Placenames of Glenuig - Garbh Criochan a Deas

Placenames of Glenuig
(Updated 1 August, 2008)
The Glen
Gleann Uige - the glen of the bay - most places by the sea with the ending aig or uige
come from the norse word "vik" meaning bay and show the mixtures of culture within
the area.
Sgur Reithe Mor agus Beag - Big and small ram's rock - These are the names given to
the two rocks or skerries at the entrance to Glenuig Bay
An Duin - a variation of Dun - this lump of rock lies just in front of Glenuig Inn and
means lump or heap because of its shape. It was the place where the folk of Glenuig
would meet in the mornings to discuss te day’s tasks, a bit like the St Kilda
“parliament”.
Allt an Loin Chladaich - burn of the small meadow with river channel or of the shore
Allt - burn
Loin - small burn with marshy sides or small meadow.
Cladach - shore
Cladaich - channel of a river (MacEachans G.Dict. Arasaig & Badenoch)
Ath na Moine (or Monadh) - ford of the peat or hill/moor. This was where the burn
was crossed as the peats were carried down off the hill to the village - now known as
Monessie, possibly due to its resemblace to Monessie Gorge near Roy Bridge or as a
corruption of moine.
Seannlag - old hollow - this has been misspelt as Seannlac on most maps leading to
some confusion.
Bealach Carach - twisting or meandering pass - this pass leading over to Loch Moidart
used to twist and turn up to the summit of the hill before the new road was built.
Cruach na Cuilidh Moire - probably the hill of the hollow but see below.
Cruach - rounded hill standing alone
Cuilidh - hollow
Cuilidh Moire - the sea, literally the treasure of Mary
Loch ne Dreipe (Streipe - genative of Steupe) – Loch of the skirmish?

Around the Coast
Rudha na h-Aird Eanachaidh -
Rudha - promontory (ruadha has been misspelt as ruabha on most OS maps)
Aird - high point
Eanach - the grass "Nardus Stricta", a thin stemmed grass that is indigestable to sheep.
-aidh - meaning the home of ?
This name has passed into general use as Ardanachan, the name given to the crofts
south of the peninsula.
Port na Gralloch - this small inlet on the north side of Rubha Aird Eanachaidh was
used by the people of the glen to kill and gralloch their cattle, away from the eyes of
children, before they were salted and put onto the boats that would carry them away to
distant lands.
Port nan Luinge - Port of the longships - The bay to the south of Rubha na h-Aird
Eanachaidh was used by fisherman to shelter their boats from the winter storms. The
berths that they dug out of the machair can still be seen.
Samalaman - This name in probably of norse origin and the only suggested meaning is
Summerland from the Old Norse - Sumarland.
A seminary for "Heather Priests ie. Gaelic speaking" was founded in the house by
Bishop Aleaander MacDonald in 1783 until it moved to Lismore in 1804.
Saideal Samalaman - Drying out bay? of Samalaman
An Garbh Phort - the rough port - this inlet lies at the bottom of the field in front of
Rose Cottage and gives its name to the burn flowing down from Lochan Dubh - Allt a'
Gharbh Phuirt
Port/Aird nan Iasgaich - Port/Point of the fishing
Port/Aird nan Iasgair - Port/Point of the fisherman - The name of this inlet and house
has been changed to Ardbeg.
Poll Beag - Rubh' a Phuill Bheag - Promontory of the small marshy meadow.
Allt Ruadh - the red burn - flows down from Loch na Bairness through Blar Eorna.
Rubha Ghead a Leighe
Gead - small spot of arable land, lazy bed
Leig - ?? - perhaps from liagh (gun leighe) ladle, blade of an oar (connected with Dail
an leigh ?)
Lon Liath - Port an Loin Leithe - port of the grey meadow
Am Boc - the buck - this rock lies just to the north of Smirisary and is covered by high
water. (Also possibly spelt Boc meaning pimple or swelling)
Faing Mor - Rubha an Fhaing Mhoire - Promontory of the big fank or sheepfold.

