1. Different stages in the growth of sheep (female) |
uan | was the general term for a lamb. |
crog | was the word used when the ewe reached five years and then [was] sold, that is after having four lambs. |
[oisg] | I have heard the word ‘oisg’ used for a sheep but I don’t know did the word belong to any particular age group. The ‘o’ sounded like ‘o’ in ‘òran’. |
2. Different stages in the growth of sheep (male) |
reithe | this is the only word I ever heard applied to a ram. |
3. Different stages in the growth of the castrated male |
mult | this was the general term given to a castrated or wedder lamb after he had been clipped for the first time. |
4. Sheep’s appearance |
maol | I’ve heard this term applied either to a sheep or a cattle beast without horns. |
biorach | this word described a sheep with short pointed horns and also narrow and pointed look of the face generally. |
5. Miscellaneous |
6. Feeding and grazing |
7. Handling of sheep |
faoch | I’ve heard this word used by my uncle once for hunting sheep down the face of a hill when they would be gathering for the clipping. The ‘ao’ had the same sound as in ‘fraoch’ but a quicker and more abrupt sound. I would imagine this word was their way of saying ‘fuadaich’. |
[stuigeadh coin] | The commands for a sheep-dog my granny used, which I have heard repeated by my mother were: Mach thu fad air ais agus beir orra, although as far as I can understand ‘beir orra’ was applied when the sheep or the cows were in mischief and though the command meant to overtake, it was meant for the dog to give them a good drilling after he did get them. Another command which was used though I do not know is it correct Gaelic or not was ‘thoir thu leo’ and the other ordinary command being ‘trobhad seo’. |
cròdhadh | pushing the sheep into the fank. |
8. Apparatus |
9. Diseases |
ploc | this was the name given for liver fluke which shows on the sheep by a swelling under the jaw. |
10. Parts of the body |
ceann | |
amhach | |
falt | |
seice | |
gualainn | |
earball | |
cramh | the ‘mh’ as I have heard it spoken here was like ‘mh’ in ‘deanamh’ or the ‘ow’ sound in ‘cow’. |
cridhe | |
broinn | |
[note] | I have heard all these words pronounced the same as I hear them on wireless but do not know whether different words were used when applied to sheep. |
[Gaoth na Seicean] | Being on the subject of sheep I will add a phrase which I have heard here in connection with the cold north east winds we get here often in March. This wind was known as Gaoth na Seicean, the reason being that the grass, the little that is on the fields at that time of year, was all brown and withered as it is usually a frosty wind; the sheep would become very poor in condition and giving the appearance that there was nothing left but the skin. |
11. Lambing |
12. Miscellaneous |