Gaelic word of the week blog – Archaeology – Àrc-eòlas #gaelic

Oifigear Gàidhlig

Each week we publish the text of our Gaelic Word of the Week podcast here with added facts, figures and photos for Gaelic learners who want to learn a little about the language and about the Scottish Parliament – Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. This week our word is archaeology – arc-èolas.

The 17th of July to 1st August is the festival of British Archaeology so today we’re going to look at archaeology and it’s connection to the Scottish Parliament – Pàrlamaid na h-Alba.

The Gaelic for archaeology is arc-eòlas.

The word in eòlas arc-èolas means “knowledge” and can also be found in the name of many other subjects such as bith-eòlas – “life knowledge” or biology, sòisèolas – sociology and many more.

So what does arc-eòlas have to do with the Scottish Parliament – Pàrlamaid na h-Alba?

Care of historic monuments is a devolved power which the Scottish Parliament – Pàrlamaid na h-Alba – is responsible for.

Our connection is not just about what is discussed in the Parliament building, however, but also in what is to be found below it!

The area has an important history – eachdraidh – which is of interest to archaeology – arc-eòlas.

Buildlng at the Scottish Parliament From Wikimedia Commmons by Finlay MacWilliam

The Parliament building is situated in a very ancient area of Edinburgh – Dùn Èideann, right next door to Holyrood Abbey which was established by King David 1 in 1128.

Several royal visitors lodged at the abbey’s guest house which later became a royal palace in 1501 during the reign of James IV – the last Scottish king known to speak Gaelic.

Today this is still a royal residence and is known as the Palace of Holyrood House which is also our next door neighbour!

Holyrood is an interesting name – rood is an old English word for cross. The word cross was borrowed into English from Latin via Gaelic from speaking churchmen, crois being the Gaelic for cross.

The Canongate in Edinburgh was a prosperous area by the 16th century but later fell into decline in the 1700s and the development of the New Town. The area where the Parliament is situated today became tenements housing and then in 1781 became a brewery and remained so until the 1950s. The Queensberry House part of the building was initially a mansion house before becoming a hospital.

Due to the rich history – eachdraidh – of the site, some archaeological investigation – rannsachadh arc-eòlais – was done in 1998 before building work on our new Parliament commenced. The investigations confirmed the survival of deep soils dating back to the medieval era on part of the site. They found indications of prehistoric human activities as well as a great amount of information about the use of the land in all the periods already mentioned.

Interestingly, one of the many interesting findings of archaeologists – àrc-eòlaichean was that during the later medieval and post-medieval periods most of the site was decorative gardens. This tradition continues today with the Parliament’s garden which you can see from our Garden Lobby.

You can read the very detailed archaeological report on the site by clicking on this link: journals.socantscot.org/index.php/sai…iew/2450/2430

And if you speak Gaelic or are learning Gaelic and want to learn more about archaeology in Gaelic, you may also be interested in the DigIt! – Discover Scotland’s story website which contains a variety of blog posts in Gaelic, Scots and English about archaeology written in very accessible language.

This week’s Gaelic WoW is archaeology: arc-eòlas.

Alasdair MacCaluim

Gaelic Development Officer

Gaelic word of the week blog – sun – a’ Ghrian

Oifigear Gàidhlig

https://soundcloud.com/scotparl/grian

Each week we publish the text of our Gaelic Word of the Week podcast here with added facts, figures and photos for Gaelic learners who want to learn a little about the language and about the Scottish Parliament – Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. This week our word is the sun – a’ ghrian.

The Gaelic for the sun is a’ Ghrian. Sunny is Grianach. To say sunbathing, you’d say “a’ gabhail na grèine” – taking the sun.

If you were to enjoy the sun in the landscaped areas outside the Parliament, you would see some grian-ròs – literally “sun rose” growing on the roof of the Parliament. This is the Gaelic for rock-rose, a plant which butterflies – dealain-dè really like.

The sun features in some Gaelic proverbs such as “Cha mhair grian na maidne fad an latha” – literally “the morning sun won’t last all day” which basically is the same as the English saying “all good things must come to an end”.

And surprisingly grian even features in a place-name – this is Greenock which is a town in the Inverclyde constituency in the West of Scotland region. Greenock – Grianag – means the sunny knoll according to the classic place-names study Celtic Placenames of Scotland by WJ Watson.

This week’s Gaelic WoW is grian.

Alasdair MacCaluim

Gaelic Development Officer

alasdair.maccaluim@parliament.scot

Gaisgich coimhearsnachd gan sireadh #gàidhlig

Oifigear Gàidhlig

Chaidh ainmeachadh an-diugh gu bheil Pàrlamaid na h-Alba a’ sìreadh 129 gaisgich coimhearsnachd ionadail.

Thathar ag iarraidh air a h-uile Ball de Phàrlamaid na h-Alba aon neach-taghaidh aca a mholadh a thug cuideachadh a-mach às an àbhaist do bheatha dhaoine eile a tha a’ fuireach ann an Alba no thall thairis aig àm pandemic COVID-19.

Thèid cuireadh a thoirt dhan fheadhainn a thèid a thaghadh leis a’ Bhall aca a bhith mar phàirt de dh’Fhosgladh na Pàrlamaid, a thèid a chumail tràth san Dàmhair gus seisean ùr na Pàrlamaid a chomharrachadh gu foirmeil.  

Thuirt Oifigear Riaghlaidh Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, Alison Johnstone BPA:  

“Mar luchd-pàrlamaid chuala sinn uile gu dìreach mu na suidheachaidhean doirbh a thàinig air na coimhearsnachdan againn ri linn a’ ghalair seo. Ach a bharrachd air seo, chuala sinn a leithid de sgeulachdan a bha nan togail-inntinn mu dhaoine is mu choimhearsnachdan a’ tighinn còmhla gus an fheadhainn as so-leònte a dhìon.  

“Agus sinn a’ tòiseachadh air an t-seisean ùr seo den Phàrlamaid, tha sinn làn rùin, dòchais is dealais cùisean a dhèanamh nas fheàrr do mhuinntir na h-Alba. Tha e iomchaidh, mar sin dheth, gum faod sinn an t-àm seo a chur gu feum gus seanchas nan daoine air feadh na h-Alba a thug an dòchas sin do dhaoine eile innse.

“Agus sinn a’ feuchainn ri slànachadh agus an dùthaich againn a thogail às ùr, tha mi moiteil gum faod a’ Phàrlamaid seo a cuid a dhèanamh le bhith a’ comharrachadh is a’ moladh nan daoine sin a rinn uimhir a dhiofar deimhinneach aig àm doirbh.”

Cùl-fhiosrachadh

Tha Gaisgich Ionadail air a bhith an sàs ann am fosglaidhean Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ann an 2007, 2011 agus 2016.

Gus barrachd fhaighinn a-mach mu ainmeachadh, cuir fios dhan Bhall ionadail agad.