Goirtean - a small patch of arable land - Katie MacLean's (nee Gillies) family lived in
this house until leaving for Glenuig in the spring of 1946. The tenancy of the croft
then passed to M.Leigh.
Cnoc man a' Churaich - hillock of the bog (or poss. skin boat?) lies between Goirtean
and Smirisary
Port nan Doichgil - probably from Doicheall meaning inhospitable. Despite it's name
this was the main port for the boats from Smirisary.
Seann Rubha - the old point
Port nan Pollaig - Port of the pollack (or perhaps small pool)
Port nam Feannagan - port of the lazybeds or crows?
Glac nan Loin or Glac Sloc an Lin - hollow of the nets, a 1/2 acre of ground sloping
down to Port nam Feannagan where the fisherman's nets were laid out to dry and to be
repaired.
Glac - hollow
Sloc - hollow, cavity
Lin - genative of Lion - a net
Cnoc an-t Sabhail - hillock of the barn ( or possibly protection?)
Smiorisairaidh - Butter sheiling.
Smior - probably from ON. Smjor - butter.
Airaidh - sheiling
Also possibly smior - strong, strength, best part (or possibly from "smeur" meaning
brambles)
This crofting township was probably quite small until the time of the clearances when
the people of Glen Moidart, Brunery and Assary, were cleared off the fertile lands
down to the inhospitable edge of the sea.
Three men (2 MacIsaaks (sic) and a MacDonald) are listed as coming from Smerissary in
the Clanranald roll of arms in 1745.
Toll Uaine - green hole, the small byre next to the sea at Smirisary. Last lived in by
Ceit Mhor (Big Kate)
Tobar Mhairearaid - Margaret's well, the well in Toll Uaine
Blaran Boidheach - pretty little field - this field (about 11/4 acres) lay next to the house
occupied by M.Leigh in Smirisary. .
Port Achadh an Aonach - the port of the rough hillside - this isolated patch of green
grass lies south of the old crofting village of Smirisary Commonly referred tonow as
the “White Sands”. Aonach is also the name given to the steep craggy hissdide at the
west end of Eilean Shona.

An Glas Eilean - the grey island
Eilean Coille - the island of trees, wooded island?
Rubha nan Clach Dearg - promontory of the red rock- there is a seam of red rock
running through the country that can be seen at this point.
Am Bodha Dearg - the red submerged rock - this is the name given to the submerged
rock just off the point of the same name. (On OS maps as An Bo Dearg meaning the
red cow)
Rubha na h-Oitir - promontory of the rock jutting out into the sea.
An Liath Chreag - the grey rock, outcrop or cliff
Bad an Dobhrain -
Bad - tuft or cluster, thicket, clump of trees or shrubs.
Dobhrain - fresh water otter.
A house was built here about 1875 for a Macdonald so that he could distill whisky
away from the eyes of the excise man at Egnaig, two small brewhouses are located on
the stream above the house.
Egnaig - again partly ON meaning bay and Eig or Eig meaning indented, notched.
This small village was habited until the 50's by two old men. It was an important
township in it's day with at least nine houses Alasdair MacMhaister Alasdair stayed
here after Culloden and wrote a poem about the village called "Imrich, Alasdair, a
Eignaig" - " Flit, Alasdair, from Eignaig".
Aultigil - burn on the mountainside or perhaps white burn?
Ault - burn
Gil - watercourse on a mountainside (Alex.Carmichael)
or Geal - white
Caolas - narrows, the ford to Shona Bheag accessible at low tide.

