麻豆约拍

Tha cuid de dhaoine a鈥� creidsinn gu m貌r ann an co-fheall. Conspiracy theorists mar a chanar riutha ann am Beurla. Uill, leugh mi rudeigin an l脿 eile mu cho-fheall co-cheangailte ri f矛or dhroch thachartas air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd. An e an fh矛rinn a th鈥� ann? Chan eil fhios agam 鈥� ach seo an st貌iridh.

Th貌isich e anns a鈥� bhliadhna seachd ceud deug, trithead 鈥檚 a naoi (1739). Bha sin d矛reach sia bliadhna ro Bhliadhna a鈥� Phrionnsa. She貌l long 脠ireannach a-steach a Loch Br脿cadail anns an Eilean Sgitheanach. 鈥橲 e an William an t-ainm a bh鈥� oirre agus bhuineadh i do phort ann an Contae an D霉in air a bheil D貌mhnach Daoi. 鈥橲 e Uilleam MacDhaibhidh an t-ainm a bh鈥� air an sgiobair agus, gu dearbh, chan e deagh dhuine a bh鈥� ann.

Nuair a bha an William aig acair ann an Loch Br脿cadail, chaidh cuireadh a thoirt do bhuidhnean de mhuinntir an 脿ite dhol air b貌rd. Nuair a bha iad air b貌rd, chaidh an toirt am bruid. Bha na Sgitheanaich gu bhith nan tr脿illean ann an Ameireagaidh. Dh鈥檉h脿g an William an t-Eilean Sgitheanach le seasgad duine air b貌rd.

Ach cha robh i deiseil. Chaidh i a-null gu Fionnasbhagh anns Na Hearadh agus Loch Portain ann an Uibhist a Tuath. Thug an criutha tuilleadh dhaoine am bruid anns na h-脿iteachan sin. Bha a-nise c貌rr is ceud duine air b貌rd.

Rinn an soitheach air D貌mhnach Daoi ann an 脠irinn. Ach, air an t-slighe, stad i far costa Dhi霉ra. Bha dithis bhoireannach tinn agus bha boireannach eile an d霉il leanabh a bhith aice an ceann greis bheag. Chaidh an cur air t矛r ann an Di霉ra gun rud sam bith ach an t-aodach a bh鈥� orra.

Nuair a r脿inig an soitheach 脠irinn, bha na G脿idheil air an glasadh ann an d脿 shabhal air iomall a鈥� bhaile. Bha an criutha a鈥� d猫anamh an long deiseil airson turas cuain a dh鈥橝meireagaidh. Ach air an oidhche, rinn m貌ran de na G脿idheil dol-脿s. Cha robh air fh脿gail sa mhadainn ach ochd duine deug 鈥� feadhainn a bha ro shean airson teicheadh.

Chaidh MacDhaibhidh, an sgiobair, gu maighstir-lagha. Bha e ag iarraidh gum biodh 鈥渘a h-eucoraich鈥� air an cur an gr猫im. Ach bha am maighstir-lagha amharasach mun ghnothach. Dh鈥檌arr e air MacDhaibhidh dearbhadh gur e eucoraich a bh鈥� annta. Agus cha b鈥� urrainn dha.

An uair sin th貌isich na daoine air tighinn a-steach. Chuala am maighstir-lagha mar a thachair dhaibh, is gu robh iad air an cur am bruid. Chuir e barantas a-mach airson MacDhaibhidh a chur an gr猫im.

Ach chan e MacDhaibhidh a-mh脿in. 鈥橲 e am fear a bh鈥� air iarraidh air MacDhaibhidh an obair ghr脿ineil aige a dh猫anamh Tormod MacLe貌id 脿 Be脿rnaraigh na Hearadh. Bha am barantas ga ainmeachadh-san cuideachd. Ach cha robh sgeul air MacLe貌id no MacDhaibhidh. Bha iad air teicheadh.

Agus d猫 thachair do na G脿idheil? Uill, chaidh m貌ran aca dhachaigh. Ach dh鈥檉huirich feadhainn ann an 脠irinn.

