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A letter for Gaelic learners with Roddy MacLean.

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Litir 414: Diarmaid agus Gr脿inne

Th貌isich mi an t-seachdain sa chaidh air an sgeulachd thraidiseanta 鈥淒iarmaid agus Gr脿inne鈥 aig a bheil ceangal do Bheinn Ghulbain ann an Gleann S矛dh. Bha Diarmaid air teicheadh le Gr脿inne, a bha fo ghealladh-p貌saidh do Fhionn. Ach bha Gr脿inne air a dhol an aghaidh Dhiarmaid. Bha Diarmaid a鈥 sabaid le Ciofach Mac a鈥 Ghoill. Stob Gr脿inne sgian ann an sliasaid Dhiarmaid.

Theich Diarmaid. Dh鈥檉halbh e bho tholl gu toll, 鈥檚 gun air ach gun robh e be貌. Dh鈥檉h脿s fhalt agus dh鈥檉h脿s fheusag. Bha fhalt is fheusag cho fada 鈥檚 nach biodh duine ga aithneachadh. Chaidh e taobh na Carraige far an robh Gr脿inne agus Ciofach a鈥 fuireach. Bha iasg amh aige. Dh鈥檌arr e cead an t-iasg a r貌stadh.

Nise, rud sam bith air an cuireadh Diarmaid a mheuran, bhiodh blas na meala a鈥 tighinn air. Bha e a鈥 cleachdadh a mheuran airson an t-iasg a l脿imhseachadh. Dh鈥檉heuch Gr脿inne criomag dhen iasg agus mhothaich i blas na meala air. Bha fios aice gur e an str脿innsear Diarmaid. Thug Ciofach ionnsaigh air. Ach bha Diarmaid l脿idir. Mharbh e Ciofach. Agus theich e.

Nuair a chunnaic Gr脿inne gun robh Ciofach marbh, lean i air Diarmaid. Lorg i e aig briseadh an latha. Bha an sgian a stob i na chois fhathast ann. Cha b鈥 urrainn dha a toirt 脿s. Tharraing Gr脿inne a-mach i. Bha eagal air Diarmaid gum faigheadh an Fh猫inn gr猫im orra. Ch霉m iad a dol gus an do lorg iad allt. Thog iad taigh an sin. Bha leapannan air leth aca.

Bha Diarmaid a鈥 d猫anamh shoithichean fiodha a-rithist. Bha na sliseagan a bha e a鈥 d猫anamh a鈥 dol s矛os leis an allt. Latha a bha seo bha Fionn is a chompanaich ri sealgaireachd anns an sg矛re. Thug Fionn an aire do shliseagan aig bun an uillt.

鈥淚s iad seo sliseagan Dhiarmaid,鈥 thuirt e.

鈥淐han iad,鈥 fhreagair c脿ch. 鈥淐han eil e be貌.鈥

鈥淕laodhaidh sinn foghaid.鈥 thuirt Fionn. 鈥淭ha e mionnaichte ris gum feum e a鈥 freagairt.鈥 [B鈥 e foghaid gairm seilg a bhiodh an Fh猫inn a鈥 cleachdadh]

Chuala Diarmaid an fhoghaid. 鈥淪iud sh矛os foghaid na F猫inne,鈥 thuirt e. 鈥淔eumaidh mi freagairt.鈥

鈥淣a freagair, a Dhiarmaid,鈥 thuirt Gr脿inne. 鈥淐han eil ann ach foghaid bhr猫ig.鈥

Ach fhreagair e. Chaidh e s矛os gu bun an uillt. Thachair e ri Fionn. Chuir Fionn d霉bhlan roimhe oir bha e fhathast ag iarraidh d矛oghaltas air Diarmaid airson Gr脿inne a thoirt air falbh. Dh鈥檌arr e air Diarmaid an torc nimhe air Beinn Ghulbain a mharbhadh. Ghabh Diarmaid ris an d霉bhlan.

Lean Diarmaid air an torc airson l脿ithean mus d鈥 fhuair e faisg gu le貌r air airson a mharbhadh. Bha sin faisg air mullach na beinne. Bha sabaid mh貌r ann eatarra. Bhris an torc an sleagh aig Diarmaid. Cha robh aig Diarmaid an uair sin ach claidheamh airson cur 脿s dha. Ach rinn e a鈥 ch霉is aig a鈥 cheann thall.

