麻豆约拍

Tha mi a鈥� smaoineachadh gum bi cuid agaibh e貌lach air an ainm Iain Lom. B鈥� e Iain b脿rd nan D貌mhnallach ann an Loch Abar anns an t-seachdamh linn deug. Tha e ainmeil airson an d脿in aige 鈥淟atha Inbhir L貌chaidh鈥� anns an do chomharraich e a鈥� bhuaidh a thug Clann D貌mhnaill, fo sti霉ir Mhontr貌is is Alasdair Mhic Colla, air a n脿imhdean, na Caimbeulaich, aig Bl脿r Inbhir L貌chaidh ann an sia ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1645). Seo earrann bhon d脿n:

Alasdair Mhic Colla ghasta,

L脿mh dheas a鈥� sgoltadh nan caisteal;

Chuir thu 鈥檔 ruaig air Gallaibh glasa,

鈥橲 ma dh鈥櫭瞝 iad c脿il gun chuir thu ast鈥� e.

Cha chanadh tu gur e b脿rd na s矛the a bh鈥� ann! Co-dhi霉, bha mi a鈥� leughadh an l脿 eile mu ch貌mhradh a bh鈥� ann, uaireigin 脿s d猫idh a鈥� bhatail, eadar Iain agus ceannard nan Caimbeulach, Marcais Earra-Ghaidheal. Bha am Marcais air airgead-cinn a chur air a鈥� bh脿rd, agus chaidh Iain gu d脿na don taigh aige airson an t-airgead iarraidh dha fh猫in!

Uill, a r猫ir na sge貌il, bha an Caimbeulach modhail gu le貌r. Leig e Iain a-steach agus sheall e se貌mar dha, anns an robh na h-uibhir de chinn choileach-dubha crochte air a鈥� bhalla. 鈥淎m faca tu riamh, Iain,鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich e, 鈥渦iread sin de choilich-dhubha san aon 脿ite?鈥�

鈥淐hunnaic,鈥� fhreagair Iain.

鈥淐脿ite?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich am Marcais.

鈥淎n Inbhir L貌chaidh,鈥� thuirt Iain. Bha e a鈥� ciallachadh Caimbeulaich mharbh 脿s d猫idh a鈥� bhatail.

鈥淎, Iain, Iain,鈥� ars鈥� am fear eile, 鈥渃ha sguir thu gu br脿th de chagnadh nan Caimbeulach.鈥�

鈥溾�橲 e as duilich leam,鈥� fhreagair an D貌mhnallach, 鈥渘ach urrainn mi an slugadh.鈥�

Bidh an fheadhainn agaibh, a th鈥� air a bhith a鈥� leantainn a鈥� phr貌graim seo o chionn ghoirid, a鈥� smaoineachadh 鈥� 鈥榙猫 thachair do dh鈥橧ain Sti霉bhart Blackie? Nach robh Ruairidh a鈥� dol a dh鈥檌nnse dhuinn tuilleadh mu bheatha?鈥�

Uill, bha agus tha, oir 鈥檚 ann anns an leabhar a sgr矛obh Blackie, 鈥淭he Language and Literature of the Scottish Highlands鈥� a leugh mi an c貌mhradh sin eadar Iain Lom agus Marcais Earra-Ghaidheal. Sgr矛obh Blackie an leabhar leis an amas dearbhadh do luchd na Beurla nach e cultar is c脿nan gun bhr矛gh is gun luach a bh鈥� aig na Gaidheil.

Bha Blackie, a bha na Phroifeasair de Ghreugais ann an Oilthigh Dh霉n Eideann, ainmeil air feadh na r矛oghachd. Bha e e貌lach air grunn de na h-uaislean m貌ra ann an Lunnainn, nam measg Uilleam Gladstone a bhiodh na phr矛omhaire ceithir tursan mus biodh a bheatha seachad. Agus bhiodh e a鈥� nochdadh gu tric air an 脿rd-霉rlar ann am bailtean ann an Sasainn agus Alba, a鈥� toirt 貌raid air caochladh chuspairean 鈥� rudan mar Plato, cainnt nan seann Ghreugach, cultar nan Gaidheal agus poileataics.

