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.
9. The Drum
The Drum is an old country house located on the outskirts of Edinburgh, roughly 4 miles south-east of the city centre. The term ‘Drum’ can be found in many Scottish locations and in this case comes from ‘An Druim’ which means ‘the ridge’. Photo: via WikiCommons
10. Craigentarrie
Craigentarrie used to be a steading in the Pentland Hills close to Edinburgh, here you can find an abandoned farmstead. The name ‘Craigentarrie’ can be broken up as ‘Creag an Tairbh’ in Scottish Gaelic, this means ‘the rock of the bull’. Photo: via Geograph
11. Tipperlinn Road (Morningside)
Tipperlinn Road can be found in Morningside, a former village in the south of Edinburgh. The name ‘Tipperlinn’ comes from the Scottish Gaelic ‘Tiobar-Linne’ which is translated as ‘Well-pool’. ‘Tiobar’ refers to a well or a spring, and ‘Linne’ is a deep pool or firth. Photo: via WikiCommons
12. Drumsheugh
Edinburgh’s Drumsheugh Gardens are home to some of the city’s finest Victorian terraces which can be found in the West End. The Scottish Gaelic of the name is ‘Druim Seileach’ which means ‘Willow Ridge’. This is reminiscent of the famous Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow which in Gaelic is ‘Willow Bank’. Photo: edfoc on Flickr