Gàidhlig / English
Ri g’ Eilgheadh/Leigeil na h-Eilghe

Ri g’ Eilgheadh/Leigeil na h-Eilghe

Posted by Kate on 14mh An Giblean 2016.

Ri g’ eilaidh, leagal na h’ eilaidh, or ri g' eilgheadh/ leigeil na h-eilghe, according to Gaelic Orthographic Conventions, was work at the start of spring in Ross and Cromarty, and also on the Isle of Lewis. This is where the crofters would roughly turn the soil with a spade in preparation for sowing barley. The Fieldwork Archive tells us that the barley was the last crop of the season to be sown.

A great many odds are stacked against a crofter trying to sow his crops. It is often extremely cold in spring, or poisonously cold, as you may say in Gaelic. As well as this, cnangach an earraich often comes; and this is a drought so harsh that it kills insects. This is a time when the cattle would be starving in the past, because of the lack of good grazing land. As a result of this, there are a wealth of phrases and proverbs available connected to a scarcity of food and the leanness of the poor suffering animals:

“Am bronnach geamhraidh ’s an seang earraich”

“The big-belly of the winter and the leanness of spring”

This was said of the emaciated appearance of bullocks.

Every hour of a working day in spring is so valuable, and it is from this idea that the phrase uchd earraich came, meaning that something should be done immediately. A stout, strong boy is called a sgonn-earraich in Tiree. And if someone was particularly efficient and fast in working in South Uist, the following would be said of them:

“’S minig a chaill do cho aoise bliadhna an earraich dhuibh”

“Often did your contemporary lose work like a year-long spring to you”

If you have any other phrases connected to the coldness, dryness or scarcity of spring, please get in touch on the comments section below.
 
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