The month of June, An t-Ògmhios in Gaelic, may be translated as the month of youth, the young, as in MacLennan’s Faclair Gaidhlig. As so many of the Gaelic names for months and seasons relate directly to the natural world and agriculture, it may be that the name ‘month of youth’ refers to the young growth of grass and crops, and of young animals. Most important was the thriving of young calves, as cattle have been considered the wealth of the Highlands and Islands, and also the growth of foals, lambs, goat kids, deer calves, and the nestlings and newly fledged birds.
In the ancient Irish Gaelic, the time from about 13th May through 9th June is known as the month of the hawthorn. The hawthorn, Droigheann in Gaelic, is of the Rosaceae plant family of plants, and blooms in May and early June. This hardy small tree is covered in copious pink-tinged white, scented flowers. This year we have an abundant flowering of the hawthorns in field hedges and verges around Islay, a hopeful sign of plentiful hawthorn berries, the ‘haws’, for birds and for jelly-makers in the coming Autumn months.
Susan Campbell
