麻豆约拍

Ged tha mo cheann air liathadh,

鈥橲 mo chiabhagan air tanachadh,

鈥橲 tric a leig mi mial-ch霉

ri fear fiadhaich, ceannartach:

Ged bu toigh leam riamh iad,

鈥橲 ged fhaicinn air an t-sliabh iad,

Cha t猫id mi nis gan iarraidh

On chaill mi trian na h-analach.

Halo a-rithist. Beagan b脿rdachd airson toiseach na Litreach an t-seachdain-sa. Ach chan ann orm fh矛n a tha i a-mach! Cha do chaill mi trian mo h-analach fhathast!

A bheil sibh ga h-aithneachadh? Tha i 脿s an d脿n ainmeil Cead Deireannach nam Beann, le Donnchadh B脿n Mac an t-Saoir, anns a bheil Donnchadh a鈥� leigeil soraidh leis a鈥� bheinn a rinn e ainmeil na bh脿rdachd 鈥� Beinn D貌rain, faisg air Taigh an Droma. Tha Slighe Taobh an Iar na Gaidhealtachd a鈥� dol seachad air a鈥� bheinn. Ach feumaidh mi aideachadh gu robh an l脿 san robh mise anns an sg矛re sin ro theth airson a鈥� bheinn a dh矛readh. Uill, 鈥檚 e sin mo leisgeul, co-dhi霉!

Aig deireadh an l脿 sin, r脿inig mi Drochaid Urchaidh, baile beag ann an sealladh Beinn D貌rain. 鈥橲 e 脿ite annasach a th鈥� ann oir, a bharrachd air 脿iteachan-fuirich, cha mh貌r gu bheil dad eile ann. Agus buinidh a h-uile duine a tha ag obair anns an taigh-seinnse do dh鈥橝str脿ilia. Mar sin, chuir e iongnadh orm, nuair a chaidh mi ann airson pinnt, gun cuala mi abairt Gh脿idhlig 鈥� air a l矛bhrigeadh ann an guth m貌r.

鈥淪uidh air do th貌n!鈥� ars鈥� an guth, agus choimhead mi a-null don 脿ite 脿s an t脿inig e. Bha mi a鈥� smaoineachadh gu robh cuideigin gam aithneachadh is gu robh e a鈥� dol a thabhann deoch dhomh! Ach cha robh. Gu dearbh, cha robh an duine 鈥� fear a bha eadar ceathrad is leth-cheud bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois 鈥� eadhon a鈥� coimhead orm. 鈥淪uidh air do th貌n!鈥� thuirt e a-rithist. Bha e a鈥� coimhead air duine a bha ri thaobh. Agus bha am fear eile na shuidhe mu thr脿th.

Thuirt am fear na dearbh fhaclan a-rithist, ach lean e air ann am Beurla. 鈥淪uidh air do th貌n! That means sit down. And, if we say it to a Mull-man, we say 鈥楽uidh air do th貌n, a Mhuilich!鈥欌�� Cha b鈥� e Muileach ris an robh e a鈥� bruidhinn ge-t脿, ach Sasannach. Uill, bu ch貌ir dhomh ghluasad air falbh gus nach robh mi ann an claisneachd a鈥� ch貌mhraidh, ach cha b鈥� urrainn dhomh. Bidh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig gam tharraing ga h-ionnsaigh an-c貌mhnaidh. Bha mi d矛reach a鈥� dol a r脿dh rudeigin nuair a chuala mi guth eile air c霉l a鈥� chunntair 鈥� 鈥淕idday, can I get you anything鈥�.?鈥�

Cha do bhruidhinn mi ris a鈥� Ghaidheal an uair sin, ach shaoil mi gum faighinn facal air na b鈥� fhaide dhen fheasgar. Ghabh mi an deoch a-muigh leis cho math 鈥檚 a bha an t-s矛de agus, as deidh greis, thill mi a-steach agus bha fear 霉r ri taobh a鈥� Ghaidheil. Sasannach eile. Agus ghabh mi iongnadh nuair a chuala mi an c貌mhradh.

鈥淪uidh air do th貌n, a Mhuilich!鈥� Shaoil mi gur d貌cha nach bu ch貌ir dhomh leigeil air gu robh G脿idhlig agam!

Is iomadh trup a shuidh Donnchadh B脿n air a th貌n air Beinn D貌rain, tha mi cinnteach. Agus bu toigh leam ur f脿gail an t-seachdain seo le faclan br猫agha mun sg矛re sin 鈥� an rann mu dheireadh 脿 Cead Deireannach nam Beann.

Mo shoraidh leis na fr矛thean

O 鈥檚 m矛orbhailteach na beannan iad,

Le biolair uaine is f矛or-uisg鈥�,

Deoch uasal, r矛omhach, cheanalta:

Na bl脿ran a tha pr矛seil,

鈥橲 na f脿saichean tha l矛onmhor,

O 鈥檚 脿ite a leig mi dhiom iad,

Gu br脿th mo mh矛le beannachd leo鈥�!

Faclan na seachdaine: Donnchadh B脿n Mac an t-Saoir: Duncan Ban MacIntyre; Drochaid Urchaidh: Bridge of Orchy; pinnt: a pint; biolair-uaine: watercress; f矛or-uisge: spring-water, fresh-water.

Abairtean na seachdaine: ged tha mo cheann air liathadh: although my head has gone grey; 鈥檚 mo chiabhagan air tanachadh: and my whiskers have thinned; 鈥檚 tric a leig mi mial-ch霉 ri fear fiadhaich, ceannartach: it鈥檚 often I let a greyhound go at a wild, imperious one (stag); ged fhaicinn: though I would see; on chaill mi trian na h-analach: since I lost a third of the (my) breath; Cead Deireannach nam Beann: The Last Farewell of (to) the Mountains; 鈥檚 e sin mo leisgeul: that鈥檚 my excuse; a bharrachd air 脿iteachan-fuirich: other than dwelling places; buinidh X do dh鈥橝str脿ilia: X belongs to Australia; chuir e iongnadh orm: it surprised me; air a l矛bhrigeadh ann an guth m貌r: delivered in a loud voice; ann an claisneachd a鈥� ch貌mhraidh: in earshot of the conversation; bidh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig gam tharraing ga h-ionnsaigh: Gaelic attracts me towards it (fem.); shaoil mi gum faighinn facal air: I though I would get a word with (on) him; nach bu ch貌ir dhomh leigeil air: that I should not let on; mo mh矛le beannachd leo鈥� (leotha): my thousand blessings with them.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: gu robh an l脿 san robh mise anns an sg矛re sin ro theth: that the day in which I was in that area was too hot. A short point this week on the word san. It is an abbreviated form of the phrase anns an, meaning 鈥渋n the鈥� (tha an c霉 san taigh), or, as here, 鈥渋n which鈥� and reflects modern pronunciation of anns an in many instances (though not all). It has now been officially adopted as a standardised abbreviation 鈥� and note that it has no apostrophe.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Two items this week: (1) is iomadh trup a shuidh Donnchadh: many times Duncan sat. Trup is not easily found in a dictionary; it is a loanword from English (鈥渢rip鈥�). It might mean 鈥渙nce鈥� eg chaidh mi ann trup (I went there once) but it is also heard in a plural sense as above. (2) Suidh air do th貌n!: sit on your backside! This is not an overly polite phrase and would only be used with a child or with a friend who doesn鈥檛 mind you being a bit cheeky. To be polite, you would say (in the singular or informal) 鈥� suidh s矛os (sit down) or d猫an suidhe (lit. make sit). In the plural or formal, you would say suidhibh s矛os or d猫anaibh suidhe.