Well over a decade ago, the Scottish Census revealed that Edinburgh had 5,935 people who were skilled in Gaelic. The capital city is internationally renowned as a cultural hub with a fascinating history (and even a UNESCO World Heritage site) so it’s unsurprising that the heritage language found its place there.
Gaelic is often associated with the Scottish Highlands and Islands where it evolved by way of the Irish. The Celtic tongue has overlapped with the Scots language (Scotland's other native tongue) over the years but lowlanders – such as Robert Burns – were known to favour the latter.
The Highland clearances of the 19th century saw thousands of Gaelic speakers migrate to Scotland’s central belt in search of new opportunities. This displacement also explains why even USA place names feature traces of Scottish Gaelic.
To explore this heritage more, here are thirteen place names connected to Scottish Gaelic in Edinburgh according to Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland.
5. Dalmahoy
Dalmahoy is the name of a hotel and previous country house located nearby Edinburgh. Derived from the Scottish Gaelic ‘Dail MoThutha’, the name ‘Dalmahoy’ translates to the ‘Meadow of St Tua’. Photo: via Your Golf Travel
6. Dalry
Dalry is an area in Edinburgh located near the city centre between Gorgie and Haymarket. ‘Dalry’ becomes ‘Dail Fhraoich’ in Scottish Gaelic which means ‘the haugh at the slope’. The translation ‘Heather slope/meadow’ has also been used. Alternatively, it is thought to derive from Dail Rìgh which would make it the “King’s Field”. Photo: via WikiCommons
7. Craigmillar
Craigmillar is situated to the South East of Edinburgh and Craigmillar Castle was a filming location for the hit Netflix film, Outlaw King. The Scottish Gaelic origin of its name is ‘Creag Maol Ard’ which means ‘High Bare Rock’. Photo: craigmillar on Flickr
8. Balerno
You can find Balerno village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, roughly 8 miles south-west of the city centre. ‘Balerno’ comes from the Gaelic ‘Am Baile Àirneach’ which means ‘the sloe settlement’. The sloe is a fruit which you can collect from blackthorn plants. Photo: via WikiCommons