Sabhal Mor-G. Į Uncertain. The definition may be Barn Sabhal Beag-G. ) like, or protecting mountain. LAKES. Borlay-N., bjorr, a small piece of land, and lja, mown grass, or lea, in reference to a small triangular island in the lake, lake of the small piece of mowing land, or lea land, pronounced, boralaidh. Crosspuill-G., crois, crucifix, and poll, a pool, or deep stagnant water; Wel., croes; Corn., crois; Manx, crosh; Ir., crois; Fr., croix; Lat., crux, a cross, crucifix. The ancient church of Balnacille stood near this lake, probably a cross or crucifix was erected near it, hence the name lake of the cross, or pool of the cross.* Duloch-G., du, black, and loch, lake, the black lake, in refer ence to the very dark colour of its water. It is to be observed that the usual place of adjectives in Celtic languages is after the noun which it qualifies, but when greater force is meant to be conveyed, the adjective precedes the noun, as in this case, from the water of this lake being very dark. In Assynt we have Loch-du, there it is not the water that is dark, but the surrounding mountains on each side of it, which causes the lake to have a sombre appearance. The same qualifications in certain adjectives occur in the French as in the Celtic language, from the Gaulish idioms being preserved. Dion-ard-G., dion, sheltered, and ard, height, lake of the sheltered high land. This lake gives its name to the river issuing from it, and to the valley through which the river flows. This is another instance of the adjective being before the noun to give it a stronger expression. Erriboll-N., an arm of the sea running 11 miles inland between mountain ridges, in the shape of a tail, inducing the supposition that the Gaelic word earball, tail, might be the proper definition. It is not so; the derivation of the word is from the Norse. On the eastern bank of this lake was a Norse settlement, which they named Eyrri-böll-eyrri, gravelly bank, and böll, a settlement, an abode, a habitation, equivalent to the Gaelic word "baile ;" the signification of the word therefore is the settlement on, or near, the gravelly tongue of land, which it really is. Erriboll farm has now about 200 acres of plough land. Torfaeus calls Erriboll the Gia-fiord, from the Norse words gja, a rift or chasm in the land, and fjord, firth. He states that Haco, on his way home *It may be Norse, from Kross, crucifix, and polle, pond or pool. wards from the battle of Largs, was becalmed in Gia ford, and some of his men who had landed and gone plundering were attacked by the "Scots" (the natives) and slain. Haco, on his southward voyage to the battle of Largs, put in at Durness, burned more than twenty villages, and destroyed a castle, of which we shall see more in place names. Hope-N., hòp, a small land-locked inlet connected with the sea, salt at flood, fresh at ebb-tides. Such is Loch Hope; only a few feet above sea-level, the sea water at spring tide flows into the lake, and recedes at ebb tides. Meadie-G., meud, size, big, the big-sized lake. Polla--G., poll, pool, and ath, ford, or poll, pool, and abh, or amh, O.G. for fluid, water, the ford at the pool, or the pools of water, giving name to several places in Sutherland. Sgeirach-G., lake of the rocky banks. Ula—G., ula; O.G., beard, bearded grass, lake of the bearded grass. RIVERS. Allt-a-Mhuillinn-G., the mill stream, the stream at the mill, or from the mill. Allt-aphris gill-G., stream of the white bush. Allt-druim-na-droinn-G., druim, top, back; droinn, gen. of dronn, ridge, the stream of the ridge back. Allt-na-Caillich-G., the stream of the old woman, or nun; Cailleach, old woman, or nun; in derision, a coward. It is at the end of Strathmore, and on its banks Rob Donn was born. Allt-a-choir-ghrannda-Coire, a circular hollow, a mountain dell, and grannda, ugly; Wel., gwrthan, the ugly dell; Scot., corrie ; Manx, correy. Allt-nan-eithreag-G., eithreag, cloudberry, stream of the cloudberries. Allt-na-feithe-buidhe-G., stream of the yellow bog; feithe, bog; buidhe, yellow. Allt-an-easair-ghil—G., easan, dim; of eas, waterfall; and ghil, dim; and gen. of geal, white, stream of the white little waterfall, in reference to the colour of the rock being limestone; Ir., geal; Manx, gial; Gr., gala, milk; Wel., gwyn, white, fair. Allt-a-gharbh-alt-G., the rough rapid stream, with high banks; alt, high bank or precipice. Allt-poll-na-damph-G., the stream of the pool of the stags, where they were wont to come to drink; damph, ox, or stag. Amhuinn Stra-choir-'an-easaich-G., the river in the valley of the mountain dell, abounding in waterfalls; Amhuinn or Amhainn, river; Stra, valley; coire, mountain dell; easaich, full of waterfalls. Amhuinn-na-buaigheal du-G., buaigheal du, black ragwort or groundsel, river of the black ragwort; query, Buaile du, black fank. Amhuinn Chreabhaig-G, takes its name from Loch Cearbaig, corruption of seamraig, shamrock, river of the shamrocks. See Cearbaig in place names. Amhuinn-na-Claigionaich-G., claigion, skulls, river of the skulls, in reference to the skull-shaped hills amongst which the river winds, and from which its various branches rise. Claiginn is common in hill names, very descriptive. Amhuinn Dionard-See the lake of same name. Amhuinn-gleann-gollie-G., gleann, glen; gollie = goill or gaill, plu. of gall, a stranger, or any foreigner who does not speak Gaelic, was so termed, the glen of the strangers. Rob Donn calls this glen "Gleann gallaidh nan craobh." This glen is not far from the head of Loch Erriboll. It was probably into this glen that Haco's men made a foray when becalmed in Loch Erriboll for provisions, taking everything they could seize and carry away. By