| Reference Number | 12 |
| Title | Croitearachd: Taghadh de dh’uidheam obair fearainn às na h-Eileanan an Iar |
| Author | Anon., for Museum nan Eilean |
| Editor | N/A |
| Date Of Edition | 1991 |
| Date Of Language | late 20c |
| Date Of Language Ed | 1950-1999 |
| DateMacro | Late 20th c. |
| Date Of Language Notes | |
| Publisher | Acair |
| Place Published | Stornoway |
| Volume | N/A |
| Location | NLS |
| Geographical Origins | Western Isles |
| Geographical Origins Ed | Western Isles |
| GeoMacro | Various |
| GeoX | |
| GeoY | |
| Geographical Origins Notes | |
| Register | Education, Prose (Material Culture, Crofting) |
| Register Ed | Education, Prose |
| Genre | Information |
| Medium | Prose |
| Rating | B
Poster containing drawings of 16 crofting implements with their Gaelic names and uses.
Terminology from the Western Isles.
Alternatives given for some implements.
Some useful terms are contained in the descriptions of the implements.
Some publication information is given in Gaelic. |
| Alternative Author Name | N/A |
| Manuscript Or Edition | Poster, Ed. |
| Size And Condition | 60cm x 43cm |
| Short Title | Croitearachd |
| Reference Details | NLS: S.Sh.S.2.92.4 |
| Number Of Pages | Single leaf poster, printed on one side only |
| Gaelic Text By | MacFhearghais, Dòmhnall |
| Illustrator | Unknown |
| Social Context | Unknown. The poster was published jointly by Acair and Museum nan Eilean. |
| Contents | Single leaf poster, printed on one side, containing black and white sketches of 16 different crofting implements. Beside each implement is its Gaelic name with a short explanation in Gaelic of what it is. In the bottom right hand corner is a numbered key to the implements on the poster and to the left of this, at the bottom of the page, is a list, in English, giving a brief description of each of the implements. The Gaelic names and descriptions of the implements and the English explanations, as printed, are as follows:
Brà, airson beagan gràine a bhleith gus min a dhèanamh.
Quern stone for grinding small quantities of grain.
Cliath, a shlaodadh neach as a dhèidh airson talamh àitich a dhèanamh rèidh.
A harrow, for levelling ploughed ground pulled by a person.
Udalan, dà dhul iarrainn le alt, air ròpa teadhrach gus nach tèid e troimh-chèile.
A swivel for tether.
Cipean no Bacan, stob air ceann ròpa teadhrach airson beathach a cheangal ris.
Tether stake.
Teadhair no fèist, an ròpa eadar am beathach agus an cipean.
Tether for tying animals.
Sùist, air a dèanamh de fhiodh agus ròpa, le alt leathair, airson diasan a bhualadh bho choirce.
Flail for separating the ears from corn stalks.
Criathar, airson sìol fhasgnadh agus min a dhealachadh bhon chailg.
Riddle for winnowing or sifting meal.
Spaid rùsgaidh, airson ceapan fada a ghearradh, a dhèanadh tughadh taighe no ballachan.
Flaughter spade for cutting large turfs for thatching or making walls.
Corran, airson feur, feamainn no coirce a bhuain.
Sickle for cutting grass, seaweed or corn.
Cas chrom, airson talamh cruaidh a thionndadh no clachan a ghluasad.
Foot plough for hard ground.
Pleadhag no Slibheag, airson tuill a dhèanamh anns an cuireadh tu buntàta.
To make holes in ploughed soil for planting potatoes.
Croman, airson buntàta a phriogadh no thodhaigeadh no thogail.
For hoeing or digging potatoes.
Crabhcan, dubhan maol le làmh fhiodha airson buntàta a thogail ann an talamh tioram.
Blunt hook for digging potatoes.
Cliabh, de chuilc airson mòine no todhar a ghiùlain air druim neach.
Willow creel for carrying peats or manure.
Speal, airson feur no coirce a bhuain.
Scythe for cutting hay or oats.
Tairsgeir, iarann airson mòine a bhuain.
Peat iron for cutting peats.
Gèimhleag, stob iarainn airson tuill a dhèanamh ann an talamh cruaidh no clachan mòra a ghluasad.
Pinch bar or lever.
Ràcan, air a dhèanamh de fhiodh airson plocan talmhainn a bhriseadh no feur a chruinneachadh.
A wooden rake for breaking clods of earth or raking hay. |
| Sources | The terminology given here can be found in a number of Gaelic-English and English-Gaelic dictionaries. |
| Language | Although the terms given here can be found in a number of Gaelic-English and English-Gaelic dictionaries, this is still a valuable source of terminology relating to crofting, particularly as the focus is on terms used in the Western Isles. It is interesting that in some cases more than one name is given for a piece of equipment, presumably reflecting dialectal differences, e.g. cipean no bacan, teadhair no feist and pleadhag no slibheag. Unfortunately the poster does not specify in which areas particular terms are used. It is also useful that the poster provides not only the name of the implement, but also a physical description and an explanation of what it is used for. The English descriptions are also helpful.
The Gaelic descriptions contain a number of terms of interest in their own right, for example the word maol (which has a number of meanings in Gaelic) used here to mean ‘blunt’, and the word dul, meaning ‘eyelet’ or ‘loop’. There are also two examples of verbs which appear to have English origins, the word for pricking priogadh and for hoeing thodhaigeadh. The poster does not indicate whether the terms are masculine or feminine.
The information provided at the bottom of the poster contains useful vocabulary relating to publishing, containing terminology such as foillsichte, deilbhte, clo-bhuailte, and Earranta. |
| Orthography | |
| Edition | First Edition. The poster is good quality, the sketches are useful and informative, the text is well-laid out, and the Gaelic appears to be accurate. |
| Other Sources | |
| Further Reading | |
| Credits | |
| Link Label | |
| Link | |
| Download File | |
| NumWords | 400 |
