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Tha Am Bile faisg air Port Rìgh anns an Eilean Sgitheanach. ’S e leathad mòr feurach a tha ann. Am Bile.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý     Tha bile na sheann fhacal Gàidhlig airson craobh. Gu tric, tha e a’ seasamh airson craobh a bha naomh. ’S dòcha gun robh sin anns na làithean ro-Chrìosdail.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý     Nuair a chaidh mi don Bhile bha mi dhen bheachd, mar sin, gum biodh an t-ainm co-cheangailte ri seann chraobh. Ach tha smuain eile ann mun ainm-àite. ’S e sin gu bheil ‘Am Bile’ a’ ciallachadh ‘the lip’. Thathar a’ cleachdadh ‘lip’ mar chomharra de dh’fheart-tìre nàdarrach ann am Beurla. Carson nach bitheadh ann an Gàidhlig cuideachd? Ach dh’fhàg mi mo smuaintean an sin. Cha do mheòraich mi air a’ chuspair thairis air mìosan a’ gheamhraidh.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý     Thàinig ‘Am Bile’ air ais gu m’ aire o chionn ghoirid. Bha mi a’ leughadh leabhar ùr. ’S e Reading the Gaelic Landscape/Leughadh Aghaidh na Tìre ainm an leabhair. Chaidh a sgrìobhadh le Iain Moireach. Tha Iain na Stiùiriche de dh’Ailtireachd Tìre aig Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann. Tha e air a bhith ag ionnsachadh na Gàidhlig.

Tha fiosrachadh iongantach anns an leabhar. Bidh e gu math feumail do dhaoine a chuireas ùine seachad air a’ bhlàr a-muigh. Agus bidh e feumail cuideachd do dh’adhbhar na Gàidhlig, oir tha e a’ dearbhadh cho beartach ’s a tha ar cànan agus ar dualchas.

Tha Iain gu math eòlach air an Eilean Sgitheanach. Agus tha e dhen bheachd gur e ‘the lip’ a tha Am Bile faisg air Port Rìgh a’ ciallachadh. Tha an t-ainm a’ riochdachadh cumadh na tìre. Anns an leabhar, tha Iain ag ainmeachadh àite eile far a bheil bile anns an ainm. ’S e sin Coshieville. Tha e ann an Gleann Lìomhann ann an Siorrachd Pheairt.

Am Bile is near Portree on the Isle of Skye. It’s a big grassy slope. Am Bile.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Bile is an old Gaelic word for a tree. Often it stands for a tree that was sacred. Perhaps that was in [the] pre-Christian days.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý When I went to the Bile I was thus of the opinion that the name was connected to an old tree. But there is another thought about the place-name. That is that ‘Am Bile’ means ‘the lip’. ‘Lip’ is used to denote a natural land feature in English. Why wouldn’t the same apply in Gaelic as well? But I left my thoughts there. I didn’t ruminate on the matter over the winter months.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý ‘Am Bile’ came back to my attention recently. I was reading a new book. The book’s name is Reading the Gaelic Land-scape/Leughadh Aghaidh na Tìre. It was written by John Murray. John is a Director of Landscape Architecture at the University of Edinburgh. He has been learning Gaelic.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý There is fantastic inform-ation in the book. It will be really useful to people who spent time in the outdoors. And it will also be useful in the promotion of Gaelic, because it proves how rich are our language and heritage.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý John is very familiar with the Isle of Skye. And he reckons that Am Bile near Portree means ‘the lip’. The name represents the shape of the land. In the book, John names another place where there is bile in the name. That’s Coshieville. It’s in Glen Lyon in Perthshire.