaolas – Eadrachaolas – Eddrachillis. But what are the two kyles (narrows) in the name? find out in this wee's podcast.