麻豆约拍

Tha sinn a鈥� comharrachadh, anns an Litir, gum bi deich bliadhna ann an ath-mh矛os bhon a fhuair muinntir Eige sealbh air an oighreachd aca. Bha iad an d貌chas an t-eilean a cheannach bhon uachdaran a bh鈥� aca anns na naochadan, Keith Schellenberg. Ach cha robh esan de貌nach a reic dhaibh. Anns a鈥� Mh脿rt naoi ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1995), mu ochd m矛osan an d猫idh do 诲丑鈥橴rras Eige dhol ann an l脿mhan nan eileanach, chuala na h-Eigich droch naidheachd. Bha an t-eilean air a reic.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bha duilgheadasan ionmhais aig Keith Schellenberg, 脿s d猫idh sgaradh-p貌saidh a bhith aige. Reic e an t-eilean airson 拢1.6 millean. 鈥橲 e am fear a cheannaich e neach-ealain Gearmailteach air an robh Marlin Eckhart. Ach bha daoine na b鈥� e貌laiche air fon fhar-ainm aige, Maruma.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bha e doirbh fiosrachadh fhaighinn mu Mharuma. Bhathar ag r脿dh gur e adhradair-teine a bh鈥� ann agus gun do leugh e an t-ainm Maruma nuair a bha e a鈥� coimhead ann an l貌n ann an Abu Dhabi. Cha robh fios aig duine ciamar a fhuair e s霉im airgid m貌r gu le貌r airson oighreachd a cheannach. Is cha robh fios aca carson a cheannaich e i.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Chaidh Maruma a 诲丑鈥橢ige. Bha e air a bhith ann d矛reach aon turas roimhe, a r猫ir choltais. Fear m貌r a bh鈥� ann, a bha a鈥� smocadh fad na h-霉ine. Bha luchd-naidheachd a鈥� d猫anamh rannsachadh air, agus bha iadsan a鈥� cumail a-mach nach robh airgead mar sin aige ann. Mar sin, lean Urras Eige air, feuch an oighreachd a cheannach 鈥� a-nise bho Mharuma.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Thachair a h-uile c脿il a tha seo mus robh P脿rlamaid na h-Alba ann am bith. Bha Riaghaltas T貌raidheach ann an Lunnainn. Cha robh iad de貌nach an siostam de 诲丑鈥檜achdranachd phr矛obhaideach air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd atharrachadh, eadhon le bhith a鈥� toirt taic don choimhearsnachd airson an t-eilean a cheannach. Ach bha Eige air aire luchd-poilitigs. Nochd suidheachadh an eilein turas no dh脿 ann an Taigh nan Cumantan.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Anns an Iuchar, naoi ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a sia (1996), chaidh Eige a chur air ais air a鈥� mhargaidh. Bha Maruma ag iarraidh 拢2 mhillean air. Anns an L霉nastal, chuir Urras Eige iomairt air chois airson airgead a chur ri ch猫ile a leigeadh leotha an t-eilean a cheannach. Th脿inig na m矛ltean notaichean a-steach bho dhaoine air feadh an t-saoghail.

Bha eadhon an Riaghaltas ann an Lunnainn a鈥� toirt aire don ghnothach a-nis. Chaidh R霉naire na h-Alba, M矛cheal Forsyth, don eilean as t-Sultain. Dhearbh e gun robh e a鈥� tuigsinn gum b鈥� urrainn buannachdan tighinn bho shealbh coimhearsnachd ann an 脿ite mar Eige.

听听听听听听听听听听听 As t-Samhain bha 拢1.2 millean aig an Urras. Ach cha robh sin gu le貌r do Mharuma agus dhi霉lt e an tagradh. Dh鈥檉h脿g e an t-eilean air a鈥� mhargaidh, agus 拢2 mhillean not air fhathast. Ach bha a鈥� ch霉is a鈥� tighinn gu ceann oir bha neach-creideis aig Maruma ag iarraidh airgead air ais a thug e mar iasad don neach-ealain Ghearmailteach. B鈥� e reic an eilein an aon d貌igh airson an t-airgead fhaighinn.

Tr脿th sa Ghiblean, naoi ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a seachd (1997), chuir Urras Eige 拢1.5 millean air a鈥� bh貌rd. Chaidh gabhail ris. Agus fhuair na daoine sealbh air an eilean, mu dheireadh thall, air an d脿rna latha deug dhen 脪gmhios. Thathar fhathast a鈥� bruidhinn mun cheilidh a bh鈥� aca an oidhche sin!

bhon a fhuair muinntir Eige sealbh air an oighreachd aca: since the people of Eigg achieved ownership of their estate; cha robh esan de貌nach a reic dhaibh: he wasn鈥檛 willing to sell it to them; ann an l脿mhan nan eileanach: in the hands of islanders; duilgheadasan ionmhais: financial difficulties; 脿s d猫idh sgaradh-p貌saidh a bhith aige: after he had been divorced; neach-ealain Gearmailteach: a German artist; na b鈥� e貌laiche air fon fhar-ainm aige: more familiar with him under his nickname; bhathar ag r脿dh gur e adhradair-teine a bh鈥� ann: it was said that he was a f矛re-worshipper; s霉im airgid m貌r gu le貌r: a large enough sum of money; [鈥檚 e] fear m貌r a bh鈥� ann: he was a big man; mus robh P脿rlamaid na h-Alba ann am bith: before the Scottish Parliament existed; an siostam de 诲丑鈥檜achdranachd phr矛obhaideach: the system of private landlordism; air aire luchd-poilitigs: under the attention of politicians; Taigh nan Cumantan: House of Commons; airson airgead a chur ri ch猫ile a leigeadh leotha an t-eilean a cheannach: to put together money that would allow them to buy the island; chaidh R霉naire na h-Alba don eilean as t-Sultain: The Secretary of State for Scotland went to the island in September; gum b鈥� urrainn buannachdan tighinn bho shealbh coimhearsnachd: that advantages could come from community ownership; a thug e mar iasad: that he gave as a loan; b鈥� e reic an eilein an aon d貌igh: the sale of the island was the only way; chaidh gabhail ris: it was accepted.

Chaidh Maruma a 诲丑鈥橢ige: Maruma went to Eigg. Gaelic learners often tend to use gu as a preposition meaning 鈥渢o鈥�, while ignoring other possible prepositions. But remember the use of a (as opposed to 脿 which means from, out of). It is used a lot with respect to place names (at least those which have no definite article) and causes lenition eg chaidh mi a Phort R矛gh (I went to Portree), chaidh mi a Thobar Mhoire (I went to Tobermory). Where the name starts with a vowel, the 诲丑鈥� prefix occurs eg chaidh e a 诲丑鈥橭bar Dheathain (he went to Aberdeen), chaidh i a 诲丑鈥橧nbhir Nis (she went to Inverness).

nach robh airgead mar sin aige ann: that he didn鈥檛 have money like that [most definitely]. The ann at the end of this phrase has no particular grammatical function and could happily be left out without affecting the meaning. But it adds emphasis to the fact that he didn鈥檛 have money like that. You are more likely to come across this usage in speech than in writing.聽