麻豆约拍

Tha mi ann an Ratharsair an t-seachdain seo, a ch脿irdean 鈥� eilean fada caol a tha suidhichte eadar an t-Eilean Sgitheanach agus a鈥� Chomraich. Canaidh feadhainn 鈥淩atharsaigh鈥� ris, a鈥� cur 鈥揳igh aig an deireadh, mar a bhios bitheanta anns na h-eileanan Albannach a fhuair an ainmean bho na Lochlannaich. Ach anns an sg矛re fh猫in, 鈥檚 e 鈥淩atharsair鈥�, le 鈥渞鈥� aig an deireadh, a chanas na daoine.

Co-dhi霉, mura robh sibh a-riamh ann an Ratharsair, tha mi cinnteach gu bheil sibh air rudeigin a chluinntinn mu dheidhinn, oir 鈥檚 e sin t-eilean dham buineadh Somhairle MacGill-Eain agus a bhr脿ithrean. Bha Somhairle air leth ainmeil mar bh脿rd agus rinn a bhr脿thair Calum obair ionmholta ann a bhith a鈥� cruinneachadh beul-aithris nan Gaidheal.

Bha mi a鈥� leughadh leabhar an l脿 eile mu dheidhinn gn矛omhachas ann an Ratharsair agus bha Somhairle air ainmeachadh ann. Nuair a bha e na ghille 貌g, bhiodh e a鈥� faighinn cuireadh dhol air turas air cairt. Tha mi dhen bheachd gur e each a bhiodh a鈥� tarraing na cairt. Uill, 鈥檚 d貌cha nach eil sin annasach idir. Ach, tha, nuair a tha fios agaibh c貌 bha ga sti霉ireadh, oir 鈥檚 e pr矛osanach-cogaidh Gearmailteach a bh鈥� ann. Tha e coltach gun do ch貌rd sin gu m貌r ri Somhairle 貌g. Cha robh e ach sia bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois aig an 脿m.

Leis gu robh na h-uisgeachan air taobh an iar na Gaidhealtachd na sg矛re chudromach airson luingeas aig 脿m cogaidh, 鈥檚 d貌cha gu bheil e a鈥� cur iongnadh oirbh gu robh pr矛osanaich-chogaidh air an cumail ann an Ratharsair. Ach bha, agus bha adhbhar math ann air a shon. Bha m猫inn anns an eilean agus, leis gu robh m貌ran de dh鈥檉hir Ratharsair, agus fir Bhreatainn, air falbh anns an arm no anns a鈥� n猫ibhidh, bha na pr矛osanaich Ghearmailteach ann airson a鈥� mh猫inn obrachadh.

Chan eil ceangal l脿idir eachdraidheil eadar Gaidheil agus m猫inneadh. Bha m猫innean beaga an siud 鈥檚 an seo ach chan eil mi e貌lach air m猫inn mh貌r air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd. 鈥橲 d貌cha gur e an aon 脿ite anns a bheil ceangal m貌r eadar Gaidheil agus m猫inneadh 鈥� Alba Nuadh ann an Canada, far an robh m貌ran Ghaidheal ag obair anns na m猫innean-guail.

Ach an siud 鈥檚 an seo, bha clachan air Gaidhealtachd na h-Alba anns an robh gu le貌r de mheatailt airson m猫inn a chruthachadh. Mar bu trice, 鈥檚 e iarainn a bh鈥� ann. Anns na h-ochdadan dhen naoidheamh linn deug, chaidh aithris gu robh c貌ig aiteachan deug ann an Siorrachd Inbhir Nis a-mh脿in anns an robh iarainn air obrachadh uaireigin. Bha fear dhiubh ann an eilean eile l脿imh ris an Eilean Sgitheanach 鈥� Sothaigh. Ach cha robh aithris sam bith ann air m猫inn ann an Ratharsair.

Cha robh fad鈥� ann, ge-t脿, mus tug e貌laichean s霉il air an eilean, agus lorg iad 脿ite far an robh iarainn gu le貌r 鈥� timcheall air a鈥� chairteal chuid dhen chloich. Ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 a h-aon-deug (1911), cheannaich a鈥� chompanaidh Baird鈥檚 an t-eilean bhon uachdaran, Wallace Thorneycroft, agus th貌isich iad m猫inn anns an iar-dheas.

