Dùn Èideann
Edinburgh
Usage
The capital of Scotland
Grammar Note
"Dùn" means fort. Write the grave accent (È); the older spelling "Dùn Éideann" with an acute is not current
Glaschu
Glasgow
Usage
Scotland's largest city
Grammar Note
In the genitive the initial lenites to "Ghlaschu", as in the airport name
Inbhir Nis
Inverness
Usage
The main city of the Highlands
Grammar Note
"Inbhir" means river mouth, so the name refers to the mouth of the River Ness
Obar Dheathain
Aberdeen
Usage
A port city in north-east Scotland
Grammar Note
"Obar" means river mouth, the same element as English "Aber-". "Dheathain" is the lenited form
Dùn Dè
Dundee
Usage
A city on the Firth of Tay
Grammar Note
The sign spelling is "Dùn Dè"; "dùn" means fort
Peairt
Perth
Usage
A historic town in central Scotland
Grammar Note
The Gaelic name "Peairt" looks quite different from English "Perth"
Sruighlea
Stirling
Usage
The town of Stirling Castle
Grammar Note
The sign spelling is "Sruighlea"; the castle is "Caisteal Shruighlea" with lenition
An t-Òban
Oban
Usage
A west-coast ferry port with boats to Mull and other islands
Grammar Note
The prefix "t-" appears between "an" and the vowel; the hyphen is part of the name
Port Rìgh
Portree
Usage
The main town of the Isle of Skye
Grammar Note
"Rìgh" carries a grave accent on the i
Steòrnabhagh
Stornoway
Usage
The main town of Lewis; the ferry from Ullapool arrives here
Grammar Note
The spelling "bh" stands for a /v/ sound, so it looks very different from the English name
Loch nam Madadh
Lochmaddy
Usage
The ferry port of North Uist
Grammar Note
"Loch nam madadh" means loch of the dogs; ferries arrive from Uig on Skye
Malaig
Mallaig
Usage
A port with ferries to Skye and the Small Isles
Grammar Note
Close to English "Mallaig", but with a single l in Gaelic
Inbhir Aora
Inveraray
Usage
A town on Loch Fyne, known for Inveraray Castle
Grammar Note
"Inbhir" means river mouth, the same element as in Inbhir Nis
An Gearasdan
Fort William
Usage
The town at the foot of Ben Nevis
Grammar Note
"Gearasdan" means garrison; the Gaelic name is not a translation of the English one
Inbhir Pheofharain
Dingwall
Usage
A historic town in the Highlands
Grammar Note
"Pheofharain" is a lenited form
Ulapul
Ullapool
Usage
The port town where the ferry to Stornoway sails
Grammar Note
The sign spelling is "Ulapul", with fewer l letters than the English name
Dùn Bheagain
Dunvegan
Usage
A village on Skye with Dunvegan Castle
Grammar Note
"Bheagain" is a lenited form; the castle is "Caisteal Dhùn Bheagain"
Calanais
Callanish
Usage
The prehistoric standing stones on Lewis
Grammar Note
The sign spelling is "Calanais", with a single l
Cùil Lodair
Culloden
Usage
The 1746 battlefield near Inverness
Grammar Note
"Cùil" has a grave accent on the u
Hiort
St Kilda
Usage
A remote uninhabited archipelago west of the Outer Hebrides; a World Heritage Site
Grammar Note
The Gaelic name "Hiort" bears no resemblance to the English "St Kilda"
Beinn Nibheis
Ben Nevis
Usage
The highest mountain in the British Isles (1,345 m)
Grammar Note
"Beinn" means mountain and appears in many mountain names
Loch Nis
Loch Ness
Usage
The loch famous for the Loch Ness monster legend
Grammar Note
"Loch" means lake or sea inlet
Loch Laomainn
Loch Lomond
Usage
A loch north of Glasgow, inside a national park
Grammar Note
The Gaelic spelling is "Laomainn", not "Lomond"
Loch Obha
Loch Awe
Usage
A long narrow loch in Argyll
Grammar Note
The letters "bh" can be pronounced /v/ or be silent
Gleann Comhann
Glen Coe
Usage
A famous valley in the Highlands
Grammar Note
"Gleann" means glen or valley; "Comhann" looks very different from the English "Coe"
An Càrn Gorm
Cairn Gorm
Usage
A mountain in the Cairngorms, known for skiing and hiking
Grammar Note
"Càrn" means cairn and "gorm" means blue; the article "an" is part of the name
Abhainn Spè
River Spey
Usage
The River Spey, with many whisky distilleries along it
Grammar Note
"Abhainn" means river; "Spè" carries a grave accent
Srath Spè
Strathspey
Usage
The broad valley of the River Spey
