INTRODUCTION.
Rathad mor a Ceann-loch-iu,
Rathad ur a Ghearloch;
Gabhaidh sinn an rathad mor
Olc na math le cach e.—Gaelic Song.
The high road to Kenlochewe,
The new road to Gairloch;
Storm or sunshine, take with me
The high road to Gairloch.—Free rendering.
Gairloch is a typical Highland parish on the west coast of Ross-shire. Its length, from Loch Rosque to Rudha Reidh, is thirty miles, and its width is fifteen miles, so that it is one of the most extensive parishes in Great Britain.
The name "Gairloch" is composed of two Gaelic words, gearr and loch. Gearr means "short"; and the sea-loch which gives its name to the parish is appropriately called short, as compared with Loch Broom, Loch Ewe, and other more deeply indented arms of the sea. The native spelling and pronunciation of the name prove the derivation beyond all question.
There is a curious muddle in the old and new Statistical Accounts about the origin of the name Gairloch. In the former ([Appendix C]) it is said to have been taken from "a very small loch near the church and the house of Flowerdale, and so close by the shore that the sea at high tides covers it." In the New Statistical Account ([Appendix E]) "a hollow spot of ground" is spoken of as "the Gairloch," and the writer states that the natives allege that the parish takes its name from it. The explanation is supplied by the story of Hector Roy and the three M'Leods given in [Part I., chap. ix]. The place referred to as "a very small loch" and "a hollow spot of ground," is now represented by a well, still called "the Gairloch" from the reason given in that story, but it did not originate the name of the parish.
The name Gairloch is used in four different senses both in the following pages and among the inhabitants. It means,—
1. The sea-loch or bay of Gairloch.
2. The whole parish.
3. The place at the head of the sea-loch where the hotel, &c., stand, more properly called Achdistall.
4. The original estate of the Mackenzie lairds of Gairloch.
These various meanings are a little confusing, but the context generally makes clear what is intended.