Gaelic guide for learners

Rubha an Èireannaich

We’re going to jump a few miles west to Skye this week, to look at the traditional story behind a place-name from the Broadford area: Rubha an Èireannaich ’the Irishman’s point’ writes Coinneach Macfhraing. Rubha is a common element in Gaelic place-names. A useful phrase to remember is gob an rubha, used for the end (literally the ‘beak’) of a promontory.

I heard the story from a recording of the late Rev. John Anderson of Torrin in Skye. In his version an Irish boat was in Sconser and a member of the crew, An t-èireannach Mòr ’the Big Irishman’, announced he wished to face the strongest man in Skye in combat. A Macqueen, elsewhere recorded as being Alasdair Òg Mac na Caillich ‘Young Alasdair, the Son of the Old Woman), rose to the challenge and gave the Irishman, in the reverend’s words, a dùr-bhuille ‘hard-beating’. The Irish boat fled but An t-èireannach Mòr died as they passed through the Sound of Scalpay and they took him ashore and buried him at the place still known as Rubha an Èireannaich. lsabhal Mòr Ostaig offers Gaelic learning opportunities at the College and by distancelearning www.smo.uhi.ac.uk