大象传媒

Bha mi ann an Arcaibh o chionn ghoirid. Tha na h-ainmean-脿ite ann an Arcaibh inntinneach. Tha a鈥� chuid as motha aca Lochlannach.

Chuir mi seachad d脿 latha ann an Stromness. Tha am b脿t鈥�-aiseig a鈥� dol a-steach a Stromness. 鈥橲 e baile beag br猫agha a tha ann. Agus tha e gu math eachdraidheil. Chaidh m貌ran 脿 Stromness a dh鈥檕bair don Hudson鈥檚 Bay Company ann an Canada.

Bha mi a鈥� feitheamh ri deagh sh矛de oir bha mi a鈥� falbh ann an gheat. Ach cha robh an t-s矛de freagarrach.

Tha Stromness a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渟ruth-mara aig an rubha鈥�. Faisg air a鈥� bhaile, tha rubha ann. Tha sruth-mara l脿idir anns a鈥� chaolas. Tha e doirbh se貌ladh na aghaidh.

听

Gu deas air Stromness tha eilean H貌dhaigh. Tha H貌dhaigh a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渆ilean 脿rd鈥�. Agus tha e 脿rd. Chaidh mi seachad air an eilean anns a鈥� bh脿t鈥�-aiseig. Tha H貌dhaigh eadar-dhealaichte bhon ch貌rr de dh鈥橝rcaibh. Tha m貌inteach ann. Tha fraoch ann. Tha na h-eileanan eile torrach, feurach, 矛osal.

Choimhead mi air mapa dhen eilean. Bha ainm no dh脿 ann a bha a鈥� coimhead rudeigin G脿idhealach. Bha aon ainm ann 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?

听

Chaidh mi don leabharlann ann an Kirkwall. 鈥橲 e Kirkwall pr矛omh bhaile Arcaibh. 鈥淐iamar a chanas mi an t-ainm-脿ite seo?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich mi dhen leabharlann-aiche. Ach bha ise 脠ireannach! Cha robh fios aice.

Gu fortanach bha boireannach eile ag obair ann. Bha ise 脿 Arcaibh. Dh鈥檌nnis i dhomh gur e Click-na-FIA a chanas iad. Fhuair mi a-mach gu bheil fea a鈥� tighinn bhon t-seann Lochlannais fjall, a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渃noc鈥�. Tha e cumanta gu le貌r. Agus chan eil e G脿idhealach idir.

I was in Orkney recently. The place-names in Orkney are interesting. Most of them are Scandinavian.

听听听听听听听 I spent two days in Stromness. The ferry goes into Stromness. It鈥檚 a beautiful little town. And it鈥檚 very historic. Many people from Stromness went to work for the Hudson鈥檚 Bay Company in Canada.

听听听听听听听 I was waiting for good weather because I was leaving in a yacht. But the weather wasn鈥檛 suitable.

听听听听听听听 Stromness means the 鈥渢idal current at the peninsula鈥�. Close to the town there is a peninsula. There is a strong current in the narrows. It鈥檚 difficult to sail against it.

听听听听听听听 South of Stromness is the island of Hoy. Hoy means 鈥渉igh island鈥�. And it is high. I went past the island in the ferry. Hoy is different from the rest of Orkney. There is moorland. There is heather. The other islands are fertile and grassy and low.

听听听听听听听 I looked at a map of the island. There were a couple of names that looked a bit Gaidhealach. There was one name spelt c-l-i-c-k-n-a-f-e-a.鈥淪ome-thing of the f猫ith鈥� perhaps 鈥� of the bog channel?

听听听听听听听 I went to the library in Kirkwall. Kirkwall is the capital of Orkney. 鈥淗ow do I say this place-name?鈥� I asked the librarian. But she was Irish! She didn鈥檛 know.

听听听听 听听听Fortunately there was another woman working there. She was from Orkney. She told me that it is Click-na-FIA they say. I found out that fea comes from the Old Norse fjall, meaning 鈥渉ill鈥�. It鈥檚 common enough. And it鈥檚 not G脿idhealach at all.