麻豆约拍

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh mun turas a ghabh mi o chionn ghoirid gu D霉n Dearduil faisg air Loch Nis 鈥� cnoc is seann l脿rach a tha co-cheangailte ri Deirdre agus Clann Uisne. Faisg air an d霉n, chuala mi fuaim ne貌nach dha-r矛reabh. Bha e car coltach ri beathach a鈥� sgreuchail. D猫 bh鈥� ann? D脿 chraoibh a鈥� suathadh na ch猫ile sa ghaoith? Beathach ann an ribe? No taibhs?

Uill, chan eil fhios agam a bheil sibh fh猫in a鈥� creidsinn ann an taibhsean. Tha gu le貌r ann an Alba a chreideas, no co-dhi霉 nach canadh a-muigh no mach nach eil a leithid ann. Ach nan robh taibhs air D霉n Dearduil, c貌 bhiodh ann?

Leugh mi o chionn ghoirid mu bhoireannach air an robh Nighean an Tomaidh. Bha i be貌 aig deireadh an ochdamh linn deug. A r猫ir beul-aithris cha robh i sl脿n na h-inntinn. Feumaidh, ge-t脿, gun robh i sl脿n na bodhaig oir bhiodh i a鈥� dol a h-uile latha dhen bhliadhna gu mullach Dh霉n Dearduil. Bhiodh i a鈥� coiseachd timcheall air mullaichean nan cnoc. Agus bhiodh i a鈥� seinn fhad 鈥檚 a bha i a鈥� coiseachd.

Am measg na sheinneadh Nighean an Tomaidh air D霉n Dearduil bha an rann bheag a leanas. Nuair a ruigeas mi an deireadh, cuiridh mi a鈥� cheist oirbh: an robh craobhan a鈥� f脿s air an d霉n aig an 脿m? Seo an rann:

H貌, th猫id mi a Dh霉n Dearduil,

An D霉n as docha leam sa choill.

Togaidh mi taigh air Dearduil Ghuanach,

Togaidh mi sabhal air a鈥� Chreig Dheirg,

C矛ridh mi m鈥� fhalt dualach donn air Creag nan Gobhar.

An robh craobhan a鈥� f脿s ann, ma-th脿? Bha, oir bhiodh am boireannach a鈥� seinn, An D霉n as docha leam sa choill. Mar sin tha e freagarrach gu le貌r gu bheilear a鈥� leagail nan craobh neo-dh霉thchasach, agus gu bheilear a鈥� feuchainn ris an 脿rainneachd a chur air ais mar a bha i aig an 脿m sin 鈥� le d矛reach craobhan d霉thchasach ann.

Chan eil fhios agam am bi taibhs Nighean an Tomaidh fhathast a鈥� dol an d猫idh c貌rr is d脿 cheud bliadhna. Ach nuair a bha mi a鈥� d猫anamh rannsachadh air an sg矛re, 脿s d猫idh dhomh a bhith ann, lorg mi fiosrachadh a bha gu math inntinneach. Tha aithrisean ann gun robh taibhs no taibhsean ann an 脿ite ris an canar Glac an Amair, faisg air Bail鈥� an Lagain. Tha baile-fearainn fhathast ann am Bail鈥� an Lagain, 脿s a bheilear a鈥� faighinn sealladh math de Dh霉n Dearduil faisg air l脿imh.

Anns an t-seann aimsir bhiodh na daoine a鈥� faicinn bodachan an sin, gun cheann, agus c貌ta dearg air. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a thug iad don taibhs 鈥淏odach a鈥� Charbh-dhuin鈥�. Aon turas, chunnaic treabhaiche 脿 Bail鈥� an Lagain e. Bha an treabhaiche air fear de na h-eich aige a chur a-mach gu feurachadh fad na h-oidhche ann an Glac an Amair. Bha e a鈥� dol ga cheangal ann le d脿 chorraich. Cheangail e t猫 de na corraich agus thionndaidh e a choimhead airson na corraich eile. A-mach 脿s an dorchadas th脿inig guth 鈥� 鈥淪eo i鈥� 鈥� agus thilg an taibhs a鈥� chorrach eile a dh鈥檌onnsaigh an treabhaiche.

Agus leugh mi rud eile. Bha fuaran ainmeil ann an Glac an Amair air an robh Fuaran Glac an Amair (d猫 eile?). Bhathar a鈥� creidsinn gu robh an t-uisge ann math do shl脿inte dhaoine. Agus a r猫ir beul-aithris, bha t脿charan a鈥� fuireach ann. Saoil, ma-th脿, c貌 no d猫 d矛reach a rinn am fuaim ne貌nach a chuala mi an latha sin aig bonn D霉n Dearduil?

Faclan na Litreach: sgreuchail: screeching, screaming; ribe: trap; taibhs: ghost; sabhal: barn; d霉thchasach: native; baile-fearainn: farm; bodachan: mannikin; fuaran: spring, well; t脿charan: sprite.

Abairtean na Litreach: seann l脿rach: an old site; ne貌nach dha-r矛reabh: extremely strange; d脿 chraoibh a鈥� suathadh na ch猫ile: two trees rubbing together; tha gu le貌r ann a chreideas: there are plenty who do believe; nach canadh a-muigh no mach nach eil a leithid ann: who would never state for sure that such things don鈥檛 exist; cha robh i sl脿n na h-inntinn: she wasn鈥檛 the full shilling; nuair a ruigeas mi an deireadh: when I reach the end; togaidh mi taigh air Dearduil Ghuanach: I鈥檒l build a house on airy [D霉n] Dearduil; c矛ridh mi m鈥� fhalt dualach donn air Creag nan Gobhar: I鈥檒l comb my brown waving locks on the Rock of the Goats; gu bheilear a鈥� leagail nan craobh neo-dh霉thchasach: that the non-native trees are being felled; gu bheilear a鈥� feuchainn ris an 脿rainneachd a chur air ais mar a bha i: that an attempt is being made to return the environment to the state it was in; 脿s d猫idh dhomh a bhith ann: after my being there; Glac an Amair: the defile of the water-channel (presumably referring to where the river powers through a small rocky canyon); 脿s a bheilear a鈥� faighinn sealladh math: from which a good view is obtained; bha an treabhaiche air fear de na h-eich aige a chur a-mach gu feurachadh: the ploughman had put one of his horses out to graze; cheangail e t猫 de na corraich: he tied one of the shackles; saoil, ma-th脿, c貌 no d猫 d矛reach a rinn am fuaim?:: who or what exactly do you think, then, made the noise (a sika deer is probably the answer!)

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: Nighean an Tomaidh: a written account compiled from oral tradition gives the translation 鈥渢he maiden of the knoll鈥� and I have accepted that, and given Tomaidh the appropriate pronunciation. Ostensibly her name might be a contraction of Nighean Iain Tomaidh ie 鈥渢he daughter of John the son of Tommy鈥� (in which case the Tomaidh would be pronounced like Tommy). The 鈥渁n鈥� contraction (for Iain) is not unusual in Gaelic nicknames or patronymics eg Murchadh 鈥檃n Ailig would be Murdo son of John, son of Alex.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: An D霉n as docha leam sa choill: the d霉n I love most in the forest. This is evidence that D霉n Dearduil was at least partly forested in the late 18th Century. Docha is considered to be the comparative form of toigh and means 鈥渕ore (or most) valued鈥�. Dwelly gives the example: Is toigh leam thusa, ach is docha leam esan: I like you, but I prefer him. Most people today would say Is toigh leam thusa, ach is fhe脿rr leam esan, using fe脿rr, the comparative form of math.