Rèile Nan Ainm	Rèile Nan Ainm
tha Peadar Morgan a' fàgail na trèana gus coimhed air ainmean	An off-the-rails look at place-names prompted by ScotRail stations
Tha soighnichean stèisein dà-chànanach a' sgaoileadh, is soighnichean ùra air an cur an àird eadar Inbhir Nis agus Peairt a' cur ris an fheadhainn aig Sràid na Banrighinn ann an Glaschu agus aig mòran stèiseanan tuath is an iar air cathair na Gaidhealtachd. Chaidh na h-ainmean Gàidhlig airson nan soighnichean ùra a thoirt seachad le Comann Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba.	Bilingual station signs are spreading, with the recent launch of signs between Inverness and Perth joining those at Sràid na Banrighinn (Glasgow Queen Street) and at many stations north and west of the Highland city. The Gaelic names for the latest signs were supplied by the Scottish Place-Name Society.
Anns an t-sreath ùir seo, bidh sinn a' toirt sùil aithghearr air ainmean-àite a thèid an cur nar beachd leis na diofar stèiseanan, a' tòiseachadh le Inbhir Nis fhèin agus an sin a' dèanamh gu deas air Peairt. 'S iad na stèiseanan air an t-slighe Drochaid Chàrr, An Aghaidh Mhòr, Ceann a' Ghiùthsaich, Bail Ùr an t-Slèibh, Dail Chuinnidh, Blàr Athall, Baile Chloichridh agus Dùn Chailleann is Braonan.	In this new series, we'll being taking a brief look at place-names suggested by the various stations, starting with Inverness itself then heading south towards Perth. The intervening stations are Carrbridge, Aviemore, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Dalwhinnie, Blair Atholl, Pitlochry and Dunkeld & Birnam.
'S e Nis an t-ainm a th' air abhainn is loch Ness, agus tha an abhainn a' dòrtadh a-steach do mheur dhen Linne Mhoirich aig Inbhir Nis. Chan aithne dhuinn ciall an ainm seo (chan e an Lochlannais "ceann tìre" a th' air cùlaibh Nis Leòdhais), ach tha an sgeulachd ann mu chaileig a thug am mullach dhe fuaran a bhrùchd a-mach gus an Gleann Mòr a lìonadh airson a' chiad turas. Air dhaibh seo fhaicinn ghlaodh muinntir an àite, "tha loch 'nis ann…".	Nis is the Gaelic for river and loch Ness, and the river enters a branch of the Moray Firth at Inverness. We don't know the meaning of this name (it's not the Norse for "headland", as in Nis [Ness] in Lewis), but there is the tale of the girl who uncapped the spring which gushed out to fill the previously dry Great Glen. On seeing this, the locals exclaimed, "tha loch 'nis ann…".
Tha fios againn dè as ciall dha Inbhir, agus tha e cumanta ann an ainmean-àite na h-Alba, nas bitheanta na tha ann an Èirinn. Tha e ciallachadh bun aibhne aig uisge no abhainn nas mò, agus tha e ga thoirt air meall bhailtean aig beul aibhne no aig an earrainn mu dheireadh de dh'abhainn. Mar as trice tha e air a shònrachadh le ainm na h-aibhne. Chuir an t-Àrd-Ollamh Uilleam MacBhàtair an cèill (Celtic Review 7, 81) gu bheil an ceangal seo ri ainm na h-aibhne nas coltaiche ri cleachdadh nan Cuimreach, agus mar sin dh'fhaodar a ràdh ri cleachdadh nan Cruithneach, na an nòs àbhaisteach Èireannach a bhios gan ainmeachadh airson feartan eile tìre.	Inbhir we do know the meaning of, and it is common in Scottish place-names, more so than in Ireland. It means the exit of a river into a body of water or larger river, and is applied to several settlements at the mouth or final stretch of a river, and typically derives its second element from the river name. Professor W J Watson pointed out (Celtic Review 7, 81) that this linking to the river name is more in accord with Welsh, and by implication
Tha mòran ainmean, leithid Inbhir Bearbhaidh [Inverbervie], air a dhol dhan Bheurla mar Inver- (no Inner-), cleas Inbhir Nis, ach tha cuid air a' chiad eileamaid seo a chall, me, Inbhir Àir [Ayr] agus Inbhir Narann [Nairn]. Faodaidh cuid a bhith nan ath-chruthachadh Gàidhlig, ge-tà: tha Wick bhon Lochlannais Vík [bàgh], a thug ainm dhan abhainn, agus às an do dh'èirich an t-ainm Gàidhlig, Inbhir Uige.	Pictish, practice than the usual Irish reference to other physical features. Many names, for instance Inbhir Bearbhaidh [Inverbervie], have followed Inbhir Nis and passed into English in the form Inver- (or Inner-), but some have lost their first element, eg Inbhir Àir [Ayr] and Inbhir Narann [Nairn]. Some can be secondary Gaelic developments, though: the Norse origin of Wick is Vík [bay], from which the river was then named, eventually leading to the Gaelic name Inbhir Uige.
