Letter To Gaelic Learners

How familiar are you with Scotland’s islands? This week Ruairidh examines nicknames associated with three islands. Do you where The cross-wise island, The kingdom of the wild forest and The island of the big women are located? Find out in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Last week, Ruairidh was telling us about what the opinion Gaels had of goats in times gone by. That was that they were capable of killing and eating snakes. Well, it’s interesting how often the goat appears in Gaelic proverbs “The thing that kept the ivy from the goats”. What does that mean? Find out in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

How often have you seen a goat in Scotland? Ruairidh does not mean a big white goat behind a white fence, but wild goats who live in the moors. He has seen some many times, in places like the Black Isle, an Colonsay in Strath Spey and, more recently, in Kinlochewe in Ross-shire. Learn more about these wild goats in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Over the past fortnight Ruairidh has been looking at the poetry and life of Rob Donn. This week, he will take one final look at a piece Rob Donn wrote. This piece is about the difference in attitudes between the Gaels and lowland Scots, in particular the Gaels of the MacKay country. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Your ears do not deceive you, the introduction to this week’s letter is the same as last week’s, but Ruairidh just wants to say a little more about this poem. Specifically he wants to talk about the Glen that features in this poem, where there was a beautiful forest. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Ruairidh begins this week’s letter with a refrain from a famous Gaelic poem originating from one of the most northerly points of the Highlands, the MacKay Country (of North Sutherland). It was written by the famous Gaelic poet, Rob Donn. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Eric MacLeod and his family moved to Kerracher on the shore of Loch a’ Chàirn Bhàin in Assynt in 1976. The old house wasn’t in a good condition. They had to get a caravan to Kerracher, but unfortunately for them there was no road. Learn more about Kerrochar and the MacLeod family who lived there in this week's podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

This summer Ruairidh got the chance to go to a garden that he always wanted to see. It’s a public garden with lovely flowers and it has plenty visitors. In tha way, it’s like Inverewe Gardens or gardens of that type which are all along the Highland coast. There is one difference though, find out what that is, where the garden is and about a family there in this week’s letter. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

More often than not, Ruairidh talks about subjects pertaining to the Highlands. However, this week he will talk to you about an event that occurred, outside the Highlands, although every mothers’ son will understand why this week’s subject affects Ruairidh. Learn what this is and a whole more in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

Last week Ruairidh started telling us about The lady of Lawers, who had second sight. It is thought that she lived in the seventeenth century. She planted a tree beside the church in Lawers and she made a prophecy regarding it. At around 1880, two men dug up the tree. As you would expect, things did not go too well for these two. Find out more in this week’s podcast. Accompanying Gaelic text, grammar points and vocabulary are all available at bbc.co.uk/litir.

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. Learn more in this week's podcast!

Ruairidh talks about the meaning of the word "farach" and The Doctrine of Signatures.

Ruairidh talks of the the Island of Boreray in this weeks letter. Boreray means "fort-island" in Old Norse. It's close to North Uist and Berneray.

Ruairidh discusses the name 'Eddrachillis Bay'. How did it come to be? It cames from Gaelic and in this letter, Ruairidh explains the meaning.

More magnificent placenames this week, Ruairidh ponders over Eddrachillis Bay. There is only one way to learn about this place and its Gaelic origins, listen to the podcast!