Letter To Gaelic Learners

In the mountains of Lochaber, there is Stob Coir’ na Ceannain. It’s between Fort William and Loch Treig, south of Roybridge. Dòmhnall Mac Fhionnlaigh nan Dàn was living in that area. He wrote a famous poem – ‘the song of the owl’. And Ruairidh is going to tell you a wee story from that area, in which there is an owl. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

On the final day of the National Mod last year, Ruairidh heard a bit of a joke. Somebody was speaking about Oban. That’s where the Mod will be this year. He was saying that there was a shower or two while the Mod was in Inverness. And that he was sure there would be a shower or two in Oban. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

In autumn last year, Ruairidh was in Argos. He was on holiday in Greece. He went through a town called Argos. Find out more about this town in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

Sharp is the tooth from [the] heather. Have you ever heard that proverb? Sharp is the tooth from [the] heather. After a person has been on the hill – or on the heather – he will be hungry. His teeth will be sharp. Food will not last long on the plate. It’s true, isn’t it? Most people know about the Tooth Fairy, but Ruairidh introduces you to another character from Gaelic folklore, The Tooth Mouse. Find out more in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

Today, Roddy is going to finish the old story – The Golden Fish. The fisherman went home. There was a mansion there, with a golden carriage in front of it. The fisherman tried to walk in through the front door. But a servant prevented him. ‘The lady says that your type must come in through the back door,’ he said. Find out how the fisherman reacts and what became of him and his wife. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

Ruairidh was telling us the old story – The Golden Fish. The fish promised a reward to the fisherman. ‘Wee golden fish!’ the man called. ‘Aye, what can I do for you?’ said the fish. Find out what the man asked for and what he received in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

There was at one time a fisherman. He and his wife were living in a thatched house next to the sea. They were very poor but they were happy enough. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

The most northerly whisky distillery in Scotland is in Orkney, in Kirkwall. The distillery got its name from High Park, the area’s name in olden times. High Park is connected to Magnus Eunson or ‘Mansie’. Mansie was illegally making whisky on that site at the end of the Eighteenth Century. Find out more about Mansie in this week's letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

I’ll finish the old story ‘The Butler’s Son’. The landlord wasn’t pleased that the butler’s son was back. He asked the lad to steal the bedsheet that would be under himself and his wife that night. That was to prove how skilful he was as a thief. If he didn’t do that, he’d get a bullet in his head. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

I was telling you an old story – ‘The Butler’s Son’. One night, the thieves went to a big house. There was a cellar in the house. The thieves let the butler’s son down to the cellar by rope. What happened next? Find out in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

There was a landlord in the Highlands. He had a butler. The butler was honest. He had a son. When the son reached maturity, he himself got employment in the estate house.Was he as honest as his father? Find out in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

There was a man from Skye who was living in Leeds in England. His name was William. One day, he bought a bus ticket from Glasgow to Broadford. ‘Single to Broadford,’ he said to the ticket officer. William had a drink problem. He was drunk. Was this going to be a problem for this particular journey? Find out in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

There was an American businessman in a close next to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Another man approached him. He was wearing a long black coat. ‘I have something here for you,’ said the man in the coat. He unbuttoned his coat and out a skull. ‘This is the skull of Robert Bruce, the old King of Scotland,’ he said. ‘I’ll sell it to you for a thousand pounds. Find out more about this intriguing tale in this week’s letter. Find out more in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

Ruairidh was walking in the old cemetery in Fort Augustus. It’s a beautiful place with views of the hills. He saw an old gravestone. There were moss and lichen on it. Ruairidh took a closer look and realised that there was a connection to Robert Burns. Find out what that is in this week's letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir

It’s the bigger of that, it’s the bigger of that, as the wren said when he urinated in the great sea. Have you ever heard that proverb? It concerns people who think they are more important than they are. It’s the bigger of that, it’s the bigger of that, as the wren said when he urinated in the great sea. Find out more in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir