麻豆约拍

Tha ce脿rnaidhean de thaobh an iar na Gaidhealtachd 脿raidh. Faodaidh tu a bhith a鈥� coiseachd ann an 脿ite far a bheil gl猫 bheag ri fhaicinn de mhac an duine an l脿 an-diugh. Ach, aig an aon 脿m, faodaidh an t-脿ite a bhith loma-l脿n eachdraidh. Sin mar a tha e air taobh an iar Loch Abair.

Chaidh mi air chuairt o chionn d脿 mh矛os eadar Loch Airceig agus Loch Nibheis tro Ghleann Deiseirigh. 鈥橲 e loch uisge a th鈥� ann an Loch Airceig agus 鈥檚 e loch mara a th鈥� ann an Loch Nibheis, a tha d矛reach gu deas air Cn貌ideart. Eatarra, no eadar Gleann Deiseirigh agus Loch Nibheis, tha bealach ann air a bheil M脿m na Cloich 脌irde. 鈥橲 e slighe uabhasach br猫agha a th鈥� ann.

Bha c貌ignear anns a鈥� ch貌mhlan agam, agus 鈥檚 e gl猫 bheag de dhaoine a chunnaic sinn anns na beagan l脿ithean a chuir sinn seachad anns an sg矛re. Ach ch貌rd e rium tachairt ri aon duine, fear Sasannach a tha a鈥� fuireach ann an D霉n Eideann, agus a chuir seachad oidhche ann am bothan air cladach Loch Nibheis.

Bha mise a鈥� campachadh ann an teanta, l脿imh ris a鈥� bhothan ach, a鈥� chiad char anns a鈥� mhadainn, agus mi fhathast nam leth-chadal, chaidh mi a-steach don bhothan airson mo bhracaist ullachadh, oir bha an t-uisge ann. Bha am fear a dh鈥檃inmich mi na shuain nuair a dh鈥檉hosgail mi an doras, no 鈥檚 e sin an coltas a bh鈥� air co-dhi霉. Ach nuair a chunnaic e mi, thog e cheann far na leaba agus thuirt e rium ann an G脿idhlig, 鈥渕adainn mhath.鈥�

Nise, mar a thuirt mi, bha mi nam leth-chadal, agus cha b鈥� urrainn dhomh a bhith cinnteach co-dhi霉 chuala mi sin gu ceart, oir bha mi air tachairt ris an oidhche roimhe, agus mi a鈥� cabadaich ann an G脿idhlig le mo chompanaich, agus cha robh e air b矛og a r脿dh a leigeadh fhaicinn dhomh gu robh G脿idhlig aige.

鈥淭ha G脿idhlig agaibh, ma-th脿,鈥� thuirt mi ris. 鈥淭ha beagan,鈥� thuirt e. 鈥淎n sibhse Ruairidh MacIlleathain?鈥� 鈥淚s mi,鈥� fhreagair mi. 鈥淯ill,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥渂idh mi ag 猫isteachd ri Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh a h-uile seachdain.鈥� Nach eil e iongantach far an nochd luchd-leughaidh na Litreach! Co-dhi霉, ma tha e ag 猫isteachd an t-seachdain seo, mo dh霉rachd dha.

Nuair a bha Te脿rlach 脪g Sti霉bhart ann an Alba, bha muinntir Cheann Loch Airceig seo taiceil dha. B鈥� iad na h-uachdarain ann an Gleann Deiseirigh aig an 脿m Camshronaich a bha c脿irdeach don cheann-cinnidh, Mac Dh貌mhnaill Dhuibh. Mharcaich t猫 脿 Gleann Deiseirigh, S矛neag Chamshron, aig ceann na feachd 脿 Ceann Loch Airceig nuair a chaidh iad a choinneachadh ris a鈥� phrionnsa aig Gleann Fhionghain aig toiseach an ar-a-mach. A r猫ir aithris, bha seacaid uaine oirre agus bha i air muin eich ghil. Agus, as d猫idh a鈥� chogaidh, chaidh Te脿rlach 脪g tron d霉thaich seo, agus e a鈥� teicheadh bho na saighdearan dearga.

