麻豆约拍

Mholainn don a h-uile duine a tha a鈥� fuireach ann an Alba, no a chuireas seachad 霉ine ann an Alba, tadhal air Loch Coir鈥� Uisg鈥� co-dhi霉 aon turas mus tig an saoghal aca gu cr矛ch. Tha e air leth br猫agha, air a chuairteachadh cha mh貌r le beanntan. Mura h-eil sibh e貌lach air, tha Loch Coir鈥� Uisg鈥� ann an ceann an deas an Eilein Sgitheanaich am measg a鈥� Chuilthinn.

Ma sheasas tu aig ceann a deas an locha, far a bheil abhainn a鈥� sruthadh as, bidh thu aig bonn Sg霉rr na Str矛, beinn chreagach a ruigeas cha mh貌r c貌ig ceud meatair a dh鈥櫭爄rde. An coimeas ris na beanntan eile a tha timcheall an locha, tha Sg霉rr na Str矛 矛osal, oir ruigidh iadsan c貌rr math is naoi ceud meatair a dh鈥櫭爄rde. Is tha i suidhichte leatha fh猫in, p矛os beag air falbh bho na beanntan eile. Tha i mar fhreiceadan aig 鈥済eata鈥� Loch Coir鈥� Uisg鈥� 鈥� far am bi luchd-turais a鈥� coiseachd ann 脿 Loch Sg脿bhaig, far an toir b脿taichean 脿 Eallagholl鈥� iad.

Tha dualchas co-cheangailte ri a h-ainm. A r猫ir beul-aithris 脿 Eilean Sothaigh, an t-eilean ann an Loch Sg脿bhaig faisg air l脿imh, bha an str矛 eadar d脿 chinneadh 鈥� Clann 鈥檌c Le貌id Dh霉n Bheagain agus Clann 鈥檌c Fhionghain an t-Srath. Bha cr矛och eadar fearann an d脿 chinnidh ann an ceann a deas a鈥� Chuilthinn, ach cha robh aonta ann eatarra air d猫 d矛reach a bha a鈥� comharrachadh na cr矛che.

Bha an oighreachd aig Clann 鈥檌c Le貌id anns an iar-thuath, agus bha iadsan a鈥� cumail a-mach gu robh am fearann-san a鈥� dol cho fada deas agus cho fada sear ris a鈥� ghleann eadar Camas Fhionnairigh agus Sligeachan. Ach bha Clann 鈥檌c Fhionghain, aig an robh oighreachd anns a鈥� cheann a deas, dhen bheachd gu robh am fearann acasan a鈥� dol nas fhaide don iar 鈥� cho fada ri Allt a鈥� Chaothaich, a shruthas don mhuir ann an Loch Sg脿bhaig eadar Meall na Cuilce agus Gars-bheinn.

A r猫ir na beul-aithris 脿 Sothaigh, a nochdas anns an leabhar 鈥淭he Soay of our Forefathers鈥� le Laurance Reed, dh鈥檃ontaich na cinn-chinnidh air cr矛och 霉r 鈥� loighne a bha a鈥� ruith gu tuath air tom aig Port Sg脿ile aig ceann Loch Sg脿bhaig. Agus, gus am biodh sin air a chuimhneachadh leis an d脿 thaobh, agus leis a鈥� mh貌r-shluagh, chaidh gille 脿 Sothaigh a chuipeadh gu dona air an tom. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a bh鈥� air a鈥� ghille Aonghas MacAonghais, no Aonghas Mac Iain 脪ig.

Bha seo tr脿th san ochdamh linn deug a r猫ir choltais agus, ann an ochd-deug, seachdad 鈥檚 a sia (1876), thug iar-bhan-ogha Aonghais fianais seachad mun ch霉is. B鈥� ise M脿iri Dh貌mhnallach agus bha i a鈥� fuireach ann an Gleann Bhreatail gu siar air a鈥� Chuiltheann. Nuair a bha i 貌g, bha i a鈥� fuireach ann an Sothaigh, chuala i an naidheachd mu dheidhinn a h-iar-sheanar, agus chaidh an t-脿ite far an deach a chuipeadh 鈥� ma tha an st貌iridh f矛or 鈥� a shealltainn dhi.

