Scottish Gaelic: Explained

Whilst you’re in Scotland it’s hard not to notice the ancient Gaelic language weaved into everyday life around you and the fascinating culture that stems from it. Gaelic dates back centuries and actually came across the water from Ireland in roughly the 6th century AD, quickly spreading across towns and cities Scotland-wide to later become the mother tongue of the medieval Kingdom of Alba. There are hundreds of Scottish place names that carry origins from the Gaelic language. Dundee in the east of Scotland, for example, takes its name from the Gaelic Dùn Dè meaning Tay Fort, and as the city sits on the banks of the River Tay, it’s a very fitting name. Similarly, on the shores of Loch Leven in the Highlands, the village of Ballachulish in Gaelic is Baile a’ Chaolais which translates into ‘the village by the narrows’, and, geographically speaking, this describes the location of Ballachulish perfectly. Historically speaking, Gaelic is closely linked with a variety of other Celtic language