麻豆约拍

Air an t-seachdain seo ann an ochd-deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1848), chaochail Iain MacCoinnich, p矛obaire, b脿rd is 霉ghdar a bhuineadh do sg矛re Ghe脿rrloch. Tha e ainmeil fhathast oir is esan am fear a chuir ri ch猫ile an cruinneachadh de bh脿rdachd Gh脿idhlig air a bheil The Beauties of Gaelic Poetry: S脿r-obair nam B脿rd Gaidhealach. Gu tric, nuair a bhios daoine a鈥� bruidhinn mun leabhar seo, canaidh iad direach 鈥淪脿r-obair鈥� ris. Tha mi an d貌chas gu bheil sibh a鈥� tuigsinn gu robh Iain a鈥� sanasachd b脿rdachd le b脿ird eile anns an leabhar aige mar 鈥渟脿r-obair鈥�. Chan ann a鈥� moladh a chuid obrach fh猫in a bha e!

Rugadh Iain MacCoinnich, Iain Mac Alasdair 脪ig, ann an ochd-deug 鈥檚 a sia (1806) ann am Meallan The脿rlaich, baile beag air cladach a tuath Loch I霉bh far an robh athair na charaid agus fear-taca don uachdaran. Fhuair e a chuid foghlaim, an toiseach aig an taigh, agus an uairsin aig an sgoil ann an Ge脿rrloch. Nuair a bha e 貌g, dhearbh e gu robh e gu math m貌r air ce貌l, agus rinn e fidheall agus p矛ob mh貌r dha fh猫in. Bha e math dha-r矛reabh air a鈥� ph矛ob agus air grunn ionnstramaidean eile.

Bha dithis, air an robh Uilleam Ros mar ainm, gu bhith a鈥� toirt buaidh mh貌r air beatha Iain. B鈥� e a鈥� chiad Uilleam saor a bhiodh ag obair air feadh na sg矛re. Thug esan cosnadh do dh鈥橧ain, agus dh鈥檕braich iad c貌mhla gu d貌igheil. Fhad 鈥檚 a bha e ag obair mar shaor, ge-t脿, th貌isich Iain air rudeigin a ch貌rd ris fada na b鈥� fhe脿rr. B鈥� e sin a bhith a鈥� cruinneachadh 貌rain is b脿rdachd.

L脿 a bha seo, bha Iain ag obair le p矛os m貌r fiodha anns a鈥� mhansa ann an Ge脿rrloch. Dh鈥檉hulaing e buille mh貌r air a cheann. Cha deach e a-riamh am feabhas buileach as d猫idh sin, agus sguir e a chuid obrach mar shaor. Agus, ann an d貌igh, is math gun do sguir, oir th貌isich e air cruinneachadh a dh猫anamh de na d脿in aig a鈥� bh脿rd ainmeil, a bhuineadh don sg矛re aige, Uilleam Ros nach maireann. B鈥� e sin an d脿rna Uilleam Ros a thug buaidh air. Fhuair Iain a鈥� chuid a bu mh貌 de dh鈥櫭瞨ain Rois bho bh脿rd eile 脿 Ge脿rrloch a bha e貌lach air Ros nuair a bha e be貌 鈥� Alasdair Buidhe Mac Iomhair.

Cha robh comas sgr矛obhaidh aig Alasdair Buidhe ann, ach bha cuimhne air leth aige, agus dh鈥檃ithris e d脿in Uilleim Rois do dh鈥橧ain MacCoinnich, a dh鈥檉hoillsich an leabhar The Poems of William Ross ann an ochd-deug is trithead (1830). Lean MacCoinnich air le bhith a鈥� cruinneachadh d脿in is 貌rain bho air feadh na Gaidhealtachd, agus dh鈥檉hoillsich e S脿r-obair ann an ochd-deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1841).

Chaidh e a dh鈥檉huireach ann an Glaschu, agus rinn e t貌rr eadar-theangachaidh ann a sin, a鈥� cur leabhraichean Beurla, leithid Pilgrim鈥檚 Progress, ann an G脿idhlig. 鈥橲 e a sgr矛obh am p脿irt Beurla gu G脿idhlig dhen fhaclair le MacAlpainn agus MacCoinnich, agus thug e taic do mhinistearan, nach robh cho math ris air a鈥� Gh脿idhlig, a鈥� sgr矛obhadh searmonan dhaibh anns a鈥� ch脿nan. Nuair a chaochail e, bha e ag obair air iris 霉r dhen Bh矛oball Gh脿idhlig.