A h-uile samhradh bhiodh e fh猫in is a bhean a鈥� d猫anamh air taigh a cheannaich iad faisg air an 脪ban, agus 鈥檚 ann an sin a dh鈥檌onnsaich e m貌ran dhen Gh脿idhlig aige. Mar a chaidh an 霉ine seachad thuig na Gaidheil gu robh e na dheagh charaid dhaibh, agus gum b鈥� esan am fear a b鈥� fhe脿rr a rachadh os cionn iomairt airson Ceilteis a st猫idheachadh mar chuspair oilthigh ann an D霉n Eideann.

Am measg na dh鈥檌arr air sin a dh猫anamh bha feadhainn anns an Eaglais Shaoir. Bha an n脿imhdeas a dh鈥櫭╥rich eadar Blackie agus cuid anns an Eaglais Chl猫irich (mus robh an sgaradh ann), a thaobh na Deuchainn Oilthigh ann an Obar Dheathain, air socrachadh. Dh鈥檃ithnich Blackie nach robh duine na b鈥� fhe脿rr ann na e fh猫in, agus dh鈥檃ontaich e a bhith na phr矛omh thagraiche airson Cathair na Ceilteis a st猫idheachadh. Ach bha dusan m矛le not a dh矛th orra. Ch矛 sinn mar a chruinnich iad an t-suim sin an ath-sheachdain.

Abairtean na seachdaine: b鈥� e Iain b脿rd nan D貌mhnallach: John was the MacDonald bard; a鈥� bhuaidh a thug Clann D貌mhnaill air a n脿imhdean: the victory Clan Donald had over his enemies; fo sti霉ir Mhontr貌is is Alasdair Mhic Colla: under the leadership of Montrose and Alasdair MacColla; [do] l脿mh dheas a鈥� sgoltadh nan caisteal: [your] right hand splitting the castles; chuir thu 鈥檔 ruaig air Gallaibh glasa: you chased away grey non-Gaels (Gallaibh is the old dative plural of Gall); ma dh鈥櫭瞝 iad c脿il gun chuir thu ast鈥� e: if they had drunk anything you spilled it out of them; cha sguir thu gu br脿th de chagnadh nan Caimbeulach: you will never stop chewing the Campbells; 鈥檚 e as duilich leam: what I most regret (today we would mostly use duilghe or dorra for the comparative of duilich); nach urrainn mi an slugadh: that I can鈥檛 swallow them; a bhiodh na phr矛omhaire ceithir tursan: who would be prime minister four times; a鈥� toirt 貌raid air caochladh chuspairean: lecturing on a variety of subjects; bhiodh e fh猫in is a bhean a鈥� d猫anamh air taigh a cheannaich iad: he and his wife would go to a house they had bought; a rachadh os cionn iomairt: who would lead a campaign; airson Ceilteis a st猫idheachadh mar chuspair oilthigh: to establish Celtic as a university subject; bha an n脿imhdeas a dh鈥櫭╥rich eadar X agus Y air socrachadh: the enmity that arose between X and Y had diminished; dh鈥檃ontaich e a bhith na phr矛omh thagraiche: he agreed to be the prime advocate.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: anns an robh na h-uibhir de chinn choileach-dubha crochte air a鈥� bhalla: in which there were lots of blackcock heads hanging on the wall. Welcome to coileach-dubh, one of those lovely compound nouns! It is a compound because the word combination creates a new concept. Coileach-dubh is not a black domestic cockerel but a species of wild bird, the black grouse or blackcock, Lyrurus tetrix. The compound inflects according to the rules for such words, meaning that the first element, the noun, declines regularly and the second element, the adjective, acts as an independent adjective, in agreement with the noun, would act. The indefinite genitive plural of coileach is choileach (can you explain why?) 鈥淥f the blackcocks鈥� would be nan coileach-dubha; 鈥渙f blackcocks鈥� is choileach-dubha. Note however that I have taken the traditional view here. Many modern Gaels use a genitive plural form of such nouns, where an adjective is present, which has been influenced by the nominative plural; for 鈥渙f the cockerels鈥� they would still say nan coileach but 鈥渇or the blackcocks鈥�, would be nan coilich-dhubha. If you have a teacher ask him/her what he/she would say.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: bha dusan m矛le not a dh矛th orra: they needed twelve thousand pounds. Tha X a dh矛th air Y (Y is lacking, missing, needing X).