Thill Diarmaid leis an naidheachd gun robh e air an torc nimhe a mharbhadh. Chan e sin an naidheachd a bha Fionn ag iarraidh cluinntinn. Cha robh fios aige gun robh leapannan fa leth aig Diarmaid is Gr脿inne. Bha e fhathast feargach is eudmhor mu chall na t猫 a bha fo ghealladh-p貌saidh aige.

Bha fios aige, ged as e gaisgeach l脿idir a bh鈥 ann an Diarmaid, gun robh aon laigse aige. Bha ball-d貌bhrain aige air bonn a choise. Nam faigheadh calg aig torc a-steach ann, bhiodh sin ag adhbharachadh a bh脿is. Ch矛 sinn mar a rinn Fionn a鈥 ch霉is 鈥 agus na thachair do Ghr脿inne 鈥 nuair a chuireas sinn cr矛och air an st貌iridh anns an ath Litir.

Faclan na Litreach

Faclan na Litreach: amh: raw; l脿imhseachadh: handling; criomag: morsel; sliseagan: shavings (of wood); sealgaireachd: hunting; d矛oghaltas: revenge.

Abairtean na Litreach

Abairtean na Litreach: an sgeulachd thraidiseanta: the traditional story; aig a bheil ceangal do Bheinn Ghulbain ann an Gleann S矛dh: which has a link to Ben Gulabin in Glenshee; stob X sgian ann an sliasaid Y: X stuck a knife in Y鈥檚 thigh; dh鈥檉halbh e bho tholl gu toll: he went from hole to hole (caves); 鈥檚 gun air ach gun robh e be貌: and him barely alive; bha fhalt is fheusag cho fada 鈥檚 nach biodh duine ga aithneachadh: his hair and beard were so long that nobody would recognise him; dh鈥檌arr e cead an t-iasg a r貌stadh: he asked permission to roast the fish; rud sam bith air an cuireadh X a mheuran: anything on which X would put his fingers; blas na meala: the taste of honey; lorg i e aig briseadh an latha: she found him at daybreak; cha b鈥 urrainn dha a toirt 脿s: he couldn鈥檛 get it out; tharraing X a-mach i: X pulled it out; gum faigheadh an Fh猫inn gr猫im orra: that the Fingalians would get hold of them; bha leapannan air leth aca: they had separate beds; a鈥 d猫anamh shoithichean fiodha: making wooden vessels; bun an uillt: the bottom [end] of the burn; glaodhaidh sinn foghaid: we鈥檒l shout a hunting cry; tha e mionnaichte ris gum feum e a鈥 freagairt: he is sworn to it that he must answer; siud sh矛os: down there yonder; foghaid bhr猫ig: a lying hunting-cry; chuir Fionn d霉bhlan roimhe: Fionn set him a challenge; torc nimhe: wild boar; bhris an torc an sleagh: the boar broke the spear; claidheamh airson cur 脿s dha: a sword to kill it; feargach is eudmhor: angry and jealous; gun robh aon laigse aige: that he had one weakness; bha ball-d貌bhrain aige air bonn a choise: he had a mole on the sole of his foot; nam faigheadh calg aig torc a-steach ann: if a boar鈥檚 bristle got in it; bhiodh sin ag adhbharachadh a bh脿is: that would cause his death.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: B鈥 e foghaid gairm seilg a bhiodh an Fh猫inn a鈥 cleachdadh: a foghaid was a hunting cry the Fingalians would use. F猫inn (always with the article) is one of those collective nouns with a plural meaning and, at least traditionally, a singular grammatical status 鈥 like clann and feadhainn. And like those two it is feminine. This is the reason for the popular saying Cothrom na F猫inne 鈥 na F猫inne is the genitive form with the na article giving away its status as a feminine singular noun. Cothrom na F猫inne means 鈥淔ingalian fair play鈥 鈥 such as allowing an opponent who has dropped his sword in a fight to pick it up again (although the Fingalians could be bloody and brutal at times as well, as we have seen.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: a bha fo ghealladh-p貌saidh do Fhionn: who was engaged to Fionn.

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