Carson, ge-t脿, nach deach Abhainn Sg脿bhaig, an abhainn a shruthas a-mach 脿 Loch Coir鈥� Uisg鈥�, a thaghadh mar chr矛och? Tha e nas fhasa a鈥� chr矛och fhaicinn ma 鈥檚 e abhainn no allt a tha ga comharrachadh. Chan urrainn dhomh sin a r脿dh ach, gu practaigeach, tha e coltach gur e an abhainn dha-r矛reabh a chleachd muinntir an 脿ite mar chr矛och. Agus 鈥檚 e an abhainn a chaidh a thaghadh mar chr矛och eadar paraistean

Bhr脿cadail agus an t-Srath 鈥� no Srath MhicFhionghain mar a chanadh na daoine ris o shean.

Faclan na seachdaine: mholainn: I would recommend; Loch Coir鈥� Uisg鈥�: Loch Coruisk; freiceadan: sentry, watchman; luchd-turais: tourists; an Cuiltheann: the Cuillin(s); Loch Sg脿bhaig: Loch Scavaig; Sothaigh: Soay; Clann 鈥檌c Le貌id Dh霉n Bheagain: the Macleods of Dunvegan; Clann 鈥檌c Fhionghain an t-Srath: the Mackinnons of Strath; cr矛och: boundary; eatarra: between them; Camas Fhionnairigh: Camasunary; Sligeachan: Sligachan; Gleann Bhreatail: Glenbrittle.

Abairtean na seachdaine: no a chuireas seachad 霉ine: or who spends time; air a chuairteachadh cha mh貌r le beanntan: almost surrounded by mountains; am measg a鈥� Chuilthinn: among the Cuillin(s); ruigidh iadsan c貌rr math is naoi ceud meatair: they reach a good bit more than 900 metres; tha i suidhichte leatha fh猫in: she is situated by herself; far an toir b脿taichean 脿 Eallagholl鈥� iad: where boats from Elgol take them; bha an str矛 eadar d脿 chinneadh: the struggle was between two clans; a shruthas don mhuir: which flows to the sea; chaidh gille a chuipeadh: a lad was whipped; thug iar-bhan-ogha Aonghais fianais seachad: Angus鈥檚 great-grand-daughter gave evidence; chaidh an t-脿ite a shealltainn dhi: the place was shown to her; ma 鈥檚 e abhainn tha ga comharrachadh: if it is a river which marks/defines it; eadar paraistean Bhr脿cadail agus an t-Srath: between the parishes of Bracadale and Strath; mar a chanadh daoine ris o shean: as people called it in the old days.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: gu robh am fearann-san a鈥� dol cho fada deas ri X: that their land went as far south as X. The 鈥搒an attached to fearann is an iar-leasachan, or suffix, which emphasizes that it is their land. If I had just said gu robh am fearann a鈥� dol 鈥�, it would have meant the same (i.e. that their land went鈥�) without emphasizing their. The article 鈥渁m鈥� is of course the possessive article in the 3rd person plural and it is emphasized only with the 鈥搒an suffix. Here is how the other possessive articles and emphatic suffixes would work with fearann (in the nominative case, fearann always being singular): m鈥� fhearann-sa (my land), d鈥� fhearann-sa (your land), fhearann-san (his land), a fearann-se (her land), ar fearann-ne (our land), ur fearann-sa (your land). Note that in the written word, we place a t脿than (hyphen) between the noun and the suffix. There is another way of tackling this same issue, of course, and it is also to be found in the Litir: gu robh am fearann acasan a鈥� dol nas fhaide don iar (that their land went further to the west). Here the possessive article is avoided in favour of the standard article (am in front of 鈥渇鈥�), and possession being described by acasan, the emphatic form of aca, the prepositional pronoun formed from aig in the 3rd person plural. Acasan, like almost all emphatic prepositional pronouns, is unhyphenated.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: an coimeas ris na beanntan eile a tha timcheall an locha: compared to the other mountains that are around the loch. An coimeas ri X: compared to X.