麻豆约拍

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh mun bh脿rd Uibhisteach, Iain MacCodrum, no Iain MacFhearchair, a bha f矛or mhath air cluich le cainnt. Tha e coltach gu robh e air turas turas, ma dh鈥檉haodas mi sin a r脿dh, agus chaidh an soitheach air an robh e 鈥� 鈥檚 e r脿mhach a bh鈥� ann 鈥� a-steach a Thobar Mhoire ann am Muile.

Th脿inig sluagh m貌r don chladach airson faighinn a-mach c貌 脿s a bha iad air tighinn. 鈥淐貌 脿s a thug sibh an t-iomradh?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich fear aca. 鈥溍�s ar g脿irdeanan,鈥� fhreagair MacFhearchair sa bhad.

Mar a shaoileadh sibh, cha robh an sluagh riaraichte le freagairt mar sin. Dh鈥檉haighnich cuideigin eile, 鈥渁n ann bho thuath a th脿inig sibh?鈥� Agus gun d脿il fhreagair am b脿rd, 鈥減脿irt bho thuath agus p脿irt bho thighearnan.鈥� Tha mi cinnteach gur e fear gu math draghail a bh鈥� ann aig 脿mannan!

Bhiodh e a鈥� cluich le fuaimean cuideachd agus bidh sibh mothachail gu bheil na fuaimean 鈥渁oi鈥� agus 鈥渦i鈥� faisg air a ch猫ile. Feumaidh neach-ionnsachaidh a bhith faiceallach gun can e 鈥渁oighean鈥�, a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥済uests鈥�, gu ceart is nach bi neach eile a鈥� smaoineachadh gu bheil e ag r脿dh 鈥渦ighean鈥� a tha a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渆ggs鈥�.

Dh鈥檌nnis mi dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh gu robh e be貌 aig an aon 脿m ri Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair, b脿rd cho ainmeil 鈥檚 a bh鈥� againn ann an saoghal na G脿idhlig. Chuala Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair mu dheidhinn agus chaidh e a ch猫ilidh air.

Dhl霉thaich e ris an taigh aige agus bha duine taobh a-muigh an dorais. 鈥橲 e MacFhearchair, no MacCodrum, a bh鈥� ann, ach cha do dh鈥檃ithnich Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair e, oir cha robh e air fhaicinn roimhe. 鈥淎n aithne dhut Iain MacCodrum?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich e. 鈥溾�橲 aithne gu ro mhath,鈥� fhreagair am fear aig an doras.

鈥淎 bheil fios agad a bheil e a-staigh?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair. 鈥淢a t脿,鈥� fhreagair am fear eile, 鈥渂ha e a-staigh nuair a bha mise, 鈥檚 cha do rinn mi ach tighinn a-mach.鈥� Cha do thuig Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair fhathast gu robh e a鈥� bruidhinn ris a鈥� bh脿rd fh猫in.

鈥淐aithidh mi an oidhche nochd mar ris, mas 脿bhaist aoighean a bhith aige,鈥� thuirt e. 鈥淭ha mi a鈥� creidsinn,鈥� fhreagair Iain, 鈥渘ach bi e falamh dhiubh sin cuideachd mu bhios na cearcan a鈥� breith.鈥�

Gu m矛-fhortanach, chan eil an aithris air a鈥� ch貌mhradh ag innse dhuinn gu d猫 thachair nuair a fhuair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair a-mach gum b鈥� e am fear eile Iain MacCodrum. Saoilidh mi gum biodh e gu math toilichte co-dhi霉 霉ine a chur seachad c貌mhla ri fear a bha cho sgileil le cainnt.

Is tha sin gam thoirt gu naidheachd eile mu dhuine ann an Cinn T矛re aig an robh sgil de a leithid cuideachd. 鈥橲 e breabadair a bh鈥� ann, bha e bochd agus bha teaghlach m貌r aige. Turas a bha seo, bha cl脿rsairean is b脿ird Eireannach air an rathad dhachaigh a dh鈥橢irinn as d猫idh dhaibh tadhal air uaislean na sg矛re. Ach dh鈥檉h脿g fear de na b脿ird a chochall air a ch霉laibh 鈥� b鈥� e sin an rud a chuireadh e air mar chomharra gu robh e na bh脿rd.

