THE GAELIC

Gaidhlig

Gaelic, the language of Highland piping

What does the Gaelic language have to do with Highland piping? Those pipers who have considered piobaireachd know that many of the early works have Gaelic titles, often translated more or less accurately into English. Indeed, many tunes in the ceòl beag tradition, particularly slow airs and reels, also originally had Gaelic titles. The original titles give a sense of what the composer was thinking when the tune originated. The vocabulary of piping has many terms relating back to the origins of Highland piping. The "urlar" of a pìobaireachd literally does mean the ground or base of the tune, i.e. the basic melody on which the subsequent variations are based. But it also has the sense of floor of beaten earth as an early Highland shanty ("sean taigh" or old house) would have had. Likewise, terms such as leumluath, crunluath also have meaning. From an historical point of view, the canntaireachd which draws on Gaelic sounds, was used to teach piping at schools operated by such families as the MacCrimmons.

Gaelic piping terms

GAIDHLIG	PRONOUNCED	MEANING
piobaireachd	PEEP-air-echd	action of piping, i.e. bagpipe playing (not a "pibroch")
ceol mor	kee-OHL more	"big music" meaning pibroch as we now call it
ceol beag	kee-OHL bek	"little music", traditional music (jigs, strathspeys, reels, etc) and marches
urlar
crunluath
leumluath
canntaireachd
puirt a beul
coronach		lament (for somebody who has died)
ruidhle
srath		strathspey
coronach		jig
piobaire, piobairean		piper, pipers
drummair, drummairean		drummer, drummers
comhlan-ciuil		band

Gaelic dress terms

GAIDHLIG	PRONOUNCED	MEANING
bonaid		bonnet
		tie
		cap badge
		shirt
sheacaid	sha-katch	jacket
		belt
		buckle
feileadh beag, feileadh mor		little kilt (i.e. common today), big kilt (6 yards of tartan cloth pleated, belted, and and pinned over shoulder)
sporain		sporran
		hose
		flashes
		kilt pin
		brogues (i.e. shoes)
		rain cape
		fly plaid
		broach
triubhais	tree-oo-ish	trews or trousers

Gaelic that you already know

GAIDHLIG	PRONOUNCED	MEANING
slainte, slainte mhath	SLAWN-tcha, SLAWN-tcha vah	health, good health (a typical toast)
gu leor	goo lay-OR	"galore", plenty or enough
sean taigh	shawn ty-ee	"shanty" meaning an old house
sluagh ghairm	sloo-ach-ayrm	"slogan", a call to battle
's math sin	sma-shin	"smashing", meaning that is good
bard	bart	"bard", a poet
bansidh	ban-shee	"banshee", a wailing fairy
loch	lawgh	"loch", a lake
clann	klownn	"clan", extended family, literally children
gleann	glen	"glen", a valley with a V shaped bottom
beinn	ben	"ben", a hill e.g. Ben Nevis
bog	bog	"bog", soft, wet, as in a swamp
burn	bern	"burn", a stream
cabar	kah-bar	"caber", a pole
carn	kahrn	"cairn", a pile of stones
ceilidh	KAY-lee	"ceilidh", a party, literally a visit
creag	krayg	"crag", an individual spike of rock
dun	duhn	a hilltop, often associated with a prehistoric fort
gille	gill-ay	"gillie", a boy, a servant,
mor	mohr	big
plaide	play-day	"plaid" or blanket
Sasannach	sah-sehn-ak	Saxon, i.e. an Englishman
srath	strah	a broad valley with a U shaped bottom

Common Gaelic expressions

GAIDHLIG	PRONOUNCED	MEANING
Ciamar a tha thu? (...sibh?)	KIM-mer ah ha oo (...shiv)	how are you (sibh: formal or plural)
Tha mi gu math	hah me goo mah	I am well
Chaneil mi gu math	hach-neel me goo mah	I am not well
Tha mi sgithe	hah me skEE	I am tired
Tha mi toilichte	hah me tow-ee-leek-ta	I am happy
failte	FALL-tcha	welcome
Madainn mhath	ma-ten vah	good morning
Feasgar math	fess-gar mah	good afternoon or evening
Oidhche mhath	uh-eek-yah-vah	good night
Tha i fuar an-diugh	hah ee foor an-choo	It's cold today
Tha i blath an-diugh	hah ee foor an-choo	It's warm today
Tha i teth an-diugh	hah ee chay an-choo	It's hot today
Tha i breagtha an-diugh	hah ee bree-ay-hach an-choo	It's beautiful today
Tha i grianach an-diugh	hah ee gree-an-akh an-choo	It's sunny today