Ainmean-àite ann am Machair Rois 3  –

na Gàidheal: an oirthir

‘S e oirthir an Ear am pàirt as drùidhtiche den sgìre againn agus tha na h-ainmean-àite a’ toirt fianais air sin. Anns an t-uabhas de dh’ainmean ionadail air creagan sònraichte, mar eisimpleir, chithear cho cudromach agus a bha a’ mhuir aig daoine, airson iasgaich agus mar dhòigh-shiubhail.

Tha aon Bheinn ann, Beinn Neig. Chan eil e cho àrd ri beanntan eile ann an Ros, ach ‘s e feart gu math greadhnach a th’ ann. Aig a’ cheann eile den ‘Seaboard’, tha Rubha Thairbeirt a’ cumail faire air an leth-eilean.

creag  –   Tha cus ann airson liosta coileanta ach ‘s ann air oirthir an Ear, eadar an Rubha agus Baile a’ Chnuic, a nochdas a’ mhòr-chuid:

Creag Ruadh, Creag Mhaol, Creagan Dubha, Creag a’ Chinn Bhig amssa.

Tha cuid mhòr de na h-ainmean ceangailte ri eòin:

Creag nan Eun, Creag na h-Eala, Rubha na h-Iolaire,

fianais air a’ phailteas de dh’eòin-mhara a bha ann agus a tha ann fhathast an sin.

Tha stac, clach, sròn agus ail (creag) ann cuideachd:

Stac Mòr agus Stac Beag , Clach Dhubh, Clach Ghlas, Sròn Liath, Tarail. Tha abairt ann: “Tarail Mhòr is Tarail Bheag is Tarail fo na Chreag”.

Ann an Down to the Sea (J. Macdonald, A. Gordon, J. Sutherland), air fhoillseachadh ann an 1971 bunaichte air rannsachadh nas tràithe, tha mapa làmh-sgrìobhte le ainmean ionadail air cha mhòr gach clach agus creag eadar Baile a’ Chnuic agus Geanies (Gàthan). Bha iad air an cruinneachadh le Anne Gordon agus na peathraichean J. Nic Dhòmhnaill (an sgrìobadair) agus J. Shutharlanach (an dealbhadair), an dithis aca às a’ bhaile, bho na h-iasgairean a b’ aosta. Bha na creagan seo cudromach mar chomharran-mara, airson clèibh a chur sìos agus a lorg, agus airson seòladaireachd.

 ‘S ann sa Ghàidhlig a tha a’ mhòr-chuid agus ‘s e ainmean air leth cuingealaichte a th’ annta; chan eil iad rin lorg air mapaichean ‘oifigeil’.  Tha ainmean dealbhach ann mar ‘Boineid Frangach’ (sic) agus ‘Skaravak’ (creag nan sgarbhan – eòin a-rithist, agus ainm freagareach), Tha feadhainn eile ceangailte ris an eachdraidh ionadail:- ‘Creag na Bainsheann’ (sic) – na Baintighearna, faisg air làrach Caibeal Mhoire, no ri daoine na sgìre: ‘Eilean Sheòrais’, Jessieport, Tom & Mary Port. Bidh mòran de na h-ainmean an sin air an cleachdadh fhathast an-diugh fhèin am measg sheantansan Beurla, oir chan eil ainmean Beurla ann orra.  ‘I’m going to the Porst / Porst Culag / Skaravak / Uilleam’s Pool, the Uaireachan’ amsaa.

Tha ‘Port Lark’ ann cuideachd, ach tha e coltach nach e eun a tha ann an turas seo; seo cruth Beurla de ‘Làirig’,  ‘Lathaich’ air a mhapa (oidhirp fuaimneachaidh ionadail a sgrìobhadh?)  Tha ‘the Larachans’ ann cuideachd, sreath chreagan ri taobh an Phuirt, ‘s dòcha le ciall ceangailte.

