麻豆约拍

D猫 a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air 鈥減un鈥�? Chan eil mi buileach cinnteach d猫 mholainn dhuibh, ach tha mi air d脿 rud fhaicinn 鈥� cainnt-chluich agus cainnt-mhire. Cainnt-chluich agus cainnt-mhire. Tha iad le ch猫ile a鈥� d猫anamh ciall, nach eil?

Chan eil fhios agam a bheil c脿nan sam bith eile cho math ris a鈥� Bheurla Shasannaich airson a leithid a dh猫anamh. Gu dearbh, chan eil a鈥� Gh脿idhlig cho math rithe. 鈥橲 e as coireach ris a sin, chanainn, gu bheil uiread de dh鈥檉huaimean ann an G脿idhlig a tha rud beag eadar-dhealaichte o ch猫ile. Tha dreach leathann is caol air connragan, agus bidh na fuaimreagan fada agus goirid, leathann agus caol. Mar sin, chan eil uiread de dh鈥檉haclan a tha co-ionann ann am fuaim ach aig a bheil ciall eadar-dhealaichte.

Ach chan eil a鈥� Gh脿idhlig gu tur as aonais a leithid agus tha cuid de dhaoine gu math sgileil ann a bhith a鈥� cluich le faclan. Bha fear ann uaireigin a bha f矛or ainmeil airson a leithid agus 鈥檚 d貌cha nach cuir e iongnadh sam bith oirbh nuair a chanas mi gu robh e na bh脿rd.

B鈥� esan Iain MacCodrum 脿 Uibhist a Tuath no, mar a b鈥� fhe脿rr a b鈥� aithne do dhaoine e, Iain MacFhearchair. Bha e be貌 aig an aon 脿m ris a鈥� bh脿rd ainmeil, Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair. Bha e a鈥� sgr矛obhadh a鈥� chuid bh脿rdachd timcheall meadhan an ochdamh linn deug, agus as d猫idh sin.

Bha e na bh脿rd do Shir Seumas D貌mhnallach, a thug fearann dha leis gu robh e cho math air b脿rdachd. Cha toir mi s霉il air a bh脿rdachd idir an-dr脿sta, ach bu mhath leam blasad a thoirt dhuibh dhen sgil a bh鈥� aige ann a bhith a鈥� gabhail sp貌rs le cainnt.

A r猫ir choltais, bha Iain gu math e貌lach air seann d脿in Oisein 鈥� dhen t-se貌rsa a chaidh fhoillseachadh le Seumas MacMhuirich, no Seumas Mac a鈥� Phearsain, mar a tha m貌ran a鈥� gabhail air. Turas a bha seo, bha MacMhuirich ann an Uibhist, agus e ri tional sgeulachdan, nuair a thachair e ri fear anns a鈥� mh貌intich eadar Loch nam Madadh agus Beinn a鈥� Bhaoghla. Cha robh fios aige c貌 bh鈥� ann. 鈥橲 ann d矛reach as d猫idh l脿imh a fhuair e a-mach gur e Iain MacFhearchair a bh鈥� ann.

Co-dhi霉, chuir MacMhuirich a鈥� cheist air 鈥� 鈥渁 bheil dad agad air an Fh猫inn?鈥� Bha e a鈥� ciallachadh le sin an robh fios aige air sgeulachdan no beul-aithris co-cheangailte ris an Fh猫inn, na seann ghaisgich Ghaidhealach. Cha robh a鈥� cheist uabhasach snasail 鈥檚 d貌cha, ach bha l脿n fhios aig MacFhearchair gu d猫 bha am fear eile ag iarraidh. 鈥淎 bheil dad agad air an Fh猫inn?鈥�

Ach seo mar a fhreagair e. 鈥淐han eil agus, ged a bhitheadh, cha ruiginn a leas iarraidh a-nise.鈥� Canaidh mi sin a-rithist gus an tuig sibh nas fhe脿rr na thuirt e. 鈥淐han eil, agus, ged a bhitheadh, cha ruiginn a leas iarraidh a-nise.鈥� Bha e a鈥� ciallachadh le sin gu robh esan a鈥� tuigsinn bhon cheist gu robh MacMhuirich a鈥� faighneachd dheth an robh e air airgead a thoirt don Fh猫inn a bha e a-nise ag iarraidh air ais bhuapa! Agus leis gu robh iad air a bhith marbh airson timcheall air d脿 mh矛le bliadhna, bha e ag r脿dh nach robh feum sam bith ann dha ann a bhith ga iarraidh!