An toiseach, chaidh a鈥� chlach a tharraing gu ruige cidhe le cairtean 鈥檚 eich. Bha suas ri ceathrad each an s脿s anns an obair sin. Ach tro th矛de thog Baird鈥檚 rathad-iarainn eadar a鈥� mh猫inn agus an cidhe. Thog iad cuideachd togalaichean-obrach, ionad cumhachd-dealain agus oifisean. Ach, fhad 鈥檚 a bha sin a鈥� dol air adhart bha cogadh air f脿ire air t矛r-m貌r na Roinn E貌rpa, agus bha sin a鈥� dol a thoirt buaidh mh貌r air an iarrtas airson iarainn, agus air obair na m猫inne. Bheir sinn s霉il air mar a thachair dhi an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na seachdaine: Ratharsair: Raasay; an t-Eilean Sgitheanach: Skye; a鈥� Chomraich: Applecross; na Lochlannaich: the Norse; ionmholta: praiseworthy; gn矛omhachas: business; cuireadh: invitation; pr矛osanach-cogaidh: prisoner-of-war; adhbhar: reason; m猫inn: mine; m猫inneadh: mining; an siud 鈥檚 an seo: here and there; Alba Nuadh: Nova Scotia; m猫innean-guail: coalmines; Sothaigh: Soay; cidhe: pier, quay; rathad-iarainn: railway line; ionad cumhachd an dealain: electricity generating facility.

Abairtean na seachdaine: eilean fada caol: a long narrow island; mar a bhios bitheanta: as is common; tha mi cinnteach gu bheil sibh air rudeigin a chluinntinn: I鈥檓 sure you鈥檝e heard something; dham buineadh Somhairle MacGill-Eain: that Sorley Maclean belonged to; tha e coltach gun do ch貌rd sin ri X: it appears that X enjoyed that; leis gu robh X na sg矛re chudromach airson luingeas: as X was an important area for shipping; anns an arm no anns an n猫ibhidh: in the army or (in the) navy; bha na pr矛osanaich Ghearmailteach ann airson a鈥� mh猫inn obrachadh: the German prisoners were there to work the mine; anns an robh iarainn air obrachachadh uaireigin: where iron was worked at one time; timcheall air a鈥� chairteal chuid dhen chloich: about a quarter of the rock; bha sin a鈥� dol a thoirt buaidh mh貌r air X: that was going to have a great effect on X.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: anns an robh gu le貌r de mheatailt airson m猫inn a chruthachadh: in which there was enough metal to start a mine. You will be familiar with gu le貌r which was taken into English as 鈥済alore鈥�, but are you familiar with the four distinct ways of using it? It is a phrase based on the noun le貌r (鈥渟ufficiency鈥�; eg fhuair mi mo le貌r dheth 鈥� I had enough of it). It can behave like a noun eg tha gu le貌r agam (I have enough), chunnaic i gu le貌r (she saw enough). But it commonly appears after a noun, which it then qualifies, eg tha airgead gu le貌r agam (I have enough money). It can also go in front of the noun which then takes the genitive case eg tha gu le貌r airgid agam. Or it can command, as it does in the Litir, a noun in the dative, following the preposition 鈥渄e鈥� eg tha gu le貌r de dh鈥檃irgead agam. In some dialects, 鈥渁鈥� replaces 鈥渄e鈥� and, in front of a vowel, there is a 鈥渄h鈥欌�� (for ease of speech only) eg tha gu le貌r a dh鈥檃irgead agam. As well as 鈥渆nough鈥� it can mean 鈥渁 lot of鈥� and it can stand for 鈥渁 lot of people鈥� eg bha gu le貌r aig a鈥� gheama (there were plenty of people at the game). If you are asked 鈥渁 bheil G脿idhlig agaibh?鈥�, you might reply, 鈥渢ha gu le貌r.鈥� But if you do, beware 鈥� the listener will presume you are completely fluent!

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: bha cogadh air f脿ire air t矛r-m貌r na Roinn E貌rpa: a war was in the offing on mainland Europe. Air f脿ire: literally 鈥渙n the horizon鈥� but here used idiomatically to mean 鈥渆xpected to happen soon鈥�.