大象传媒

Nuair a tha mi ann an Nirribhidh gach bliadhna, a鈥� sgitheadh, bidh mi gu tric a鈥� dol seachad air 脿iteachan le ainmean a tha a鈥� cur nam chuimhne ainmean-脿ite ann an Alba. Am-bliadhna chaidh mi gu Gr酶nebakken. Tha fhios gu bheil sin a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渂ruthach ghorm鈥� no 鈥渂ruthach ghlas鈥� 鈥� oir ch矛 sinn bakken ann an 脿iteachan mar 鈥淎m Bac鈥� ann an Le貌dhas. Agus faisg air Calanais ann an Le貌dhas tha Beinn Ghr猫ineabhal. Th脿inig Gr猫ineabhal bhon Lochlannais Gr酶nefjall, a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渂einn ghorm鈥�.

Tha e sp貌rsail a bhith a鈥� toirt s霉il air na tha anns a鈥� chumantas eadar na h-ainmean-脿ite anns na d霉thchannan Lochlannach agus a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd againne. Agus as t-samhradh bha mi ann an n脿dar de dh霉thaich Lochlannach, ged a tha e mar ph脿irt de dh鈥橝lba. Bha mi ann an Arcaibh 鈥� far a bheil na h-ainmean-脿ite cha mh貌r gu l猫ir a鈥� tighinn bho sheann ch脿nan nan Lochlannach.

Chuir mi seachad d脿 latha ann an Stromness agus abair gu bheil am baile beag sin br猫agha. Mo bheannachd aig an luchd-dealbhachaidh air Comhairle Arcaibh a rinn cinnteach nach biodh an seann bhaile air a sgrios le togalaichean gr脿nda 霉ra. Is bochd nach robh iad an s脿s anns an dearbh ghnothach anns a鈥� bhaile agam fh矛n 鈥� Inbhir Nis. Ach f脿gaidh mi an gearan sin do latha eile!

Tha e furasta gu le貌r obrachadh a-mach d猫 tha an t-ainm Stromness a鈥� ciallachadh. Tha strom a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渟ruth-mara鈥� agus tha ness a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渞ubha鈥�. Chithear an d脿 rud sin ann an grunn 脿iteachan ann an Alba. Faisg air a鈥� bhaile, tha sruth mara eagallach anns a鈥� chaolas eadar T矛r-m貌r Arcaibh agus na h-eileanan gu deas oirre. Agus tha mi a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渆agallach鈥� oir bha sinn a鈥� deisealachadh gus dhol gu muir ann an gheat. Dh鈥檉heumamaid feitheamh gus am biodh an sruth leinn airson Stromness fh脿gail. Bhiodh e f矛or dhoirbh dhol na aghaidh.

Gu deas air Stromness tha eilean m貌r 脿rd air a bheil H貌dhaigh. Tha an t-ainm a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渆ilean 脿rd鈥�. Fhad 鈥檚 a bha sinn a鈥� dol seachad air an eilean anns a鈥� bh脿t鈥�-aiseig, th脿inig e a-steach orm gun robh e rudeigin eadar-dhealaichte bhon ch貌rr de dh鈥橝rcaibh. Chithear m貌inteach ann, is talamh garbh agus fraoch 鈥� rudan nach eil cumanta ann an eileanan eile ann an Arcaibh. Tha iadsan uabhasach torrach, feurach. 鈥淣am biodh na G脿idheil riamh ann an 脿ite sam bith an Arcaibh, seo far am bitheadh iad,鈥� shaoil mi rium fh矛n.

Agus, nuair a fhuair mi gr猫im air cairt-d霉thcha dhen eilean, bha ainm no dh脿 ann a bha a鈥� coimhead rudeigin G脿idhealach, 鈥檚 d貌cha. Laigh mo sh霉il air ainm a th鈥� air a litreachadh c-l-i-c-k-n-a-f-e-a. 鈥淩udeigin na f猫ith鈥� 鈥檚 d貌cha 鈥� of the bog channel? Uill, leis gun robh an t-s矛de nar n-aghaidh airson se貌ladh, bha 霉ine agam dhol don leabharlann ann an Kirkwall, pr矛omh bhaile Arcaibh. 鈥淐iamar a chanar an t-ainm-脿ite seo?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich mi dhen leabharlannaiche. 鈥淐han eil fhios agam,鈥� fhreagair ise. 鈥溾�橲 ann 脿 Sligeach an 脠irinn a tha mise!鈥�

