Placenames
I was in Orkney recently. The place-names in Orkney are interesting. Most of them are Scandinavian.
I spent two days in Stromness. The ferry goes into Stromness. It’s a beautiful little town. And it’s very historic. Many people from Stromness went to
work for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada.
I was waiting for good weather because I was leaving in a yacht. But the weather wasn’t suitable.
Stromness means the “tidal current at the peninsula”. Close to the town there is a peninsula. There is a strong current in the narrows. It’s difficult
to sail against it.
South of Stromness is the island of Hoy. Hoy means “high island”. 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.
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.“Some-thing of the fèith” perhaps – of the bog channel?
I went to the library in Kirkwall. Kirkwall is the capital of Orkney. “How do I say this place-name?” I asked the librarian. But she was Irish! She
didn’t know.
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 “hill”. It’s common enough. And it’s not Gàidhealach at all.
But some people think that a few place-names in Orkney came from a Celtic language – Gaelic or Pictish. We’ll look at some next week.
Ainmean-àite
Bha mi ann an Arcaibh o chionn ghoirid. Tha na h-ainmean-àite ann an Arcaibh inntinneach. Tha a’ chuid as motha aca Lochlannach.
Chuir mi seachad dà latha ann an Stromness. Tha am bàt’-aiseig a’ dol a-steach a Stromness. ’S e baile beag brèagha a tha ann. Agus tha e gu math
eachdraidheil. Chaidh mòran à Stromness a dh’obair don Hudson’s Bay Company ann an Canada.
Bha mi a’ feitheamh ri deagh shìde oir bha mi a’ falbh ann an gheat. Ach cha robh an t-sìde freagarrach.
Tha Stromness a’ ciallachadh “sruth-mara aig an rubha”. Faisg air a’ bhaile, tha rubha ann. Tha sruth-mara làidir anns a’ chaolas. Tha e doirbh seòladh na
aghaidh.
Gu deas air Stromness tha eilean Hòdhaigh. Tha Hòdhaigh a’ ciallachadh “eilean àrd”. Agus tha e àrd. Chaidh mi seachad air an eilean anns a’
bhàt’-aiseig. Tha Hòdhaigh eadar-dhealaichte bhon chòrr de dh’Arcaibh. Tha mòinteach ann. Tha fraoch ann. Tha na h-eileanan eile torrach, feurach, ìosal.
Choimhead mi air mapa dhen eilean. Bha ainm no dhà ann a bha a’ coimhead rudeigin Gàidhealach. Bha aon ainm ann air a litreachadh c-l-i-c-k-n-a-f-e-a.
“Rudeigin na fèith” ’s dòcha – of the bog channel?
Chaidh mi don leabharlann ann an Kirkwall. ’S e Kirkwall prìomh bhaile Arcaibh. “Ciamar a chanas mi an t-ainm-àite seo?” dh’fhaighnich mi dhen
leabharlann-aiche. Ach bha ise Èireannach! Cha robh fios aice.
Gu fortanach bha boireannach eile ag obair ann. Bha ise à Arcaibh. Dh’innis i dhomh gur e Click-na-FIA a chanas iad. Fhuair mi a-mach gu
bheil fea a’ tighinn bhon t-seann Lochlannais fjall, a’ ciallachadh “cnoc”. Tha e cumanta gu leòr. Agus chan eil e Gàidhealach idir.
Ach tha feadhainn dhen bheachd gun tàinig cuid bheag de dh’ainmean-àite ann an Arcaibh à cànan Ceilteach – Gàidhlig no Cruithnis. Bheir sinn sùil air
feadhainn an ath-sheachdain.
