‘An Dùbhlachd’ (pronounced ‘an doolachk’ with the ‘ch’ as in ‘loch’) means the ‘darkness’ or ‘blackness’ and of course refers to the short days and long nights that we have this month, leading to the winter solstice this year on Saturday 21st of December. These dark days of … Read More
‘An Dàmhair’ is the Scottish Gaelic for the month of October (roughly pronounced ‘an daah ver’). This is originally from ‘an damh-dàir’, which means the deer roaring time and of course in reference to the rutting season that we are currently experiencing in the Highlands. Anyone living in … Read More
‘An t-Sultain’ is the Scottish Gaelic for the month of September (roughly pronounced ‘an tool teen’). This is commonly thought to mean the ‘time of fattening’ in terms of livestock and getting them ready for winter and perhaps going off to market. The root word of this is … Read More
August in Scottish Gaelic is An Lùnasdal (roughly pronounced as “an loo-nas-dall) which comes from Lughnasadh, a Celtic festival when crofters, their survival dependant on their crops, celebrated the first fruits of the harvest, and Lugh, the Celtic Sun God. It was around this time of year that … Read More
June in Scottish Gaelic is ‘An t-Ògmhios’ (roughly pronounced as ‘an tawk veeus’) literally meaning the ‘young month’ though some people believe it means the early month in relation to how early the sun rises at this time of year. Of course, we enjoy long summer days in … Read More
‘An Cèitean’ is the Scottish Gaelic for the month of May (pronounced ‘an kaychan’). In certain parts of Scotland, May was also called in Gaelic A’ Mhàigh (pronunced ‘ah vye’) and more akin to the month as we have it in English. May traditionally marks the start of … Read More
‘An Giblean’ is the Scottish Gaelic for the month April (pronounced ‘an giplin’) As with the other months in the Gaelic calendar, the month of April was a period of time tied to the weather and the agricultural season rather than the fixed dates that we have in … Read More
‘Am Màrt’ is the Scottish Gaelic for the month March (pronounced ‘am marsht’ with the ‘a’ long as in aah). As with the other months in the Gaelic calendar, the month of March itself may have been a period of time tied in with the weather and the … Read More
In Scottish Gaelic, ‘An Gearran’ (pronounced ‘an gyaran’) is how we say February. We’re now half way into the month of February as we know it, but in Scottish Gaelic, February as a month is a relatively new concept! Traditionally, the Gaels worked in seasons and the natural … Read More
Unlike in English, the months in Gaelic are preceded by the word ‘the’ and as you would expect, are linked to describing that particular time of year. ‘An Dùbhlachd’ (pronounced ‘an doolachk’ with the ‘ch’ as in ‘loch’) means the ‘darkness’ or ‘blackness’ and of course refers to … Read More
November marks the end of the Celtic summer and the beginning of winter with An t-Samhain being the Gaelic word for the month and this time of year. This relates to the seasonal transition that was marked with the festival of Samhainn (pronounced soween – ‘sow’ as in … Read More
This autumn marks the 50th anniversary of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, recognised internationally as the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, located just 6 miles down the beautiful coastal road from Hotel Eilean Iarmain towards Armadale. In 1972, Sir Iain Noble set up Fearann Eilean Iarmain (of which … Read More