Thathar a鈥� cuimhneachadh an William an-diugh mar 鈥淟ong nan Daoine鈥�. Ach c脿it an robh an co-fheall? Uill, bha na cinn-chinnidh, D貌mhnallach Shl猫ite agus MacLe貌id Dh霉n Bheagain, an s脿s anns a鈥� ghnothach. Ach mus deach an d矛teadh ann an c霉irt airson a bhith ri tr脿illeachd, chuir Ceann-suidhe C霉irt an t-Seisein, Donnchadh Foirbeis, stad air a鈥� ch霉is.

Sia bliadhna 脿s d猫idh sin, dhi霉lt na cinn-chinnidh sin dhol air taobh The脿rlaich 脪ig. An robh iad air bargan a dh猫anamh leis an t-s脿r-Hanoibh猫irianach, Donnchadh Foirbeis?

Faclan na Litreach: co-fheall: conspiracy; long: ship; Loch Br脿cadail: Loch Bracadale; D貌mhnach Daoi: Donaghadee; Uilleam MacDhaibhidh: William Davidson; seasgad: sixty; Fionnasbhagh: Finsbay; Loch Portain: Loch Portan; maighstir-lagha: magistrate; amharasach: suspicious; barantas: warrant; cinn-chinnidh: clan chiefs.

Abairtean na Litreach: co-cheangailte ri f矛or dhroch thachartas: connected to a terrible event; an e an fh矛rinn a th鈥� ann?: is it the truth?; Bliadhna a鈥� Phrionnsa: The Year of the Prince (1745-6); bhuineadh i do phort ann an Contae an D霉in: she belonged to a port in County Down; chaidh cuireadh a thoirt do bhuidhnean de mhuinntir an 脿ite: an invitation was given to groups of local people; chaidh an toirt am bruid: they were kidnapped; bha X gu bhith nan tr脿illean: X were going to be slaves; an d霉il leanabh a bhith aice an ceann greis bheag: expecting to give birth in the near future; air an glasadh ann an d脿 shabhal: locked in two barns; turas cuain: an ocean journey; rinn m貌ran dol-脿s: many escaped; ro shean airson teicheadh: too old to flee; bha e ag iarraidh gum biodh 鈥渘a h-eucoraich鈥� air an cur an gr猫im: he wanted the 鈥渃riminals鈥� to be caught; cha b鈥� urrainn dha: he could not; 鈥檚 e am fear a bh鈥� air iarraidh air MacDhaibhidh an obair ghr脿ineil aige a dh猫anamh Tormod MacLe貌id: the man who had asked Davidson to do his despicable work was Norman MacLeod; bha am barantas ga ainmeachadh-san: the warrant named him; mus deach an d矛teadh airson a bhith ri tr脿illeachd: before they were prosecuted for being involved in slavery; an robh iad air bargan a dh猫anamh leis an t-s脿r-Hanoibh猫irianach?: had they made a bargain with the arch-Hanoverian?

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: ann an Di霉ra: in Jura. The Norse suffix 鈥揺y indicating an island, is represented in Gaelic today as 鈥揳igh (by convention, although you also see 鈥揳idh). Thus we have Barraigh, Be脿rnaraigh and Pabaigh. But it should be noted that this word ending does not reflect the pronunciation in Argyll, where the 鈥揺y is generally represented by an 鈥揳. Thus, although a Lewisman might call Jura 鈥淒i霉raigh鈥� and Gigha 鈥淕ioghaigh鈥�, the natives of Argyll say 鈥淒i霉ra鈥� and 鈥淕iogha鈥�. And, despite the spelling convention, it is unlikely that a Colonsay Gaelic speaker would want his island to be written 鈥淐olbhasaigh鈥� on local signage. In fact, the locals tend to use 鈥淐olasa鈥�. In such instances, I tend to follow local usage in the Litir. Stad i far costa Dhi霉ra: she stopped off the coast of Jura. Note the lenition to indicate the genitive 鈥� this is the common model 鈥� and there is no terminal inflection.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: chan e deagh dhuine a bh鈥� ann: he was not a good man (ie he was a rogue).