大象传媒

D猫 tha anns a鈥� chumantas eadar Tannochbrae, Balamory agus Glendarroch? Uill, 鈥檚 e bailtean Albannach a tha annta. Bha iad uile air pr貌graman telebhisein. Agus chan e f矛or 脿iteachan a tha annta. Bha na h-ainmean air an d猫anamh a dh鈥檃ona-ghnothach airson leabhar no pr貌gram TBh.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Anns gach ainm tha co-dhi霉 aon eileamaid Gh脿idhlig ann. Tha Balamory agus Glendarroch air fad 脿s a鈥� Gh脿idhlig.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥橲 e Tannochbrae am baile anns an robh an sreath phr貌graman Dr Finlay鈥檚 Casebook st猫idhichte. Bha mo ph脿rantan gu math measail air a鈥� phr貌gram. Chaidh an t-ainm (agus an t-脿ite) a chruthachadh leis an 霉ghdar A J Cronin. Airson Tannoch, chleachd e an eileamaid Gh脿idhlig 鈥� tamhnach. Tha tamhnach a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渁chadh torrach, gorm air talamh garbh鈥�. Chuir e eileamaid 脿 Albais ris 鈥� brae. Agus fhuair e Tannochbrae.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Chan eil sinn a鈥� cluinntinn an fhacail tamhnach anns a鈥� ch脿nan an-diugh. Ach tha e fhathast aig G脿idheil na h-脠ireann. Agus tha e cumanta gu le貌r ann an ainmean-脿ite ann an 脠irinn agus Alba.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ann am f矛or cheann a tuath na G脿idhealtachd tha Tannach. Tha sin faisg air Inbhir 脵ige ann an Gallaibh. Tha fhios gur e sin An Tamhnach ann an G脿idhlig.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Tha ainmean Lochlannach pailt anns an sg矛re sin. Ach tha ainmean G脿idhlig eile ann cuideachd, leithid Kinlochy, Dhuloch agus Achairn. Agus tha tamhnach ag innse dhuinn gun robh na G脿idheil ag 脿iteachadh an fhearainn.鈥橲 e tuathanaich a bha annta.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Gu deas air Gallaibh, tha tamhnach a鈥� nochdadh ann an grunn 脿iteachan. Tha Tannachy ann am Br脿igh Chat, ann an Srath Bhr霉ra. Tha Tannachy agus Porttannachy ann am Moireibh, faisg air Bucaidh. Tha Tannock ann an Lodainn an Iar. Tha Tannochside ann an Siorrachd Lannraig.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Agus tha iad rudeigin pailt anns an iar-dheas. Eadar Siorrachd 脌ir agus Siorrachd Dh霉n Phris, tha gu le貌r dhiubh ann. Air a鈥� mhapa, ch矛 sibh ainmean-脿ite mar Tannoch Burn, Tannoch Flow, Tannockhill, Tannahill, Tannielaggie agus Tannacrieff. Uill, tha an 霉ine air ruith orm. Tillidh mi don chuspair seo an ath thuras. Beannachd leibh.

What do Tannochbrae, Balamory and Glendarroch have in common. Well, they鈥檙e all Scottish towns/villages. They were all on television programmes. And they are not real places. The names were made deliberately for a book or TV programme.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In each name there is at least one Gaelic element. Balamory and Glendarroch are entirely from Gaelic.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Tannochbrae is the village in which the series Dr Finlay鈥檚 Casebook was based. My parents were very keen on the programme. The name (and the place) were created by the author A J Cronin. For Tannoch, he used the Gaelic element 鈥� tamhnach. Tamhnach means 鈥渁 fertile green field on rough ground鈥�. He added a Scots element 鈥� brae. And he got Tannochbrae.

聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽We don鈥檛 hear the word tamhnach in the language today. But the Gaels of Ireland still use it. And it鈥檚 fairly common in place-names in Ireland and Scotland.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In the far north of the Gaidhealtachd is Tannach. That鈥檚 near Wick in Caithness. That must be An Tamhnach in Gaelic.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 There are many Norse names in that area. But there are other Gaelic names as well, such as Kinlochy, Dhuloch and Achairn. And tamhnach tells us that the Gaels were cultivating the land. They were farmers.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 South of Caithness, tamhnach appears in a few places. Tannachy is in the upland part of East Sutherland, in Strath Brora. Tannachy and Porttannachy are in Moray, near Buckie. There is a Tannock in West Lothian. There is a Tannochside in Lanarkshire.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 And they鈥檙e pretty common in the south-west. Between Ayrshire and Dumfriesshire, there are many of them. On the map, you鈥檒l see place-names like Tannoch Burn, Tannoch Flow, Tannockhill, Tannahill, Tannielaggie and Tannacrieff. Well, my time has elapsed. I鈥檒l return to this subject next time. Cheerio.