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Fhuair Alasdair Mòr mac an Rìgh – the Wolf of Badenoch – smachd air Caisteal Loch nan Doirb anns a’ bhliadhna trì cheud deug, seachdad ’s a dhà (1372). Tha e coltach, roimhe sin, gun robh e le Crùn na h-Alba. B’ e athair Alasdair Rìgh Raibeart II. Nuair a fhuair athair an crùn, thug e còraichean a bharrachd do dh’Alasdair. B’ esan Iarla Bhuchain, Tighearna Bhàideanach agus Iarla Rois, am measg eile. Bha e cumhachdach thairis air ceann a tuath na h-Alba agus bha sreath chaistealan aige. Bha Loch nan Doirb nam measg.

’S e duine cruaidh a bh’ ann an Alasdair Mòr mac an Rìgh. Tha fhrith-ainm ann am Beurla – the Wolf of Badenoch – ag innse sin dhuinn! Chaidh e fhèin agus an Eaglais a-mach air a chèile gu salach. Rinn e droch-dhìol air a bhean agus theich i. An uair sin, bha e a’ fuireach còmhla ri tè eile – Mairead nic Eachainn – mar bhean. Bha e cuideachd a’ cumail a-mach gun robh smachd aigesan air fearann na h-Eaglaise ann am Bàideanach.

Air sàillibh a h-uile càil sin, rinn Easbaig Mhoireibh ascaoineadh air. Tha sin a’ ciallachadh gun robh e air a chur a-mach às an Eaglais buileach glan. A rèir aon neach-eachdraidh bha Alasdair a’ fuireach ann an Caisteal Loch nan Doirb nuair a thàinig manach thuige airson teachdaireachd an Easbaig a thoirt dha.

Bha Alasdair fiadhaich. Thug e feachd leis agus rinn iad sgrios air àiteachan ann am Moireibh a bha ceangailte ris an Eaglais. Chaidh iad a dh’Eilginn agus loisg iad a’ Chathair-eaglais gu làr.

Bha sin ann an trì cheud deug is naochad (1390). Tha eachdraidhean na h-Alba sàmhach mu Loch nan Doirb airson deicheadan an dèidh sin. Ach tha e a’ nochdadh a-rithist anns na ceathradan dhen chòigeamh linn deug. B’ e Seumas II Rìgh na h-Alba. Bha Gilleasbaig Dubh Dùghlas, Iarla Mhoireibh, na nàmhaid don Rìgh. Bha esan a’ fuireach anns a’ chaisteal.Ìý

Chaidh Gilleasbaig a mharbhadh aig Blàr Arkinholm ann an ceann an iar-dheas na h-Alba ann an ceithir cheud deug, caogad ’s a còig (1455). ’S ann an uair sin a thàinig beatha Caisteal Loch nan Doirb an ìre mhath gu ceann.Ìý

Bha Seumas II airson ’s nach biodh an caisteal air a chur gu feum na aghaidh tuilleadh. Thug e cùmhnant do Thànaiste Chaladair Caisteal Loch nan Doirb a thoirt às a chèile. Cha robh e eadhon dà cheud bliadhna a dh’aois. Fhuair Uilleam, Tànaiste Chaladair, fichead ’s a ceithir notaichean airson na h-obrach.Ìý

A rèir beul-aithris, chaidh geata mòr iarainn, a tha an-diugh ann an Caisteal Chaladair, a thoirt ann à Loch nan Doirb. Chaidh a ghiùlan co-dhiù trì mìle deug thairis air a’ mhonadh gu ruige Caladair le fear làidir a bha aithnichte mar ‘Dòmhnall gun Mhàthair’.

A-nise chan eil dad air fhàgail air Eilean Loch nan Doirb ach ballachan-cloiche. Ach saoilidh mi gu bheil an tobhta sin prìseil. Tha e a’ sealltainn dhuinn mar a bha caistealan na h-Alba anns na meadhan-aoisean. Tha a chruth gu math eadar-dhealaichte bho na taighean daingnichte dhen t-seòrsa a chì sinn, mar eisimpleir, ann an Caladair. Saoil dè thachras a-nise don chaisteal iongantach seo? Bheir mi sùil air a’ cheist sin an-ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: Alasdair Mòr mac an Rìgh: the Wolf of Badenoch; Caisteal Loch nan Doirb: Lochindorb Castle; còraichean: rights; Iarla Bhuchain: Earl of Buchan; Tighearna Bhàideanach: Lord of Badenoch; Iarla Rois: Earl of Ross; fhrith-ainm: his nickname; deicheadan: decades; Seumas II: James II; prìseil: valuable.Ìý

Abairtean na Litreach: bha sreath chaistealan aige: he had a series of castles; rinn e droch-dhìol air a bhean: he abused his wife; bha e a’ cumail a-mach gun robh smachd aigesan air fearann na h-Eaglaise ann am Bàideanach: he was making out that he had control of the Church’s lands in Badenoch; air sàillibh a h-uile càil sin: because of all of that; rinn Easbaig Mhoireibh ascaoineadh air: the Bishop of Moray excommunicated him; airson teachdaireachd an Easbaig a thoirt dha: to give him the Bishop’s message; rinn iad sgrios air àiteachan ann am Moireibh: they destroyed places in Moray; chaidh iad a dh’Eilginn: they went to Elgin; loisg iad a’ Chathair-eaglais gu làr: they burned the Cathedral to the ground; bha Gilleasbaig Dubh Dùghlas, Iarla Mhoireibh, na nàmhaid don Rìgh: Black Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, was an enemy of [to] the King; bha X airson ’s nach biodh an caisteal air a chur gu feum na aghaidh tuilleadh: X desired that the castle not be used against him again; thug e cùmhnant do Thànaiste Chaladair Caisteal Loch nan Doirb a thoirt às a chèile: he gave a contract to the Thane  of Cawdor to dismantle Lochindorb Castle; chaidh a ghiùlan thairis air a’ mhonadh: it was carried over the hills; a bha aithnichte mar ‘Dòmhnall gun Mhàthair’: who was known as ‘Donald without a mother’; eadar-dhealaichte bho na taighean daingnichte: different from the fortified houses.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: gun robh e air a chur a-mach às an Eaglais buileach glan: that he was completely thrown out of the Church. Buileach means ‘complete, entire’ and, although an adjective, can be used in an adverbial sense – buileach and gu buileach can both mean ‘completely, fully, entirely’. If you want to emphasise the completeness of the matter in hand, you can add glan (which also means ‘completely’ in an idiomatic sense). Buileach glan is often used at the end of a phrase to mean ‘completely, totally, absolutely’. Chaidh iad a-mach air a chèile buileach glan ‘they had a total fall out’.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Chaidh e fhèin agus an Eaglais a-mach air a chèile gu salach: he and the Church fell out with each other completely (similar to buileach glan above but extremely negative).