A blackhouse (Irish: teach dubh [ˌtʲax ˈd̪ˠʊw]; Scottish Gaelic: t(a)igh-dubh [t̪ʰə ˈt̪uh]) is a traditional type of house which used to be common in Ireland, the Hebrides, and the Scottish Highlands.
Origin of the name
The origin of the name blackhouse is of some debate. On the Isle of Lewis, in particular, it seems to have been used to distinguish the older blackhouses from some of the newer white-houses (Irish: teach bán [ˌtʲax ˈbˠaːnˠ], teach geal [ˌtʲax ˈɟalˠ]; Scottish Gaelic: taigh-geal [t̪ʰə ˈkʲal̪ˠ]), with their harled (rendered) stone walls. There may also be some confusion arising from the phonetic similarity between the dubh, meaning black, and tughadh, meaning thatch.
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