Letter To Gaelic Learners

Ruairidh has come across two trees that have Gaelic names, but no English names. He describes these in this week’s podcast. He also describes a tree called “The Làmh Tree”. Find out the origins of this name in this week’s podcast. Accompanying ...

Another letter from Canna this week. Ruaraidh was telling us about Coroghan Castle where the wife of Black Donald of the Cuckoo was held captive. This week, Ruairidh tells us more about this character, a clan-chief who would lock up his wife. Find out ...

Ruairidh leaves the Isle of Eigg this week, but he remains in the Small Isles as he heads off to the Isle of Canna.\n\nThere is a place in Canna called Coroghon Castle. It’s not a normal castle. In Gaelic it’s called the Corra-dhùn. The steep fort ...

Ruairidh leaves the Isle of Eigg this week, but he remains in the Small Isles as he heads off to the Isle of Canna.\n\nThere is a place in Canna called Coroghon Castle. It’s not a normal castle. In Gaelic it’s called the Corra-dhùn. The steep fort ...

The Isle of Eigg’s nickname is the Isle of the Big Women. According to oral tradition, it goes back to the Seventh Century. The island was still under the control of the Picts. Indeed, it was under the control of a Pictish queen. Find out more about ...

How familiar are you with Scotland’s islands? This week Ruairidh examines nicknames associated with three islands. Do you where The cross-wise island, The kingdom of the wild forest and The island of the big women are located? Find out in this week’s ...

Last week, Ruairidh was telling us about what the opinion Gaels had of goats in times gone by. That was that they were capable of killing and eating snakes. Well, it’s interesting how often the goat appears in Gaelic proverbs “The thing that kept the ...

How often have you seen a goat in Scotland? Ruairidh does not mean a big white goat behind a white fence, but wild goats who live in the moors. He has seen some many times, in places like the Black Isle, an Colonsay in Strath Spey and, more recently, in ...

Over the past fortnight Ruairidh has been looking at the poetry and life of Rob Donn. This week, he will take one final look at a piece Rob Donn wrote. This piece is about the difference in attitudes between the Gaels and lowland Scots, in particular the ...

Your ears do not deceive you, the introduction to this week’s letter is the same as last week’s, but Ruairidh just wants to say a little more about this poem. Specifically he wants to talk about the Glen that features in this poem, where there was a ...

Ruairidh begins this week’s letter with a refrain from a famous Gaelic poem originating from one of the most northerly points of the Highlands, the MacKay Country (of North Sutherland). It was written by the famous Gaelic poet, Rob Donn. Accompanying ...

Eric MacLeod and his family moved to Kerracher on the shore of Loch a’ Chàirn Bhàin in Assynt in 1976. The old house wasn’t in a good condition. They had to get a caravan to Kerracher, but unfortunately for them there was no road. Learn more about ...

This summer Ruairidh got the chance to go to a garden that he always wanted to see. It’s a public garden with lovely flowers and it has plenty visitors. In tha way, it’s like Inverewe Gardens or gardens of that type which are all along the Highland ...

More often than not, Ruairidh talks about subjects pertaining to the Highlands. However, this week he will talk to you about an event that occurred, outside the Highlands, although every mothers’ son will understand why this week’s subject affects ...

Last week Ruairidh started telling us about The lady of Lawers, who had sight. It is thought that she lived in the seventeenth century. She planted a tree beside the church in Lawers and she made a prophecy regarding it. At around 1880, two men dug up ...

Ben Lawers is above Loch Tay. It\nis in Perthshire. The mountain is\nvery high. It’s covered with snow\nin the winter. And it’s famous for\nplants.\n\nLawers is also the name of a\nsmall settlement and an area\nadjacent to Loch Tay. Gaelic ...

Ben Lawers is above Loch Tay. It\nis in Perthshire. The mountain is\nvery high. It’s covered with snow\nin the winter. And it’s famous for\nplants.\n\nLawers is also the name of a\nsmall settlement and an area\nadjacent to Loch Tay. Gaelic ...

Ruairidh talks about the meaning of the word "farach" and The Doctrine of Signatures.

Ruairidh talks of the the Island of Boreray in this weeks letter. Boreray\nmeans "fort-island" in Old Norse.\nIt's close to North Uist and Berneray.