Cha robh a chuid shl脿inte uabhasach math mu dheireadh, agus chaidh e air ais don sg矛re aige fh猫in, ceithir bliadhna deug as d猫idh dha falbh. Chaochail e ann an Inbhir I霉bh aig aois ceathrad 鈥檚 a dh脿 (42). Rinn Iain MacCoinnich m貌ran airson ar cultair agus ar c脿nain agus tha e math gu bheil daoine ga chuimhneachadh fhathast.

Faclan na seachdaine: 霉ghdar: author; Meallan The脿rlaich: Mellon Charles; Loch I霉bh: Loch Ewe; ionnstramaid: instrument; Uilleam Ros: William Ross; cosnadh: employment; d脿n, d脿in: poem, poems; Alasdair Buidhe MacIomhair: yellow-haired Alasdair Campbell (MacIomhair being the Gairloch equivalent of Campbell); eadar-theangachadh: translation; searmonan: sermons.

Abairtean na seachdaine: chaochail Iain MacCoinnich: John Mackenzie died; S脿r-obair nam B脿rd Gaidhealach: the master work of the Gaelic bards; gu robh Iain a鈥� sanasachd b脿rdachd le b脿ird eile: that John was advertising poetry by other poets; chan ann a鈥� moladh a chuid obrach fh猫in a bha e: he wasn鈥檛 praising his own work; far an robh athair na charaid agus fear-taca don uachdaran: where his father was a relative and tacksman of the laird; gu robh e gu math m貌r air ce貌l: that he was very fond of music; rinn e fidheall agus p矛ob mh貌r dha fh猫in: he made himself a fiddle and a set of bagpipes; b鈥� e a鈥� chiad Uilleam saor: the first William was a joiner; cha robh comas sgr矛obhaidh aig X ann: X could not write; bha cuimhne air leth aige: he had a fantastic memory; lean MacCoinnich air: Mackenzie continued; thug e taic do mhinistearan nach robh cho math ris air a鈥� Gh脿idhlig: he helped ministers whose Gaelic wasn鈥檛 as good as his; tha e math gu bheil daoine ga chuimhneachadh fhathast: it is good that people still remember him.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Cha deach e a-riamh am feabhas buileach as d猫idh sin: he never fully recovered after that. I would like to tell you a little bit about the word feabhas this week. It is generally given in modern dictionaries as a noun (genitive feabhais) meaning 鈥渋mprovement, convalescence, excellence鈥�. However, older grammarians considered it to be a 鈥渢hird comparative鈥� of the adjective math (good). It is always used with the verb rach (鈥済o鈥�) eg chaidh i am feabhas (she got better), tha iad a鈥� dol am feabhas (they are improving), cha t猫id e am feabhas anns an ospadal sin (he won鈥檛 get better in that hospital). In theory third comparatives exist for every adjective and they are used in the same way, with rach. In regular adjectives, they are formed by adding 鈥揳d to the first comparative. The first comparative of dearg (red) is deirge (redder) 鈥� you might say tha sin nas deirge na seo [that鈥檚 redder than this]. Therefore, the third comparative is deirgead. Chaidh iad an deirgead means 鈥渢hey got redder and redder鈥�. In reality, today, the third comparative is only commonly used with three adjectives apart from math (feabhas): the regular daor eg chaidh peatral an daoiread (petrol got more and more expensive) and the irregular beag (lughad) 鈥� tha f貌naichean l脿imhe a鈥� dol an lughad (mobile phones are getting smaller and smaller) and dona (miosad) 鈥� tha na seirbheisean r猫ile a鈥� dol am miosad (the rail services are getting continually worse).

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: 鈥橲 e a sgr矛obh [am p脿irt Beurla gu G脿idhlig dhen fhaclair]: it鈥檚 him that wrote [the English-Gaelic section of the dictionary]. This structure puts the emphasis on him.