(Ma bhios barrachd fios ionadail aig daoine sam bith mu na h-ainmean seo no feadhainn eile, bhithinn toilichte cluinntinn bhuaibh! Chòrdadh e rium ionnsachadh an uiread ‘s a ghabhas mus tèid a h-uile rud a dhìochuimhneachadh.)

Air taobh eile Rubha Thairbeirt, eadar an taigh-solais agus Port MoCholmaig, ‘s e port an t-ainm as cumanta air a’ chladach. Chan e fìor chalaidhean a tha annta ach acarsaidean beaga, oir tha an taobh sin nas fhasgaiche. ‘S e cruinneachadh inntinneach de dh’ainmean a tha an seo cuideachd, le ainmean pearsanta – Port Uilleim, no tuairisgeulach: Port a’ Chrithinn (craobhan, B. aspen), Port nam Marbh, Port a’ Chaisteil amsaa. ‘S e Port nam Faochag a th’ ann an Wilkhaven, fìor chaladh (ged a tha e beag) faisg air Rubha Thairbeirt.

Aig ceann eile an leth-eilein tha Beinn Neig agus an oirthir mun chuairt oirre, le creagan agus tràighean. Chan eil uiread de dh’ainmean air a’ mhapa an seo, ‘s dòcha gun robh e ro chunnartach dha na h-iasgairean, leis na sgeirean mar ‘the King’s Sons’ agus Creag Dhaibhidh, agus tha mòran uamhan ann mar ‘the King’s Cave’. ‘S dòcha gur e Port an Rìgh a th’ ann am Port an Druidh a-rèir Watson cuideachd, seach ceangal ri draoidhean . Chan eil fìor chinnt ann cò na rìghrean, agus iomadach fionnsgeul mu an cuairt. Ach àrd air mullach na creige tha Castlecraig (creag a’ Chaisteil), comharra cudromach do mharaichean fada a-muigh air a’ mhuir.

Ged a tha argamaidean ann airson freumha Lochlannaich anns an fhacal ‘Neig’ (vik ) mar a chunnaic sinn, is dòcha gun tàinig e bho fhacal Gàidhlig:

eag > gin. eige > an eige (> a’ Neige) : (B. notch, indentation)

Chan eil cinnt ann an e Tràigh Neig fhèin (eag san oirthir), na Sùdraichean, no làrach na seann eaglaise (aig ceann eige san tìr) a bha anns an eag seo. ‘S e ‘place of the tanners’ a bh’ anns Na Sùdraichean, agus mar sin, leis an uiread de leathair a bu chòir a bhith ann, ‘s dòcha gur e an fhìrinn a th’ anns na sgeulachdan mu ghreusaichean!

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Placenames of Easter Ross 3 – the Gaels:

the coast

 From the landscape point of view, the eastern coastline is the most impressive part of our area, and the placenames bear witness to this. In the huge number of local names for particular rocks, for example, we see how important the sea was to people, for fishing and for travel.

There’s one Ben, Beinn Neig – the Hill of Nigg. It’s not as high as other bens in Ross-shire, but it’s still a majestic feature. At the other end of the Seaboard, Rubha Thairbeirt (the Point of Tarbat), Tarbat Ness, watches over the peninsula.

creag – rock, crag. There are too many too list, but the majorty of named  crags are on the eastern stretch of coast, between Tarbat Ness and Hilton, e.g.

Creag Ruadh (red rock), Creag Mhaol (bald rock), Creagan Dubha (black rocks), Creag a’ Chinn Bhig (rock of the little head) etc.

There are quite a few with names connected to birds:

Creag nan Eun  (rock of the birds), Creag na h-Eala (rock of the swan), Rubha na h-Iolaire (point of the eagle),

evidence of the abundance of seabirds which was and still is to be found there.

There are the names with stac (stack), clach (stone), sròn (nose) and ail (cliff) too, e.g.

Stac Mòr and Stac Beag (big and little stack),  Clach Dhubh (black stone), Clach Glas (blue-grey stone), Sròn Liath (white-grey nose), Tarrel (Tarrail = tar+ail – over-cliff).

