Outlander Character Names in Gàidhlig

So, now that many of us have seen episode 101 of Outlander (crossing fingers that EVERYONE will be able to see it soon), we have had our first chance to really appreciate the Gàidhlig language use in the show. (See my previous blog posts for more about the Gàidhlig in episode 101).

I thought it might be useful to point out that the Outlander character names are different in Gàidhlig than in English. This means that when addressed in Gàidhlig, we will not hear the names to which we are all so accustomed.

To help, I have created the following cheat sheet. I am providing my own pronunciation guides, so I will apologize in advance for them not being up to Àdhamh’s standards. I hope to remedy that eventually but he’s a busy lad at the moment.

Update: Hey! Guess Àdhamh found a spare moment, or my representations were really bad. The post is now updated with his pronunciation representations.

This list will likely grow over time, but let’s start with the biggies for now.

Jamie :      Seumas //SHAMEuss/ sometimes Seamus Ruadh //SHAMEuss ROOa/

Colum:      Calum /colum/

Dougal:     Dùghall /doool/

Murtagh : Murchadh /MOORAchugh/ ch as “loch”/ This is a hard one. Here is a link to an audio clip. Note only the first part is Murchadh, the second part is a last name, MacBhriain.

Rupert:     Ràibeart  /RAAbursht/

Claire:       Sorcha /SAWRucha/

I hope this little list will help you pick out whom is being addressed in Gàidhlig! Happy viewing.