Tarbert
Encyclopedia
Tarbert is a place name in Scotland
and Ireland
. Places named Tarbert are characterised by a narrow strip of land, or isthmus
. This can be where two lochs nearly meet, or a causeway out to an island.
All placenames that variously show up as tarbert, tarbat or tarbet in their anglicised form derive from either Irish
an tairbeart in Ireland and Scottish Gaelic an tairbeart in Scotland, both commonly translated as "the isthmus
" today.
Both these words derive from two Old Irish elements, tar "across" and a nominalised form of the verb ber "to carry". The /ɾ/ in tar was assimilated
to /ɾʲ/ as a result of being next to the historically palatal /bʲ/ in Old Irish, causing the change in spelling from tar to tair-. So the literal translation would be an "across-carrying". The reason for this is that all tarberts are in fact located at or near old portage
sites.
In English language spellings the first syllable "tar" has generally remained constant but the second syllable "bert" has variously been spelled as "bart", "bert" "bat", "bad" etc.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Places named Tarbert are characterised by a narrow strip of land, or isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
. This can be where two lochs nearly meet, or a causeway out to an island.
Etymology
| Pronunciation | |
|---|---|
| Scots Gaelic: | An Tairbeart |
| Pronunciation: | ən̪ˠ t̪ʰaɾʲapərˠʃt̪ |
| Irish Irish language Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of... : |
An Tairbeart |
| Pronunciation: | ən t̪ʰaɾʲəbʲəɾt̪̪ |
All placenames that variously show up as tarbert, tarbat or tarbet in their anglicised form derive from either Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
an tairbeart in Ireland and Scottish Gaelic an tairbeart in Scotland, both commonly translated as "the isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
" today.
Both these words derive from two Old Irish elements, tar "across" and a nominalised form of the verb ber "to carry". The /ɾ/ in tar was assimilated
Assimilation (linguistics)
Assimilation is a common phonological process by which the sound of the ending of one word blends into the sound of the beginning of the following word. This occurs when the parts of the mouth and vocal cords start to form the beginning sounds of the next word before the last sound has been...
to /ɾʲ/ as a result of being next to the historically palatal /bʲ/ in Old Irish, causing the change in spelling from tar to tair-. So the literal translation would be an "across-carrying". The reason for this is that all tarberts are in fact located at or near old portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
sites.
In English language spellings the first syllable "tar" has generally remained constant but the second syllable "bert" has variously been spelled as "bart", "bert" "bat", "bad" etc.
Scotland
- Tarbert, Argyll and ButeTarbert, Argyll and ButeTarbert is a village in Scotland. It is built around East Loch Tarbert, an inlet of Loch Fyne, and extends over the isthmus which links the peninsula of Kintyre to Knapdale and West Loch Tarbert...
the town at the northern end of the KintyreKintyreKintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
peninsula, ArgyllArgyllArgyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath... - Tarbert, Western IslesTarbert, Western IslesTarbert is the main community on Harris in the Western Isles of Scotland. It is also a car ferry terminal to Uig on Skye. Its name means "isthmus".-1990 RAF air crash:...
, a ferry port on the Isle of Harris - Loch Tarbert, JuraLoch Tarbert, JuraLoch Tarbert is a sea loch on the west coast of Jura, an island in Scotland.As the name Tarbert suggests, it comes close to cutting the island in half....
, on the east coast of the island of JuraJura, ScotlandJura is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, situated adjacent and to the north-east of Islay. Part of the island is designated as a National Scenic Area. Until the twentieth century Jura was dominated - and most of it was eventually owned - by the Campbell clan of Inveraray Castle on Loch... - West Loch TarbertWest Loch TarbertWest Loch Tarbert is a sea loch that separates the northern and southern parts of the island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. A small isthmus joins these two areas, on which is to be found the village of Tarbert. The loch contains the islands Soay Mòr, Soay Beag and Isay, while...
, an inlet between North and South Harris - East Loch TarbertEast Loch TarbertEast Loch Tarbert is a sea loch that lies to the east of the island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The loch contains several small islands including Sgeotasaigh, Stiughiag, Stiughiag na Leum and Rosaigh and the larger bridged island of Scalpay...
also by Harris in the Western Isles of Scotland - West Loch Tarbert, ArgyllWest Loch Tarbert, ArgyllWest Loch Tarbert, Argyll is a long and narrow sea loch on the western side of the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland.-Geography:The head of the loch lies near the village of Tarbert and it reaches the open sea at Ardpatrick Point some distant....
in Argyll - East Loch Tarbert, ArgyllEast Loch Tarbert, ArgyllEast Loch Tarbert, Argyll is a small sea loch on the eastern side of the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland. It is a part of the much larger Loch Fyne...
also in Argyll - Glen Tarbert, between Loch LinnheLoch LinnheLoch Linnhe is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland....
and Loch SunartLoch SunartLoch Sunart is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. Loch Sunart runs west from the sea, bounded to the north by the Sunart district of Ardnamurchan and to the south by the Morvern district. An inlet from Loch Sunart, Loch Teacuis, runs south-easterly into Morvern.At it is the longest sea... - Tarbert Hill, above the town of West KilbrideWest KilbrideWest Kilbride is a village in North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland by the Firth of Clyde, looking across the water to Goat Fell and the Isle of Arran...
- Tarbert Bay, on the Isle of CannaCanna, ScotlandCanna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is long and wide...
- Loch Tarbert, a sea loch on the Isle of JuraJura, ScotlandJura is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, situated adjacent and to the north-east of Islay. Part of the island is designated as a National Scenic Area. Until the twentieth century Jura was dominated - and most of it was eventually owned - by the Campbell clan of Inveraray Castle on Loch...
- East Tarbert Bay and West Tarbert Bay on the Isle of GighaGighaThe Isle of Gigha is a small island off the west coast of Kintyre in Scotland. The island forms part of Argyll and Bute and has a population of about 150 people, many of whom speak Scottish Gaelic. The climate is mild with higher than average sunshine hours and the soils are fertile.Gigha has a...
Ireland
- Tarbert, County KerryTarbert, County KerryTarbert is a town in the north of County Kerry, with woodland to the south and the Shannon estuary to the north. It lies on the N69 coast road that runs along the estuary from Limerick before turning inland at Tarbert towards Listowel, and has two schools Tarbert Primary and Tarbert...
, a ferry port on the estuary of the River ShannonRiver ShannonThe River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
in County KerryCounty KerryKerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
. - Tarbert, County Laois, a townlandTownlandA townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
in County LaoisCounty LaoisCounty Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
See also
- Tarbert (disambiguation)Tarbert (disambiguation)Tarbert may refer to the following places:Settlements* Tarbert, Argyll and Bute the town at the northern end of the Kintyre peninsula, Argyll, Scotland* Tarbert, Jura, on the east coast of the island of Jura, Scotland...
- Tarbet (disambiguation)
- Tarbat
- Loch TorridonLoch TorridonLoch Torridon is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland in the Northwest Highlands. The loch was created by glacial processes and is in total around 15 miles long. It has two sections: Upper Loch Torridon to landward, east of Rubha na h-Airde Ghlaise, at which point it joins Loch Sheildaig;...
, the root of the name having a similar meaning to "tarbert"