Gu fortanach bha t猫ile ag obair ann a bhuineadh do dh鈥橝rcaibh, agus thug ise dhomh fuaimneachadh an ainm 鈥� Click-na-FIA. Agus fhuair mi a-mach gur e fea a chanas iad an-diugh ann an Arcaibh ris an eileamaid a th脿inig bhon t-seann Lochlannais fjall, a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渃noc鈥�. Tha e cumanta gu le貌r agus, gu dearbh, chan eil e G脿idhealach idir.

Ach tha cuid, a th鈥� air s霉il a thoirt air ainmean-脿ite Arcaibh dhen bheachd gur d貌cha gur ann 脿 c脿nan Ceilteach 鈥� G脿idhlig no Cruithnis 鈥� a th脿inig cuid dhiubh. Bheir sinn s霉il air feadhainn an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: sp貌rsail: good fun; Arcaibh: Orkney; gearan: complaint; sruth-mara: marine current; eagallach: frightening; H貌dhaigh: Hoy; torrach, feurach: fertile and grassy; leabharlannaiche: librarian; Cruithnis: Pictish language.

Abairtean na Litreach: a tha a鈥� cur nam chuimhne: which remind me [of]; bruthach ghorm/ghlas: green slope, bank; na tha anns a鈥� chumantas eadar: what is in common between; n脿dar de dh霉thaich Lochlannach: a sort of Scandinavian land; abair gu bheil am baile beag sin br猫agha: what a beautiful little town that is; mo bheannachd aig an luchd-dealbhachaidh air Comhairle Arcaibh: my congratulations to the planners on Orkney Islands Council; nach biodh an seann bhaile air a sgrios le togalaichean gr脿nda 霉ra: that the old town wouldn鈥檛 be destroyed by ugly new buildings; is bochd nach robh iad an s脿s anns an dearbh ghnothach: it鈥檚 a pity they weren鈥檛 involved in the same matter; T矛r-m貌r Arcaibh agus na h-eileanan gu deas oirre: Orkney Mainland and the islands south of it; bha sinn a鈥� deisealachadh gus dhol gu muir ann an gheat: we were preparing to go sea in a yacht; dh鈥檉heumamaid feitheamh gus am biodh an sruth leinn: we would have to wait until the [tidal] flow was with us; chithear m貌inteach ann, is talamh garbh agus fraoch: moorland can be seen there, along with rough country and heather; laigh mo sh霉il air: my eye fell on; leis gun robh an t-s矛de nar n-aghaidh: as the weather was against us; ciamar a chanar an t-ainm-脿ite seo?: how is this place-name said?; 鈥檚 ann 脿 Sligeach an 脠irinn a tha mise: it鈥檚 from Sligo in Ireland that I am; bha t猫ile ag obair ann a bhuineadh do dh鈥橝rcaibh: there was another lady working there who belonged to Orkney; fuaimneachadh an ainm: the pronunciation of the name.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: I can hardly wait for the proposed historical dictionary of Scottish Gaelic to appear 鈥� although it will be at least thirty years. Another good reason to keep my cholesterol level down so that I live to see it! I鈥檇 love to find out, for example, why we adopted Graonlainn (or A鈥� Ghraonlainn) as our name for Greenland 鈥� after the Norse Gr酶nland (without gr酶n becoming gr猫in as it did in several Gaelicized place names), whereas we adopted the name of a mythical island, Innis T矛le (鈥渢he Island of Thule鈥�) for Iceland. This island is shown (erroneously) on an old Scandinavian map on display in Kirkwall Museum. The Irish have the same name as we do for Greenland, but they adopted the Scandinavian name for Iceland and call it An 脥oslainn. Can anyone offer me an explanation?

Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach: th脿inig e a-steach orm gun robh e rudeigin eadar-dhealaichte bhon ch貌rr de dh鈥橝rcaibh: it occurred to me that it was a bit different from the rest of Orkney.