Language Notes

Element Meaning

G gleann ~ glen; obscure element

Sources

The word eaglais, church, has also been supposed to form the latter part of Gleneagles, that name so fetching to the golfing world. This name is correctly Gleneagis, as it was written of old, and as it is still, or, at least, was recently, pronounced locally. It is translated into Latin, we are told, in the Chartulary of Cambuskenneth Abbey as “Vallum Ecclesiae”, but if that is /234/ so, it only shows that the error of connecting the name with eaglais is no new one. In Gaelic the name is Gleann-eigis. The old word eigeas means ‘a learned man’, ‘a poet’, etc. It is found in some names of places in Ireland, and has been used to explain Aigas near Beauly in Inverness-shire. The Gaelic of this last is ‘Aigeis’ which may be a local pronunciation of eigeis. Gleneagles may have been the residence of some learned man, or of a succession of such.: Robertson, Some Notes on Celtic Place-Names, Voices from the Hills (Guthan o na Beanntaibh) 1927 ed. MacDonald, John.

Gleann-Éigis: Robertson

Additional Information

eigeas is in Dwelly without a long e as ‘Bard, learned man’ with a mark showing it to be obsolete. The word however is in Old Irish as éices. Robertson’s informant given as James MacDiarmaid writing by letter , who lived in Muthill, near Crieff, i.e. not far at all from Gleneagles. He was the author of a number of Breadalbane folklore articles in the transactions. MacDiarmaid himsef however never used accents, so it is possible Robertson added the long E himself. The forms for Aigas in Beauly predominantly give a long à.

Eilean Àigeis En. Eiges or “learned man’s Isle” Dr McB. Guide to Beauly p. 96: Robertson Ms364
Aigas Ho – Àigeas: Robertson Ms364, 9
Àigeis – En Àigeis: Robertson MS405 p. 5v
àigeis: Watson CW9, 80
Aigeis: Colin Chisholm, Orain Agus Sgeulachdan Shrath-Ghlais, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, x, 229

Alternative Forms