The hills and inland
Monadh Gleann Uige
Monadh - mountain or moor, range, heath or tolerably level hill ground, hillpasture as
distinct from meadow or arable land.
Cnoc Feannaig - hillock of the crows - above Samalaman beach
Loch na Bairness - "ness" comes from the norse for promontary and the name may be
connected to a Norse god.
Cruach na Bairness - rounded hill standing alone - NE of Loch na Bairness
Lochan Dubh / An Dubh Lochan - the black lochan - lying just west of Loch na
Bairness, also name of small loch behind Samalaman House.
An Druim - the ridge - at the end of the present road to Smirisary before descending to
Blar Eorna on the path to Smirisary. The path was improved in 1894 by the crofters
with the aid of a grant from the Scottish Office.
Blar Eorna - barley field- the hollow where Donald MacIsaac has a croft house.
Tigh an Fhigheadair - the house of the weaver- this small ruin lies south of Blar
Eorna.
Cnoc a' Mhullain - hillock of the stack or mill.
An Lon - marshy flat or hollow, meadow with a small burn with marshy banks -
cultivated until the 50's by the crofters from Smirisary.
Faing Mhic Phaill - MacPhail's fank - at the top of the path to Smirisary is an old fank
called after a man who died there suddenly when gathering.
Laran Mor - probably a big expanse of ground - the peat bank used by the crofters
from Smirisary.
Lar - earth, ground?
Sources
Ronald MacDonald (Ronald tailor)
Iain MacMaster
Margaret Leigh - A Spade among the Rushes
Wendy Wood - Moidart and Morar
O.S. maps
Dwelly's Dictionary
Gordon Barr

North Moidart
Muideart - probably from ON - Muddy Fiord.
An Dun - the fort, this dome of rock as the road leaves Loch Moidart to climb to
Glenuig was the fort of a Queen of Moidart whose name has been forgotten. Legend
has it that the silver from Kinlochmoidart House was buried here in 1746 to hide it
from the Redcoats in 1746.
Cruach na Cuilidh Moire - probably the hill of the big hollow but see below.
Cruach - rounded hill standing alone
Cuilidh - hollow
Cuilidh Moire - the sea, literally the treasure of Mary
Cruach na Cuilidh Bige - probably the hill of the small hollow but see above.
Bealach na Coisichean - pass of the walkers, this pass is on the old footpath to
Kinlochmoidart
Loch na Draipe - Loch of the strait or difficulty (or hurry?) (also confusion, vexation
or calamity) - (or possibly - Loch na Streipe? (gen. of streup) - Loch of the skirmish)
Allt na Uraich - Burn of the earth? (or from Uireach - mole?)
Loch na Cloiche Sgoilte - Loch of the cleft or splintered stone (cloiche - g.sin. of
clach)
Lochan Gorma - Blue/green lochan (azure)
Loch na Criche - Loch of the boundary - (from g.sin. of crioch - end, limit, boundary,
march)
Coire Bhuidhe & Allt a' Coire Bhuidhe - Burn of the yellow coire
Bealach na Gaoithe & Loch Bealach na Gaoithe - loch of the windy pass
Carn Mor - big rock
Allt a' Chairn Mhoir- Burn of the big rock
Rubha a' Chairn Mhoir- Point of the big rock
Loch a' Chairn Mhoir- Loch of the big rock
Forsay - from ON "fors" - waterfall. This waterfall is seen quite distincly from the sea
and would have been a marker for the Norsemen.
Eas Forsa - waterfall or cataract (or a stream with pricipitous banks - Armstrong)
Leachd Forsa - from leac - slab or flat stone - also from it's position, a ledge of rock
(jutting from the foot of a cliff) on the foreshore that is covered by the sea at flood
tides - Donald Murray, Aberdeen & Lewis
Eilean na Gobhar - island of the goats, 2 vitrified forts dating c700AD are to be found
on these islands joined by a shingle beach.

Roisbheinn - this may be corruption of Frois Bheinn - ben of showers.
Roshven Farm was called Uirine Farm until quite recently. This derives from the
name of the burn "Allt an Aorainn" meaning the burn between two headlands or of an
enclosed beach.
AIC