Local Placenames

Much of this info is gleaned from the Clan Cameron website pages on placenames where there’s masses more fascinating info about local place names and where almost every burn, bay and hillock in our area is identified.

Have we got any of the translations or the spellings wrong? Do you know any stories about our local place names? Have we missed some important ones? Please email the website editor if you have any comments or further info.

Settlements

Camaghael	Cam Dhail	Crooked Field
Achdalieu		Thy Liubha’s Field. (in memory of a saint)
Achanellan	??? Achadh an Eilean or ??? Achadh An Fheallain acc to Clan Cameron website.	The OS map here shows a sizeable pocket of land completely surrounded by water, where the River Loy diverges and converges again. Island Field seems a much more plausible explanation than Clan Cameron website’s suggested Field of the Fellon. Thank you to David Mee for this info.
Annat	Annaid	The site of an early church or chapel
Badabrie	Bad Abrach	Marshy thicket
Banavie	Banbhaidh	various possible meanings – Fair Pass, Pig Stream, High Place, Fallow Land, Young Suckling Pig, Land Unplowed for a Year, Place of the Pigs???
Barr		Summit or height
Camusnaha	Camus Na H-Atha	Bay of the Kiln
Corpach	A’ Chorpaich	Place of the corpses (where the ‘noble dead’ were brought overland to await a boat to take them to Iona for burial.
Corribeg	Coire Beag	The Little Corrie
Drumsallie	Druim Na Saileach	Willow Ridge
Erracht	Errachd	Place of Assembly
Fassfern	An Fasadh Fearna	Place of the Alders
Inverskilavulin		Confluence of the Mill Burn
Kilmallie	Cill Mhàlaidh	Church of Saint Mhalaidh
Kinlocheil	Ceann Loch Ial	Head of Loch Eil
Moy	Moigh	Plain
Muirshearlich	Magh Siorlaich	Plain of Broom-rape
Puiteachan		The Swelling Knoll or Young Moorfowl Place???
Strone	An T-Sron	Nose-shaped promontory
Tomonie	Tom Moine	Hillock of the Peat Moss
Torcastle	Torr A’ Chaisteil	Castle of the Bluff Rock

Lochs, rivers and burns

Loch Eil	Loch Ial	Loch of the Glint of Sunlight
	Allt Coire Mhuillin	The Mill Burn
	Allt Dogha	Burdock Burn (also known as Annat Burn)
	Allt Sheangain	Ant Stream
	Eas Nam Fitheach	Waterfall of the Ravens (NE of Fassfern)
	Eas Nan Long	Waterfall of the Ships
River Lochy	Abhainn Lochaidh	River of the Dark Goddess
Bridge of Shame	Drochaid Sgainnir	supposedly named after the murder of a cattle drover by the Macleans from Gleann Dubh Lighe

Islands

	Eilean A’ Bhealaidh	Broom Island
	Eilean Na Creich	Booty/Plunder Island
	Eilean Nan Craobh	Island of the Trees

Hills, glens and bogs

	Am Mam	The Low Hill
	Beinn An T-Sneachda	Mountain of the Snow
	Coille Mhor	Large Wood
	Coire Fada	The Long Corrie
	Coire Odhar	Dun Corrie
	Druim Fada	The Long Ridge
Gulvain	Gaor Bheinn	Shoulder Mountain, Mountain of the Lurcher, Windy Mountain???
	Gleann Dubh Lighe	Glen of the Black Flood
	Gleann Laragain	Glen of the Little Pass
Glen Loy	Gleann Laoigh	Calf’s Glen
Blar Mor	Blàr Mòr	The Big Peat Moss also commonly called Cprpach Moss. There is confusion over the correct spelling. It is sometimes referred to (including in Highland Council signage) as Blar Mhor, but this is incorrect.
	Gleann Suileag	Sallow Glen, Glen of the Deep Pool, Glen of the notched/serrated eye???
	Gleann Fionn Lighe	River of a White Rocky Place?
	Sron Liath	Grey Point
	Stob A’ Ghrianan	Mountain of the Sunny Hillock

Other places of interest

The Cat Rapids, The Cat Pool, and the Field of the Cat	Buinn’ A’ Chait and Dail A’ Chait	According to www.clan-cameron.org, “legend has it that on the advice of Gormshuil, the Witch of Moy, Ewen MacAllan Cameron, XIII Chief of Clan Cameron, slowly roasted a stray Lochaber cat in a hut in this field to learn his penance for past “indiscretions.” Soon the “King of Cats,” Cam Dubh, arrived and agreed to tell Ewen his penance if he released the smoldering cat. When the cat was freed, it was said to have sprinted to the cliffs near Torcastle and leapt into the River Lochy.”
Banquo’s Walk	Sraid Bhanco	referring to the Thane of Lochaber
	Carn Phail	Paul’s Grave

Kilmallie Community Council