Bha sluagh m貌r ann aig an 脿m sin agus, eadhon anns na ficheadan anns an linn sa chaidh, bha timcheall air ochd taighean anns an robh daoine a鈥� fuireach ann an Gleann Deiseirigh. Bha teaghlach de Sti霉bhartaich a鈥� fuireach ann an Srathan, aig bonn a鈥� ghlinne, far an robh iad nan tuathanaich is nan c矛obairean, agus bha iad air leth math, a r猫ir choltais, air 貌rain a ghabhail agus sgeulachdan innse ann an G脿idhlig.

Chan eil fhios agam d猫 cho tric 鈥檚 a chluinnear G脿idhlig anns an sg矛re sin an-diugh. Gl猫 ainneamh, chanainn, agus is duilich sin. Ach, eadar mi-fh矛n is mo chompanaich, agus ar caraid 脿 D霉n Eideann, bha gu le貌r dhith ann airson beagan l脿ithean anns a鈥� Ch猫itean.

Faclan na seachdaine: ce脿rnaidhean: areas, districts; 脿raidh: special, unusual; Loch Airceig: Loch Arkaig; Loch Nibheis: Loch Nevis; Gleann Deiseirigh: Glen Dessary; Cn貌ideart: Knoydart; a鈥� cabadaich: chatting; Te脿rlach 脪g: Bonnie Prince Charlie; Mac Dh貌mhnaill Dhuibh: Cameron of Lochiel; mharcaich: rode; S矛neag Chamshron: Jenny Cameron; Gleann Fhionghain: Glen Finnan; saighdearan dearga: redcoats (lit. red soldiers); an C猫itean: May.

Abairtean na seachdaine: faodaidh tu a bhith a鈥� coiseachd (the a鈥� is hardly pronounced in this construction and is sometimes not written): you can be walking; loma-l脿n eachdraidh: chock-a-block full of history; bha c貌ignear anns a鈥� ch貌mhlan agam: there were 5 people in my group; l脿imh ris a鈥� bhothan: next to the bothy; a鈥� chiad char anns a鈥� mhadainn: first thing in the morning; airson mo bhracaist ullachadh: to prepare my breakfast; bha X na shuain: X was deeply asleep; thog e cheann far na leapa: he raised his head from the bed; bha mi nam leth-chadal: I was half-asleep; cha robh e air b矛og a r脿dh: he hadn鈥檛 said a cheep; an sibhse X?: are you X? (meaning name or identity); mo dh霉rachd dha: my good wishes to him; eadhon anns na ficheadan anns an linn sa chaidh: even in the twenties of the last century (the 1920s); far an robh iad nan tuathanaich is nan c矛obairean: where they were farmers and shepherds; d猫 cho tric 鈥檚 a chluinnear G脿idhlig: how often Gaelic is heard; gl猫 ainneamh, chanainn: pretty rarely, I would say; is duilich sin: that鈥檚 a pity.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: bha i air muin eich ghil: she was on the back of a white horse. I hope you are familiar with the compound preposition air muin which means 鈥渙n top of鈥�. It has a relatively restricted usage eg it is universally used for riding a horse or other animal and is also used to describe the piling of objects on top of each other eg chuir mi am p脿ipear sin air muin an fheadhainn eile (I put that paper on top of the others). It is also used to describe copulation, both animal and human. Because it is a compound preposition, it takes the genitive case, even without the article eg bha e air muin ailbhein (he was riding an elephant). That means that an adjective describing the noun must behave in the appropriate way. In the case of a singular masculine noun, eg each, which slenderises in the genitive case (to eich), the adjective is also slenderised. It is also lenited as it would be with a lenitable noun eg balach. Note these examples: ceann a鈥� bhalaich bhig (the little boy鈥檚 head) and ceann balaich bhig (a little boy鈥檚 head). How would you say 鈥渙n top of a black bull鈥�?

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: a leigeadh fhaicinn dhomh gu robh G脿idhlig aige: that would reveal (would have revealed) to me that he had (spoke) Gaelic. Chaidh leigeil fhaicinn: it was revealed. A鈥� leigeil fhaicinn do X: revealing to X.