Caoraich / Sheep

Informant(s)
Name
Murdo MacLeod
Age
60
Origin
Lewis, Uig
Location
Argyll, Campbeltown
Notes
  • [NOTES: the informant uses ‘beag’ or ‘bheag’ to show the gender of the noun. They have been replaced with ‘masc.’ and ‘fem.’ respectively.]
1. Different stages in the growth of sheep (female)
uan firionn
uan boirionn
odhaisgup to a year old.
odhaisg fhirionnwedder.
odhaisg bhoirionn
odhaisg reithram.
bliadhnach firionn1 year old.
bliadhnach boirionn1 year old.
bliadhnach reith1 year old.
dò-bhliadhnach firionn agus dò-bhliadhnach muilt
dò-bhliadhnach boirionn
dò-bhliadhnach reith
tri-bhliadhnach muilt no mult
tri-bhliadhnach boirionn
tearrainneachmissed having a lamb for a year.
caoraover three years old.
beitheach caorachcan be male or female.
rùdram.
reithram.
cioraa pet lamb, hand-fed, male or female. The name still applies to the same animal after reaching maturity, i.e. once a ciora always a ciora!
crogacast ewe.
2. Different stages in the growth of sheep (male)
uanreith (pronounced ooah-ray)
odhaisg rùidup to 1 year old. (The ‘r’ in ‘ruid’ is aspirated.)
bliadhnach rùid1 year old. (The ‘r’ is not aspirated.)
dò-bhliadhnach
tri-bhliadhnach
ceithir-bhliadhnach
clamairan old, well horned ram. (Single ‘l’ sound as in English ‘clam’.) “Ach co leis an clamair?”
3. Different stages in the growth of the castrated male
uan firionnbefore and after castration.
odhaisg fhirionn
odhaisg mhuilt
bliadhnach firionn
bliadhnach muilt
dò-bhliadhnach firionn
dò-bhliadhnach muilt
tri-bhliadhnach muilt (never fiorionn )[sic]
ceithir-bhliadhnach muilt (not ceithir bhliadhnach firionn)
4. Sheep’s appearance
[sgrogag]Caora bheag, nùlach le sgrogagan beag de dh adhaircean oirre. (‘Sgrogag’ has the same nasal sound as ‘crocan’ (‘cnocan’, a hillock).)
[liabhach]Caora bheag mhollach le adhaircean liabhach (wide-spread).
caora-ghireachshort wool.
caora-mhaolno horns.
caora-chiaroff-white.
caora-dhubh
caora ‘air a duppadh’
5. Miscellaneous
raigeram with one testicle, English ‘rig’. (The ‘a’ in ‘raige’ is sounded the same as the first ‘a’ in ‘aghaidh’, a face.)
6. Feeding and grazing
a h-àbhaisher usual beat. Cha deach i bh air [?] a h-àbhais(d) fad na bliadhna.
frasachThis was fixed on the wall and filled with hay which the sheep pulled through narrow slats and so avoiding waste. Set at an angle to the wall.
miodara small wooden vessel for holding liquids e.g. milk for a calf, miodar a’ laoigh. Also held ‘bree’ from boiled salt herring, herring bones, potato peelings etc. given to the cows.
fracusfracus sgadain – bits and pieces of herring.
7. Handling of sheep
a’ cur a mach nan caorach
a’ cur nan caorach go na mòintich
a’ toirt dhachaidh nan caorach
a’ faingeadhfanking.
trusadh nan caorachgathering. Or simply ‘trusadh’. A’ trusadh na mointich, nam beannaidh, a’ mhonaidh.
grunn chaoracha number of sheep.
grunnan math chaoracha fair number [of sheep].
treud chaoracha flock of sheep (usually strung out behind one another), e.g. ‘Tha treud chaorach a mach a rathad.’
‘Fen e falbh’, ‘Fen e d ais’‘way out’, ‘go back’. [commands given to a sheep-dog]
‘Go mu chois’‘heel’. [command given to a sheep-dog]
‘Mach e sen’‘away out’. [command given to a sheep-dog]
‘Stigh e’‘after it’, i.e. encouraging the dog to chase harder, not at all in the sense of  taking an animal to an enclosure, in fact the opposite.
faing rùsgaidh
faing dhuppaidh
faing nan uanwhen lambs are separated from their mothers.
amar or amar duppaidh
a’ duppadh
a’ cur gorm no dearg as na caoraichmarking with blue or red keel.
a’ cohharrachadh nan uan[sic] lug marking.
a’ spothcastrating. A more ‘genteel’ term used is ‘spogadh’ but not used often.