the side of Loch Erribcll is a stone called "leac-a-bho," which tradition relates was the stone upon which Haco ordered the cattle to be slaughtered. Haco's men did not escape unpunished. The natives gathered together, attacked the Norwegians, slew many of them, and hastened Haco's departure. It is possible that this glen, ever after that incident, may have been called "Gleannna-goill," the glen of the foreigners. Sutherland people still call the people of Caithness to this day "Gallaich." Gallaich has become Gally, or Gallie, a surname in Ross-shire, fugitives from Caithness, when the Gunns were expelled, who obtained asylum in Ross, chiefly about Tain, and adopted the surname Gally, or Gallie. ISLANDS, CAPES, BAYS. Garvellan--G., an-garbh-eilean, the rough island, 1077 feet above sea level. Cleit du G. and N., cleit, rugged height, precipiece, and du, black; N. klettr, cliff, equally applicable. This is an instance of a Gaelic and Norse word, signifying the same aspect, probably adopted from the Norse, though seemingly common to both. are many such instances. There A Chleit-G. and N., the rugged height, or cliff, in Balnacille bay. Cas-leac-G., cas leac, contorted stone, island of the contorted flat stones; Ir., leac; Manx, lhec, plu. lhic; Wel., llech; Corn. lech; Arm., lech; flat-stone, flag. I Ghoil--I is Norse, from ey, an island, ghoil, boiling, the island of the boiling, in reference to the boiling of the waves, meeting from different directions at the isle. I Ghoil sgeir-I, island as above, ghoil, boiling, and sgeir, rock hidden at high tide, waves breaking and boiling over it. Hoan N., hvòan, the plant angelica, much esteemed by the Norse for flavouring ale; they found the plant here, and so named the island, which is fertile and green. It was inhabited till within recent years. It contains an ancient burying place, 83 feet above sea level. Choarie-This is the name given in ancient charters; it is situated in Loch Erriboll, has excellent herbage. Its signification. is uncertain; if its derivation be from Norse, it may signify "the fold island," from kviar, a fold, and ey, island, the k pronunciation being obliqued by the natives to ch. Cattle were wont to be swam to the island, both for keep and protection. In the island they were as safe as in a fold. In modern maps, this island is named An-coir-eilean, which is Gaelic, from corra, a heron; its signification then would be "the heron island." This island had also a burying place in it. It has been said that the coast inhabitants preferred in ancient times to bury the dead on islands along the coast for protection from the wolves. Choarie, or, An-corra-eilean, is entirely composed of limestone, and 74 feet above sea level. Cluimh-Beig-G., Cluimh, or cloimh, wool, down, and breac, speckled, the island of speckled, downy, or soft grass. Clò-Mor-N., from klofi; N., for cleft in a rock, and mor, G., the big cleft. Stac-clo-chearbaig-N. and G., stac, from staki, N., like a hay stack; clo, N., cleft as above, and cearbag, place name near the stack at the cleft, near Cearbaig. Gualinn-a chairn-G., gualinn, shoulders; chairn, gen. of carn, heap of stones or rocks, shoulders of the cairn, in reference to a projection of Far-out-head. Far-out-head, Fair-head-N., forad, dangerous place or preci piece. Gob-nan-leac-G., gob, beak, or snout-like; leac, flat or flagstone, another projecting point of the Far-out-head, indicating difference in stratification. Sean-chaisteal-G., old castle, long ago in ruins, probably the one destroyed by Haco, in his voyage southwards to Largs in 1263. The history, by Torfaeus, of that expedition relates that here were burnt 20 hamlets, and a castle demolished." The ruins of this castle are on a point of land called the "Adag Mhor," half a-mile from Durness, less distance from Balna-cille. The ruins of the castle or fort, standing to view like an adag (a small stack of corn in a field), may have given the name Adag" to the immediate locality. Pocan, Smoo-G., pocan, a little bag, in reference here to a bag-like entrance to the Smoo ravine. Poll-a-chait fhiadhaich--G., pool of the wild cat; this proves that wild cats existed in Durness, as in other parts of Sutherland. An du-sgeir-G., the black rock; sker., N., rock in the sea. Sgeir leathan-G., the broad rock. Bagh-geisgeach-G., bagh, bay; geisgeach, the name of the river falling into the bay, signifying rushing, roaring sound, the bay of the roaring noise or sound. Bagh chearbaig-G., bay, and cearbaig, query, seamraig, the shamrock, near Loch an t-Seamraig, and Geodha-na-seamraig-G., geodha, geotha, geothadh, and geo, creek, cove, and seamrag, shamrock or trefoil, the creek of the shamrocks. See Cearbuig in place names. Geodha-na-gobhlachan Duibhe-G. geo, creek; gobhlachan, prongs, forks, splits, clefts in rock; and du, black; in reference to the creek dividing itself into limbs like forks; gobhlachan, swallows. Geodha-ruadh-na-fola-G., the red creek of blood, probably so named from the blood shed there in opposing a landing of the Norsemen. Geodha-glas-G., the hoary creek, in reference to the tint of the rocks. Geodha-sligach-G., the shelly creek, a creek in which shells abound. Rispond-G., rudha, promontory; and spuinn, plunder, probably so named from Norse times, when those pirates landed there from their ships, plundered the inhabitants, and made off with the spoils to the point, and sailed away. On this coast are many a rudha, all indicative of their aspect, as Ceann-Geal-G., the White head, now termed the Whitenhead, a bold promontory east side of Loch Erriboll, entirely composed of stratified lime stone, 935 feet high. In its sea face are remarkable caves. |