Acharacle
Acharacle Pier and Loch Shiel
Acharacle is located in Lochaber
Acharacle
Acharacle
Location within the Lochaber area
Population201 
OS grid referenceNM678679
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townACHARACLE
Postcode districtPH36
Dialling code01967
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°44′42″N 5°48′07″W / 56.745°N 5.802°W / 56.745; -5.802

Acharacle (/əˈhærəkəl/, Scottish Gaelic: Àth Tharracail) is a village in Ardnamurchan, Lochaber, within the county of Argyll. It is in the Highland Council area of Scotland.

The place name is rendered Àth Tharracail in Scottish Gaelic, and means "Tarracal's ford". The Gaelic place name is composed of two world elements: àth ("ford") and the personal name Tarracal. This personal name is cognate to the Scottish Gaelic Torcall and the English Torquil,[1][2] which are derived from the Old Norse Þorketill.[3] According to Moidart tradition noted in the 19th century, Torquil was the leader of a force of Norwegians who were pursued by Somerled and made a final stand at the riverside below Acharacle Manse, where they were slain.[4]

References

  1. ^ Acharacle, Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba, retrieved 16 May 2013.
  2. ^ Mills, Anthony David, ed. (2003), Oxford dictionary of British place names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-852758-9. – via Google Books
  3. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A dictionary of first names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 263, 397, 410, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  4. ^ Henderson, Angus (1916), "Ardnamurchan place-names", in Carmichael, E. C. (ed.), The Celtic Review, vol. 10, William Hodge and Company, pp. 149–168.
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