麻豆约拍

An cuala sibh a-riamh an seanfhacal 鈥淪goltaidh farmad na creagan鈥�? Sgoltaidh farmad na creagan. Anns an leabhar The Gaelic Otherworld, tha Iain MacGriogair Caimbeul ag innse dhuinn mu thachartas a tha a鈥� dearbhadh an t-seanfhacail. Bha fear ann a bha gu math d矛cheallach. Bhiodh e a鈥� d猫anamh is a鈥� reic barrachd c脿ise na duine sam bith eile anns a鈥� choimhearsnachd. 鈥橲 ann tric a bhiodh e a鈥� coiseachd seachad air taighean a n脿baidhean air an rathad gu margaidh, le c脿bag ann am poca air a dhruim. 鈥橲 e c脿bag cnap m貌r cruinn c脿ise. Bhiodh na n脿baidhean l脿n farmaid, a r猫ir choltais, oir cha robh c脿bagan mar sin acasan.

L脿 a bha seo, bha fear na c脿baig a鈥� coiseachd seachad air taighean a n脿baidhean. Ach an 脿ite c脿bag, bha clach-mhuilinn ann am poca air a dhruim. Bha na n脿baidhean a鈥� coimhead air le farmad, agus iad a鈥� smaoineachadh gu robh c脿bag eile aige. Cha robh fios acasan gur e clach, seach c脿ise, a bha anns a鈥� phoca.

Nuair a r脿inig an duine a鈥� mhargaidh, dh鈥檉hosgail e am poca. Ach d猫 lorg e? Bha a鈥� chlach-mhuilinn air a briseadh ann an d脿 ph矛os. Bha i air a sgoltadh. A r猫ir a鈥� Chaimbeulaich, bha sin a鈥� dearbhadh na f矛rinne anns an t-seanfhacal. Sgoltaidh farmad na creagan.

Ged a rugadh Iain MacGriogair Caimbeul anns an Apainn, bha e na mhinistear ann an Tiriodh, agus 鈥檚 ann anns an eilean sin a fhuair e cuid mhath dhen bheul-aithris a chruinnich e. Bha e anns an eilean nuair a bha muinntir na G脿idhealtachd an s脿s ann an str矛 airson c貌raichean fearainn agus cha robh c霉isean buileach s矛theil. Eadhon nuair a bha Achd na Croitearachd air a cur an gn矛omh, bha cuid m矛-thoilichte. B鈥� iad sin na coitearan 鈥� na daoine aig nach robh c貌raichean air an fhearann.

Nuair a chuala coitearan Thiriodh gun d鈥� fhuair croitear tuathanas math air m脿l, bha iad feargach. Chuir iad stad air a鈥� chroitear bho bhith a鈥� cur stoc air an fhearann. Chuir na h-霉ghdarrasan feachd bheag de phoilis gu ruige Tiriodh, ach chuir muinntir an 脿ite stad orra.

An d猫idh sin, chaidh feachd mh貌r de cheithir cheud duine a chur ann, feuch na coitearan a chur an gr猫im. Am measg sin bha d脿 cheud gu leth saighdear-mara. Chuir na p脿ipearan-naidheachd luchd-aithris don eilean cuideachd. Air an l脿 mu dheireadh dhen Iuchar 鈥� 鈥檚 e Disathairne a bh鈥� ann 鈥� choisich na saighdearan timcheall an eilein, ach cha robh muinntir an 脿ite de貌nach innse dhaibh c貌 na daoine a bha a鈥� briseadh an lagh. Thuirt fear-aithris an Scotsman ris an luchd-aithris eile gum bu ch貌ir dhaibh uile fuireach gu Diluain airson an aithrisean a chur gu t矛r-m貌r. Cha bu ch貌ir dhaibh an t-S脿baid a bhriseadh.

Ach gu h-os 矛osal, chuir e fh猫in calman gu t矛r-m貌r le aithris sgr矛obhte mun a h-uile dad a thachair. Ach cha d鈥� fhuair an calman fada. Chuir sgaoth de dh鈥檉haoileagan stad air agus thill e a Thiriodh. Bha duilleagan fear an Scotsman air an sgaoileadh air feadh an eilein, agus tha e coltach gun do ch貌rd sin gu m貌r ri muinntir an 脿ite.

Faclan na seachdaine: Iain MacGriogair Caimbeul: John Gregorson Campbell; d矛cheallach: diligent; c脿ise: cheese; coitearan: cottars (who had no crofting rights); beartach: wealthy; an t-Iuchar: July.

Abairtean na seachdaine: mu thachartas a tha a鈥� dearbhadh an t-seanfhacail: about an event that proves the proverb; 鈥檚 ann tric a bhiodh e a鈥� coiseachd seachad air taighean a n脿baidhean: it is often he would walk past his neighbours鈥� houses; air an rathad gu margaidh: on the road to [the] market; 鈥檚 e c脿bag cnap m貌r cruinn c脿ise: a c脿bag (kebbock) is a large round piece of cheese; an 脿ite c脿bag, bha clach-mhuilinn air a dhruim: instead of a kebbock, he had a millstone on his back; bha a鈥� chlach-mhuilinn air a briseadh ann an d脿 ph矛os: the millstone was broken in two pieces; anns an Apainn: in Appin; 鈥檚 ann anns an eilean sin a fhuair e cuid mhath dhen bheul-aithris a chruinnich e: it is on that island that he got a good part of the oral tradition he collected; an s脿s ann an str矛 airson c貌raichean fearainn: involved in a struggle for land rights; nuair a bha Achd na Croitearachd air a cur an gn矛omh: when the Crofting Act was put into practice; gun d鈥� fhuair croitear tuathanas math air m脿l: that a crofter got a good farm for rent; feuch na coitearan a chur an gr猫im: to try to arrest the cottars; air an l脿 mu dheireadh dhen Iuchar 鈥� 鈥檚 e Disathairne a bh鈥� ann: on the last day of July 鈥� it was a Saturday; cha robh muinntir an 脿ite de貌nach innse dhaibh: the local people weren鈥檛 willing to tell them; cha bu ch貌ir dhaibh an t-S脿baid a bhriseadh: they shouldn鈥檛 break the Sabbath; gu h-os 矛osal, chuir e calman gu t矛r-m貌r: surreptitiously, he sent a [carrier] pigeon to the mainland; chuir sgaoth de dh鈥檉haoileagan stad air: a flock of seagulls stopped it; air an sgaoileadh air feadh an eilein: scattered throughout the island.

Puing-ch脿nain na seachdaine: Am measg sin bha d脿 cheud gu leth saighdear-mara: among them [that] were two hundred and fifty marines. It is worth making the point here that, instead of saying d脿 cheud is leth-cheud or d脿 cheud is caogad for 250, it is perfectly acceptable, and more natural, to say d脿 cheud gu leth (lit. 鈥渢wo hundreds and half a hundred鈥�). Similarly 550 is c貌ig ceud gu leth, 2,500 is d脿 mh矛le gu leth and 3,500,000 is tr矛 millean gu leth. But note that the gu leth (the gu was originally co meaning 鈥渨ith鈥�) refers back to the noun which immediately precedes it. Thus if you said d脿 cheud saighdear gu leth instead of d脿 cheud gu leth saighdear (and I have heard such a mistake, even on the radio) you would mean 鈥渢wo hundred soldiers and half a soldier鈥�. Outside an active battle zone, this is clearly an unlikely scenario. How would you say in Gaelic 鈥�150 years has gone past since the event鈥�?

Seanfhacal na seachdaine: Sgoltaidh farmad na creagan: envy will split the rocks.