Faodaidh ainmean Gàidhlig "Inbhir" a chall, mar ann an Lìte - ach ma chaill, tha ceàrn an seo air a bheil Inbhir Lìte [Inverleith]. Tha cuid a dh'Inbhirean eile dìreach rim faighinn san traidisean Ghàidhlig, me, Inbhir Pheofhara(i)n [Dingwall], no tha iad nan tionndaidhean bho "-mouth", me, Inbhir Ghrainnse [Grangemouth].	Gaelic names can also lose "Inbhir", as in Lìte [Leith] - though even here there is a local area called Inbhir Lìte [Inverleith]. Other Inbhirs exist in the Gaelic tradition only, eg Inbhir Pheofhara(i)n [Dingwall], or derive from a translation of "-mouth", eg Inbhir Ghrainnse [Grangemouth].
'S e ainm ùr Gàidhlig a th' ann an Inbhir Ghòrdain [Invergordon]. Bha an t-ainm Beurla fhèin ga thoirt air a' bhaile ùr anns an 18 linn, is e a' cuimhneachadh sloinneadh an uachdarain: chan eil beul aibhne air àrainn a' bhaile, ach is fìor am frith-ainm ionadail a th' air, An Rubha.	A new Gaelic name is Inbhir Ghòrdain [Invergordon]. The English name for the new town is itself an 18th century invention commemorating the surname of the local laird: there is no river mouth on what is accurately described in the local byname for the town, as An Rubha [the promontory].
Gheibhear "inbhir" cuideachd mar an eileamaid sònrachaidh ann an cuid a dh'ainmean, mar eisimpleir ann an Loch an Inbhir [Lochinver], agus tha e ri fhaighinn mar ainm leis fhèin anns na h-àitichean air a bheil An (t-)Inbhir [Inver] no a chuilean, Inbhirean [Inveran] (gun alt).	Inbhir is also found as the specifying element in some names, for instance in Loch an Inbhir [Lochinver], and is found as a free-standing "simplex" name in the places called An (t-)Inbhir [Inver] or its derivative Inbhirean [Inveran] (no article).
'S e ainm eile nach saoil le luchd siubhail an latha an-diugh gu stàth ann a bhith ag aithneachadh àite, Inbhir na h-Abhann [Invernahaven] ann am Bàideanach. 'S e eisimpleir a tha seo dhen dara ginideach aig "abhainn " - mar sin 's e inbhir na h-aibhne as ciall dha! Tha an ginideach seo cuideachd ri fhaighinn ann am Bruach na h-Abhann [Speybank] anns an aon sgìre.	Another name which to modern travellers might appear to be of little help in distinguishing a location is Inbhir na h-Abhann [Invernahaven] in Badenoch. This is an example of the alternative genitive of abhainn, normally aibhne - so it means the river-mouth of the river! This genitive is also found in Bruach na h-Abhann [Speybank] in the same district.
'S ann tha Inbhir Nis na aonar am measg nan ainmean Inbhir, is diofar fhuaimneachaidhean ionadail aige, 's dòcha air sgàth 's gu bheil e air a bhith bho chionn fhada mar mheadhan do mhòran dhen Ghaidhealtachd. A bharrachd air an "In'ir Nis" coitcheann, theagamh gun cluinn thu "Eirear Nis", "Eilear Nis", no fiù 's an dòigh ionadail, "Eor Nis".	Inbhir Nis is unique among the Inbhir names in having dialectical pronunciations, probably as a result of having long been the focus for much of Gaeldom. Apart from the standard "In'ir Nis", you might hear for example "Eirear Nis", "Eilear Nis", or even the local Inverness-shire "Eor Nis".

You can find more articles in the archive under Gaelic Column and information on the organization at C.L.I.