‘ciorrag bheag’[call to a lamb or sheep] or sometimes imitating the bleat, e.g. ‘maa bheag’.
8. Apparatus
smiag (pronounced smeeag)a piece of wood with three holes, one at each end and one in the middle. The rope forming the lamb’s collar went through the two outer holes and were fixed by means of a knot. The tether went through the centre hole and [was] kept from running through by a knot on the end.
bacantether stake.
suidhbheal ( soo-i-vil)[pron.] swivel. (This is the pronunciation I heard a Southend fisherman use although he has no Gaelic.)
9. Diseases
cleimh, a’ chleimhscab; itchiness leaving bare patches of skin.
miul (), miulan caorach[fem.] keds.
gartan ()[masc.] tick.
fiarrsannan (), pl. fiarrsannanan[masc.] worm in skin, usually of a cow.
an doille ()[fem.] blindness, the eye turning whitish, opaque.
an tuathalan ()[masc.] giddiness; lack of balance.
am pluc ()[masc.] liver fluke disease.
leòbagan air an adhaliver flukes.
spùtdiarrhoea.
lot ()[fem.] lot air a sgamhan, a blemish on the lungs.
a’ cleith a’ bhoinnewithholding the milk; ‘Cha do leag i ’m boinne.’
Tha galair innt.She has a disease (not specific).
Tha gaod innt.She has a disease (not specific). Similarly, a blemish in a piece of sound-looking wood: ‘Tha gaod ann.’
10. Parts of the body
ceann ()[masc.] sùil, bus, eanachainn, cluas, teanga, stròn, duileasg na stròine.
ochd ()[masc.] breast.
caisean ochdskin on breast, a tit-bit at killing time. Skin was cut off, with wool still on, a red hot cinder put inside and left to cook!
casan cinnforelegs.
crudhanan beagafetlocks.
créimh an dromaback-bone.
smior cailleachspinal cord. (‘ai’ sound in Uig is more like ‘ei’, thus: ‘ceilleach’; ‘spaid’ is ‘speid’; ‘maide’ is ‘meide’; ‘sen’ is used instead of ‘sin’.)
an crudha deiridhhindquarters.
cruachan (), pl. cruachanan[masc.] hip.
suil a’ leissocket joint at hip.
losaid ()[fem.] Chaidh i as a losaid – her hip-joint is out.
an cridheheart.
cuisilartery. (Vein, I don’t know Gaelic of.)
fuil ()[fem.] blood.
sgamhanan ()[masc.] lungs.
sgòrnan ()[masc.] trachea.
ubhal a’ sgornainlarynx.
adha ()[fem.] liver.
duagan ()[masc.] kidneys.
staoig () an amadain[fem.] found stuck to the maodal [q.v.] (spleen?).
domalas ()[masc.] gall-bladder.
a’ spoth aigeits genital organs.
am pocthe bag.
na clachanthe testicles.
am boganthe penis.
am bodthe penis.
an t-slatthe penis.
an cochull ()[masc.] the sheath.
it-itheach ( i-each)[fem.]) ([pron.?] gullet.
a’ mhaodal ()[fem.] stomach.
caolanan ()[masc.] intestines.
na caolanan beagasmall intestines.
na caolanan gormasmall intestines.
an caolan morlarge intestine.
na caolanan moralarge intestines.
am brallein ()[masc.] colon (?).
geir na maodailfat on the stomach.
na lòineachanfat round kidneys.
11. Lambing
cur nan caorach gu ’na rùid
cur nan caorach gu ’na reithe
Tha reitheachd oirrewanting the ram.
Chaidh i air reitheachdshe was served. (Double ‘r’ sound as in Nom. case.)
Reithich a’ rùd ithe ram served her.
Chaidh i seach reitheachdshe has gone past the time.
leum reitheachdthe effective jump.
leabaidh an uaininside the sheep.
salcharplacenta.
12. Miscellaneous
tobantuft.
caora chleimheachscabby sheep.
caora chùlanachsheep with black wool round the neck like a black collar (nothing to do with disease, just as a matter of interest).
cùlanblack wool round a sheep’s neck (nothing to do with disease, just as a matter of interest).

© DASG
^ Return To Top ^