Thathar ag aithris nach robh MacMhuirich idir toilichte le dol a-mach an fhir eile, agus e dhen bheachd gu robh e a鈥� magadh air. Thug e an c貌mhradh gu cr矛ch agus dh鈥檉halbh e ann an cabhaig thar na m貌intich gu ruige Beinn a鈥� Bhaoghla.

Faclan na seachdaine: cainnt-chluich,cainnt-mhire: pun; fuaimreagan: vowels; Uibhist a Tuath: North Uist; seann d脿in Oisein: the old Ossianic songs; Seumas MacMhuirich, Mac a鈥� Phearsain: James MacPherson (MacMhuirich in the Gaelic of Badenoch, his home country); Loch nam Madadh: Lochmaddy; Beinn a鈥� Bhaoghla: Benbecula.

Abairtean na seachdaine: tha iad le ch猫ile a鈥� d猫anamh ciall: they both make sense; cho math ris a鈥� Bheurla Shasannaich: as good as the English language; gu bheil uiread de dh鈥檉huaimean ann an G脿idhlig: that there are so many sounds in Gaelic; tha dreach leathann is caol air connragan: consonants are broad and narrow; gu tur as aonais a leithid: entirely without such things; 鈥檚 d貌cha nach cuir e iongnadh sam bith oirbh: perhaps it won鈥檛 surprise you at all; nuair a chanas mi gu robh e na bh脿rd: when I say that he was a poet; a thug fearann dha: who gave him land; bu mhath leam blasad a thoirt dhuibh: I would like to give you a taste; bha l脿n fhios aig X gu d猫 bha am fear eile ag iarraidh: X understood perfectly what the other man was wanting; seo mar a fhreagair e: this is how he replied; thathar ag aithris nach robh X toilichte: it is reported that X was not pleased; le dol-a-mach an fhir eile: by (with) the other man鈥檚 behaviour; thug e an c貌mhradh gu cr矛ch: he finished the conversation; thar na m貌intich gu ruige Beinn a鈥� Bhaoghla: across the moor to (reach his destination in) Benbecula.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: bha MacMhuirich ann an Uibhist, agus e ri tional sgeulachdan: MacPherson was in Uist, collecting stories. Note the use of agus here 鈥� this is common. But the main point I want to make is why I said 鈥渞i tional鈥� and not 鈥渁鈥� tional鈥�. Actually, I could just as easily have said 鈥渁鈥� tional鈥�, in which tional appears as a verbal noun, but I chose to use it as a noun and precede it with 鈥渞i鈥� which here means 鈥渆ngaged in鈥� or 鈥渙ccupied in鈥�. Either is acceptable, but the 鈥渞i鈥� accentuates the fact that this was his purpose in being in Uist. You might have heard this in the phrase 鈥渄猫 tha thu ris?鈥� (what activity are you engaged in?) Tha mi air a bhith ri obair-dachaigh fad an fheasgair (I have been engaged in homework all afternoon).

a bheil dad agad air an Fh猫inn?: this can be understood two ways. It was meant as 鈥渄o you have anything (information/stories/folklore) about the Fingalians?鈥� But Iain MacFhearchair chose to interpret it as meaning 鈥渄o the FinGn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: a bheil dad agad air an Fh猫inn?: this can be understood two ways. It was meant as 鈥渄o you have anything (information/stories/folklore) about the Fingalians?鈥� But Iain MacFhearchair chose to interpret it as meaning 鈥渄o the Fingalians owe you anything (ie money)?鈥�, to which he replied, 鈥渃han eil agus, ged a bhitheadh, cha ruiginn a leas iarraidh a-nise鈥� (no, and even if they did, I need not ask for it now). The Fingalians, of course, had been dead for hundreds of years. This is a good idiom to remember: a bheil dad aig X air Y? Does Y owe X anything? Bha d脿 not aig Calum orm (I owed Calum 拢2). And a useful one in the pub - tha pinnt agam ort (you owe me a pint).galians owe you anything (ie money)?鈥�, to which he replied, 鈥渃han eil agus, ged a bhitheadh, cha ruiginn a leas iarraidh a-nise鈥� (no, and even if they did, I need not ask for it now). The Fingalians, of course, had been dead for hundreds of years. This is a good idiom to remember: a bheil dad aig X air Y? Does Y owe X anything? Bha d脿 not aig Calum orm (I owed Calum 拢2). And a useful one in the pub - tha pinnt agam ort (you owe me a pint).