UPDATED: Basic Scottish Gaelic terms for genealogists

Time to present a 'handy guide' for any Gaelic learners out there who happen to dabble into family history, because I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone else do it...!

Regular readers will know I have a huge interest in the Gaelic languages, in particular Scottish Gaelic, or 'Gàidhlig', as it is known in its own tongue (as opposed to 'Gaeilge', the Irish language, and 'Gailck' or 'Gaelg', being Manx Gaelic). I'm a couple of weeks away from receiving the result of my SQA Gaelic Higher for learners, and at the end of next month start the Advanced Higher in Gaelic for learners, taught through eSgoil (https://www.e-sgoil.com). Just for the craic, in between those, I am also doing a short online course through the Skye based Gaelic college, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (https://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/)!

There are lots of words in Scots and English derived from Gaelic – whisky (uisge beatha – water of life), clan (clann – children), galore (gu leòr – enough, plenty), sporran (sporan – purse), smashing! ('s math sin – that's good), and slogan (sluagh goirm – battle cry) being just a few examples. 

But that's tourist stuff - instead, I thought you might be interested in a few words connected with genealogy and family history!

Here goes, hoping I have them all correct! And you can find the pronunciation for most of these via the LearnGaelic dictionary at https://learngaelic.net/dictionary/:

eachdraidh teaghlaich – family history
sloinntearach – genealogy
sloinntear – genealogist
dualchas – heritage
eachdraidh – history

breith – birth
co-là breith – birthday
baiste – baptised
banais – wedding
a' posadh – marrying
mìos nam pòg - honeymoon ('the month of kisses'!)
a' bàsachadh – dying
tiodhlacadh – funeral
dìleab – legacy, inheritance
oighreachd – estate
tiomnachd – will, testament

teisteanas breithe – birth certificate
teisteanas pòsaidh – marriage certificate
teisteanas bàis – death certificate

rannsachadh - research
aithris - a report
oraid - a lecture
iris - a magazine
artagail - an article
leabhar - a book
leabhraichean - books

tasglann – archive
Clàran Nàiseanta na h-Alba – National Records of Scotland
leabharlann – library
Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba – National Library of Scotland

ainm – name
ciad ainm – first name
sloinne – surname

sinnsear – ancestor
sinnsearan – ancestors
sliochd – descendant
sliochdan – descendants
clann – children

cinneadh – clan
cinnidhean – clans
ceann-cinnidh – clan chief
cinn-cinnidh – clan chiefs

màthair – mother
athair – father
mac – son
mhic – sons
nighean – daughter
nigheannan - daughters

piuthar – sister
peathraichean – sisters
bràthair – brother    
bràithrean – brothers
leth-leanabh – twin
leth-aonan co-ionann – identical twins

leas-mhàthair - stepmother
leas-athair - stepfather
leas-phiuthar - stepsister
leas-bhràthair - stepbrother
uchd-mhac - adopted son
uchd-nighean - adopted daughter
uchd-leanbh - adopted child
co-dhalta - foster sibling/foster brother
ban-dalta or nighean-dalta - foster daughter
dalta - foster son
muime - foster mother
oid' altraim - foster father

co-ogha – first cousin
co-oghaichean – first cousins
dà-ghlùn or iar-ogha sinn-seanar – second cousin
fionn-ogha sinn-sinn-seanair – third cousin

seanmhair – grandmother
sinn-seanmhair – great grandmother
sinn-sinn-seanmhair – great great grandmother
seanair – grandfather
sinn-seanair – great grandfather
sinn-sinn-seanair – great great grandfather
ogha – grandchild/grandson
iar-ogha – great grandchild/grandson
ion-ogha or gar-ogha – great great grandchild/grandson
ban-ogha or ian-bhan-ogha – great granddaughter
ban-fhionn-ogha – great great granddaughter

uncail – uncle
brathair m' athair – paternal uncle / brother of my father
brathair mo mhàthair – maternal uncle / brother of my mother
antaidh - aunt
piuthar m' athair – paternal aunt / sister of my father
piuthar mo mhàthair – maternal aunt / sister of my mother

eaglais – church
Caitligeach – Catholic
Pròstanach – Protestant
Clèireach – Presbyterian  

Don't forget Duolingo is free to access at https://www.duolingo.com if you fancy learning some of the basics!

UPDATE: OK, so this has turned out to way more popular a post than I was expecting - so much so that I have now created a permanent page on the blog called Genealogy Terms for Gaelic Learners, at  http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/p/gaelic-genealogy.html (and via the top menu on this blog). I have added considerably more words to it since this inital blog post, and will continue to do so - so do please take a look at the new page if interested!

(And if anyone can tell me if there is a Gaelic word for 'sasine', I will be very impressed and grateful!!!)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.