Letter To Gaelic Learners

In Perthshire, near Amulree, is Glen Quaich. In that Glen is a loch called “Loch Freuchie. How did the loch get its name? Is it derived from the plant – heather? Well, maybe not according to legend. Find out more in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Black, white and red. Three colours that are well known to our ancestors and well used in stories. You will probably have heard of Deirdre and the Sons of Uisne and Ruairidh has a story that involves them and the three colours. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

As Ruairidh was saying last week, he was in the Sami region in the north end of Sweden. He was skiing through the region where people still keep reindeer. He only saw two of them himself, but he saw many people out looking for reindeer. Find out more about hs adventures in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Kebnekaise is the highest mountain in Sweden. Ruairidh visited there at Easter time and tells you more about the mountain this week. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Last week, Ruairidh was telling us about Conlaoch, the Scottish hero who was son of the Ulster hero Cuchullin. Conall, who was related to Cuchullin, according to legend. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

This week Ruairidh is going to tell you of a special legend. It is about a strong hero called Conlaoch. He was a Scot. He was a stong hero with links to the Isle of Skye. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Last week Ruairidh was telling us about the different words for elephants and the image that celts had of these great African beasts when Hannibal’s army crossed the Alps to rome on 3BC. Ruairidh continues his theme of elephants in battle in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Ruairidh has a challenge for you this week at the start of the letter. Here are some words from old dictionaries and they all mean the same thing ailp, ailpe, boir, borr and fil. You don’t know them? Never fear, neither did Ruairidh! Find out what they mean in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

This week, Ruairidh finishes the story “The King and the Foal”. The king said to the man, “Come here tomorrow. If you don’t tell me what is swiftest in the world, you’ll lose your head.” Find out what happened in this week's podcast! Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Ruairidh continues last week’s story, The King and The Foal. Why not contiue the tale with him in this week’s podcast? Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

This week, Ruairidh has a story for you. It is called "The King and the Foal". Why not listen to this week's story in this week's podcast? Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Ruairidh was looking at an old page in Mac-Talla. That’s an old newspaper. Mac-Talla was published in Nova Scotia. That was at the end of the 19th Century and beginning of the 20th Century. Find out what he discovered in this week's podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Last week, Ruairidh was talking about the lynx and how evidence was uncovered proving it was alive in Scotland in the First Century. This week, he looks at why the lynx left and how other countries which still have lynxes are affected by their presence. Learn more in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

When was the lynx last seen in Scotland? Ruairidh is certain that you are familiar with the lynx – a big wildcat that lives in the forests in Asia and Europe. It once lived in Scotland. But when and why did it leave? Learn more about the lynx and Celtic words for this mighty beast in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Ruairidh was looking at an electronic map, it was made between 1747 and 1755 by William Roy. Roy was brought up in Lanarkshire, he was in the Hanovarian Army at the time of the Jacobite Rising. Learn more about William Roy in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.