There’s saying about the Tarrels: “Tarail Mhòr is Tarail Bheag is Tarail fo na chreag”  (Big Tarrel and Little Tarrel and Tarrel under the Cliffs – Rockfield).

In Down to the Sea (J.Macdonald, A.Gordon, J. Sutherland), printed as a book in 1971 but researched earlier, there’s a hand-written map with the local names of almost every rock and crag between Hilton and Geanies, collected by Anne Gordon and the Hilton sisters Jessie Macdonald and Hansy Sutherland (the illustrator of the book) from the old fishermen.These rocks were important as sea-markers, for setting and locating creels, and for navigation.

The majority of these names are Gaelic, and have a very local reference – you won’t find them on ‘official maps’. There are descriptive names, like ‘Bonaid Frangach’ (Frenchman’s bonnet) and the well-named ‘Skaravak’ (Gaelic sgarbag – pronounced Skaravak, means ‘rock of the cormorants’  – sgarbh=cormorant – birds again). Others are linked to local history:  ‘Creag na Bainsheann’ = Creag na Baintighearna (rock of Our Lady), near the site of the chapel of St Mary, or to local characters: ‘Eilean Sheòrais’ – George’s Island, Jessieport, Tom and Mary Port. The Porst itself is just the Gaelic pronunciation of ‘port’. Many of these Gaelic names are still used today in the middle of sentences in English, as there are no English names for them. “I’m going to the Porst / to Porst Culag / to Uilleam’s Pool / the ‘Wireachan’,” etc.

There’s a ‘Port Lark’ too, but this probably has nothing to do with birds this time – it’s an Angliscised version of Port Làirig or Làirich (obscure: ‘port of the site / battlefield/ floor / ruins/ mares’– take your pick), given as ‘Laithich’ on the map – possibly an attempt to render the local pronunciation of soft ‘r’ as ‘th’. There are also ‘the Larachans’, a row of rocks beside the Port, which may have a related meaning.

(If anyone has more local knowlege about any of these, please get in touch! I’d love to learn as much as possible about them before it all gets forgotten.)

On the other side of Tarbat Ness, between the lighthouse and Portmahomack, Port is the most common name along the shore. These aren’t real harbours, just small anchorages, as this is the more sheltered side. It’s an interesting collection of names we find there too, including personal names, like ‘Port UIlleim’, or descriptive ones like ‘Port a’ Chrithinn’ (Port of the aspen trees), ‘Port nam Marbh’ (Port of the Dead), ‘Port a’ Chaisteil’ (Castle Port) etc. Wilkhaven is called ‘Port nam Faochag’, which literally means ‘port of the whelks’, a real harbour this time, small though it is, close to Tarbat Ness.

At the other end of the peninsula we have Beinn Neig, the Hill of Nigg, and the the coast around it with its crags and beaches. There fewer names on the map round here, perhaps because it was too dangerous for fishermen, with the ‘King’s Sons’ and ‘Creag Dhaibhaidh’ (Davy’s Rock), and there are many caves, like ‘the Kings Cave’. It’s probable that ‘Port an Druidh, noted by Watson, had nothing to do with druids but came from ‘Port an Righ’, King’s Port. It’s not absolutely certain who these kings were, but there are many legends about them. On top of the cliff is Castlecraig (Creag a’ Chaisteil), an important landmark to seamen far out at sea.

Although there are arguments for Viking roots in the word ‘Neig’ (possibly from ‘vik’, as we saw earlier), it’s also quite likely that it came from a Gaelic word:

eag, meaning a notch or cleft, or indentation. ‘The hill of of the cleft’ would be ‘Beinn an eige’ in Gaelic, which could easily have turned into Beinn Neig , and then Nigg. It’s not clear which ‘cleft’ would have been meant – the Bay of Nigg, the Sutors, or the site of Old Nigg Church on the edge of a small ravine. The Sutors in Gaelic are Na Sùdraichean, ‘place of the tanners’, so with all that leather about, perhaps the shoemaker stories are true!