Agus fhuair am breabadair greim air. Shaoileadh e gun d猫anadh e airgead na b鈥� fhe脿rr mar bh脿rd na dh猫anadh e mar bhreabadair, agus dh鈥檉halbh e leis a鈥� chochall air. R脿inig e taigh m貌r ach chunnaic am b脿rd Eireannach e, oir bha e air tilleadh a choimhead airson a chochaill. Thug e d霉bhlan don bhreabadair. 鈥淎m b脿rd thu?鈥�

Agus fhreagair am breabadair, 鈥渃ha b鈥� 脿rd no 矛osal mi, a dhuine.鈥� C貌 chanadh nach robh e airidh air a鈥� chochall?!

Faclan na seachdaine: soitheach: vessel, boat; r脿mhach: boat propelled by oars; Tobar Mhoire: Tobermory; sa bhad: immediately; draghail: annoying; 脿mannan: times; sgileil: skilful; Cinn T矛re: Kintyre; breabadair: weaver; cl脿rsairean: harpists; b脿ird: bards; cochall: hood (signifying bardic status).

Abairtean na seachdaine: gu robh e air turas turas: that he was on a journey one time (please forgive my own little word-play); airson faighinn a-mach c貌 脿s a bha iad air tighinn: to find out whence they had come; c貌 脿s a thug sibh an t-iomradh (also iomramh)?: it was meant as 鈥渨here did you row from?鈥� but MacFhearchair deliberately misinterpreted it; 脿s ar g脿irdeanan: from our arms; an ann bho thuath a th脿inig sibh?: did you come from the north?; p脿irt bho thuath agus p脿irt bho thighearnan: partly from tenantry (another meaning of tuath) and partly from lords; b脿rd cho ainmeil 鈥檚 a bh鈥� againn: as famous a bard as we (ever) had; chaidh e a ch猫ilidh air: he went to visit him; dhl霉thaich e ri X: he approached, drew closer to X; cha robh e air fhaicinn roimhe: he had never seen him before; caithidh mi an oidhche nochd mar ris: I鈥檒l spend the night with him; mas 脿bhaist aoighean a bhith aige: if it is normal for him to have guests; nach bi e falamh dhiubh sin ma bhios na cearcan a鈥� breith: that he will not be short of them if the hens are laying (he deliberately misinterpreted aoighean as uighean); as d猫idh dhaibh tadhal air uaislean: after visiting gentry; bha e air tilleadh a choimhead airson a chochaill: he had returned to look for his cochall; am b脿rd thu?: are you a bard? (the weaver chose to misinterpret this as 鈥渁m b鈥� 脿rd thu?鈥� i.e. were you tall or high-ranking?); cha b鈥� 脿rd no 矛osal mi: I was not high or low.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: bha e a-staigh nuair a bha mise, 鈥檚 cha do rinn mi ach tighinn a-mach: he was inside when I was, and I did nothing except come out. Have you noticed how you can sometimes use the verb 鈥渢o do鈥� (d猫an) along with what appears to be other verbs? This is because of the close relationship between the verb and the noun in Gaelic. Indeed, the verbal noun form (ag obair, a鈥� glanadh) has a high profile in the language, owing to the loss of the old present tense. In the above example, tighinn is actually a noun which would appear in the verbal noun form as a鈥� tighinn. Consider also how you might say 鈥渄猫an suidhe鈥� (make sit) rather than 鈥渟uidh s矛os鈥� (sit down); or instead of 鈥渁n do dh鈥檌onnsaich thu G脿idhlig?鈥�, a fluent speaker might ask you 鈥渁n e G脿idhlig-ionnsachadh a rinn thu?鈥� (to which you would reply 鈥溾�檚 e鈥�). In these examples, suidhe and ionnsachadh are nouns. And if you are a parent of young children, remember that we say 鈥渄猫an cadal鈥� for 鈥済o to sleep.鈥�

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: thug e d霉bhlan don bhreabadair: he challenged the weaver. Tha X a鈥� toirt d霉bhlan do Y: X is challenging Y.