Grammar Note
"Srath" means a broad valley
Abhainn Chluaidh
River Clyde
Usage
The river that flows through Glasgow
Grammar Note
"Abhainn" is feminine and "Chluaidh" is a lenited form
Inbhir Ùige
Wick
Usage
A town in Caithness in the north-east
Grammar Note
"Inbhir" means river mouth
Cataibh
Sutherland
Usage
A region in the far north of Scotland
Grammar Note
The Gaelic name "Cataibh" has a different origin from English "Sutherland"
Tobar Mhoire
Tobermory
Usage
The colourful harbour town of Mull
Grammar Note
"Tobar" means well and "Mhoire" (lenited) means Mary's
Port Ìlein
Port Ellen
Usage
The ferry port of Islay
Grammar Note
"Ìlein" has a grave accent on the capital Ì
An t-Eilean Sgitheanach
Isle of Skye
Usage
A large island where Gaelic is still spoken
Grammar Note
"Eilean" means island; the "t-" appears after the article "an" before a vowel
Muile
Isle of Mull
Usage
A west-coast island with the town of Tobermory
Grammar Note
The Gaelic name is "Muile"
Ìle
Islay
Usage
An island famous for its many whisky distilleries
Grammar Note
Written with a grave accent on Ì; much shorter than English "Islay"
Diùra
Jura
Usage
A sparsely populated Hebridean island
Grammar Note
Written with a grave accent on the ù
Ì Chaluim Chille
Iona
Usage
The small island where St Columba is said to have founded an abbey
Grammar Note
The name means Columba's Iona; "Calum Cille" is St Columba
Barraigh
Barra
Usage
An island at the southern end of the Outer Hebrides, known for its beach runway
Grammar Note
Gaelic "Barraigh" is longer than English "Barra"
Uibhist a Deas
South Uist
Usage
An island in the Outer Hebrides
Grammar Note
"A Deas" means southern
Uibhist a Tuath
North Uist
Usage
The island with Lochmaddy
Grammar Note
"A Tuath" means northern
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Outer Hebrides
Usage
The heartland of Gaelic; the chain of western islands
Grammar Note
The plural article "na" takes "h-" before a vowel; "siar" means west
Leòdhas
Isle of Lewis
Usage
The largest island of the Outer Hebrides, with Stornoway
Grammar Note
Written with a grave accent on the ò
Na Hearadh
Isle of Harris
Usage
The island famous for Harris Tweed
Grammar Note
"Hearadh" begins with an h after "Na"
Eige
Eigg
Usage
One of the Small Isles
Grammar Note
The Gaelic name is "Eige"
Rùm
Usage
One of the Small Isles
Grammar Note
Written with a grave accent on the ù
Tiriodh
Tiree
Usage
A low-lying island in the Inner Hebrides
Grammar Note
The Gaelic name is "Tiriodh"
Colbhasa
Colonsay
Usage
An island in the Inner Hebrides
Grammar Note
"Bh" stands for a /v/ sound
Caisteal Dhùn Èideann
Edinburgh Castle
Usage
The castle on the rock in Edinburgh
Grammar Note
"Dùn" lenites to "Dhùn" in this construction after "Caisteal"
Caisteal Eilean Donnain
Eilean Donan Castle
Usage
A castle on a sea loch in the western Highlands, widely photographed
Grammar Note
The Gaelic name is "Caisteal Eilean Donnain"
Caisteal Shruighlea
Stirling Castle
Usage
The castle on the hill at Stirling
Grammar Note
"Sruighlea" lenites to "Shruighlea"
Pàrlamaid na h-Alba
Scottish Parliament
Usage
The parliament building in Edinburgh
Grammar Note
Uses the genitive "na h-Alba" (of Scotland)
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (the Gaelic college on Skye)
Usage
The Gaelic-medium college on Skye
Grammar Note
"Sabhal" means barn and "mòr" means big; note the grave accent
Alba
Scotland
Usage
The Gaelic name for Scotland
Grammar Note
The genitive is "na h-Alba" (of Scotland)
Port-adhair Dhùn Èideann
Edinburgh Airport
Usage
The busiest airport in Scotland
Grammar Note
"Dùn Èideann" lenites to "Dhùn Èideann" after the noun
Port-adhair Eadar-nàiseanta Ghlaschu
Glasgow International Airport
Usage
The international airport of Glasgow
Grammar Note
"Eadar-nàiseanta" means international; Glaschu lenites to "Ghlaschu"
Port-adhair Inbhir Nis
Inverness Airport
Usage
The airport of the Highlands
Grammar Note
"Inbhir Nis" does not change in this construction
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