麻豆约拍

Hal貌 a-rithist, a ch脿irdean. An t-seachdain-sa, tha mi airson ur toirt gu sg矛re air leth br猫agha ann am f矛or cheann a tuath na h-Alba 鈥� D霉thaich MhicAoidh, ann an Cataibh. Gu deas air baile Thunga, tha beinn 脿rd air a bheil Beinn Laoghail. Agus eadar am baile agus a鈥� bheinn tha d脿 lochan ann.

鈥橲 e Lochan na Cuilce am fear as lugha dhiubh. Tha an t-ainm sin furasta gu le貌r thuigsinn. Tha e a鈥� ciallachadh Lochan of the Reeds. Ach am fear as m貌, ri thaobh? Air a鈥� mhap, 鈥檚 e Lochan Hakel a th鈥� air. H-A-K-E-L. Ach tha mi a鈥� smaoineachadh gur e Lochan Hakon a chanas muinntir an 脿ite ris. H-A-K-O-N. Chanainn gur e ainm Lochlannach a th鈥� ann, is c貌 aige tha fios nach eil ceangal aige don t-seann r矛gh Lochlannach a th鈥� air a chuimhneachadh ann an Caol 脌cainn anns an Eilean Sgitheanach?

Co-dhi霉 no co-dheth, bu mhath leam eachdraidh annasach innse dhuibh mu dheidhinn an lochain seo. Anns a鈥� Mh脿rt, seachd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a sia (1746), bha na Seumasaich, agus Te脿rlach 脪g Sti霉bhart, ann an staing. Bha an arm a鈥� s矛or chr矛onadh, agus 鈥檚 ann anns a鈥� cheann a tuath a-mh脿in a bha iad a鈥� faighinn taic mh貌r sam bith. Ach 鈥檚 e aon sg矛re anns nach robh iad a鈥� faighinn taic 鈥� D霉thaich MhicAoidh. Bha Clann 鈥檌c Aoidh taiceil do na Hanoibh猫irianaich.

Ann am meadhan a鈥� Mh脿irt, chuir R矛gh na Frainge, Louis XV, soitheach 鈥� an Hazard 鈥� a dh鈥檌onnsaigh Alba le c貌rr is tri-deug m矛le not ann am buinn 貌ir air b貌rd. Bha c貌rr is ceud saighdear air b貌rd cuideachd. Dh鈥檉h脿g i Dunkirk fo 貌rdugh an t-貌r a thoirt don Phrionnsa ann an Inbhir Nis. B鈥� fheudar dhi cumail fad air falbh o chosta sear Shasainn ach, nuair a r脿inig i Linne Mhoireibh, bha longan cogaidh aig Cabhlach Bhreatainn a鈥� feitheamh rithe. B鈥� fheudar don Hazard se貌ladh gu tuath, feuch faighinn air falbh, agus an soitheach cogaidh, an Sheerness, an t貌ir oirre.

Thionndaidh an Hazard gu siar nuair a r脿inig i an Caol Arcach, ach ghlac an Sheerness i nuair a bha iad faisg air Tunga, agus soitheach nan Seumasach glaiste air oitir. Bha batail ann agus chaidh sgrios a dh猫anamh air an Hazard, ach cha b鈥� urrainn do she貌ladairean a Sheerness faighinn air b貌rd oirre. Air an oidhche, chaidh aig muinntir an t-soithich Fhrangaich faighinn air t矛r, agus th貌isich iad air coiseachd a dh鈥檌onnsaigh Inbhir Nis leis an 貌r airson a鈥� Phrionnsa.

Ge-t脿, chuir se貌ladairean an Sheerness fios gu ceann-cinnidh Cloinn 鈥檌c Aoidh agus chuir esan feachd an s脿s an aghaidh nan Seumasach. Choinnich an d脿 fheachd faisg air Lochan Hakon. Bha na Seumasaich sg矛th agus cha robh comas aca sabaid. Nuair a bha iad a鈥� teicheadh, thilg feadhainn aca an t-貌r aca anns an lochan. Goirid as d猫idh sin, gh猫ill iad agus chaidh an toirt gu pr矛osan anns an Sheerness.

Agus, mean air mhean, lorg an Riaghaltas an t-貌r a bh鈥� air a thilgeil anns an lochan. No an do lorg? Oir, bhathar ag r脿dh gun d鈥� fhuair mart, a chuir a chasan anns an lochan turas, bonn 貌ir an s脿s ann an ladhar aige. Agus bha fathannan ann gun do thiodhlaic cuid de na Seumasaich an cuid 貌ir fon talamh, agus gun d鈥� fhuair feadhainn buannachd 脿s a sin bliadhnaichean as d猫idh l脿imh. Thathar ag r脿dh gu robh teaghlach anns an sg矛re 鈥� teaghlach bochd aig c矛obair 鈥� a dh鈥檉h脿s beartach gu h-obann! Ach 鈥檚 e am fear nach do dh鈥檉h脿s beartach 鈥� am Prionnsa 脪g. Tr矛 seachdainean as d猫idh call an Hazard, chaill e gu dubh aig Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair.

Faclan na seachdaine: D霉thaich MhicAoidh: Mackay country; Cataibh: Sutherland; Tunga: Tongue; Beinn Laoghail: Ben Loyal; Te脿rlach 脪g Sti霉bhart: Bonnie Prince Charlie; soitheach: vessel (ship); Linne Mhoireibh: The Moray Firth; ceann-cinnidh: clan chief; a鈥� teicheadh: fleeing; gh猫ill iad: they surrendered; fathannan: rumours.

Abairtean na seachdaine: tha mi airson ur toirt: I want to take you (pl.); eadar am baile agus a鈥� bheinn tha d脿 lochan ann: between the village and the mountain there are two lochans; c貌 aige tha fios?: who knows?; a th鈥� air a chuimhneachadh ann an Caol 脌cainn: who is remembered in Kyleakin; bha an arm a鈥� s矛or chr矛onadh: their army was steadily diminishing in size; 鈥檚 ann anns a鈥� cheann a tuath a-mh脿in a bha iad a鈥� faighinn taic mh貌r sam bith: it鈥檚 only in the north that they were getting any significant support; le tr矛-deug m矛le not (or tr矛 mile deug not) ann am buinn 貌ir: with 拢13,000 in gold coins; b鈥� fheudar dhi cumail air falbh o chosta sear Shasainn: she had to keep away from the east coast of England; bha longan cogaidh aig Cabhlach Bhreatainn a鈥� feitheamh rithe: warships of the British Navy were waiting for her; feuch faighinn air falbh: trying to get away; an t貌ir oirre: in pursuit of her; agus soitheach nan Seumasach glaiste air oitir: with the Jacobites鈥� vessel stuck on a sandbank; chaidh aig muinntir an t-soithich Fhrangaich faighinn air t矛r: the people of the French vessel managed to get to land; chuir esan feachd an s脿s: he organised a force; an t-貌r a bh鈥� air a thilgeil anns an lochan: the gold that was thrown in the lochan; bhathar ag r脿dh gun d鈥� fhuair mart bonn 貌ir an s脿s anns an ladhar aige: it was said that a stirk got a gold coin stuck in its hoof; a dh鈥檉h脿s beartach gu h-obann: that suddenly got rich; tr矛 seachdainean as d猫idh call an Hazard: three weeks after the loss of the Hazard.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: I would like to make a point this week about the pronunciation of the letter combination 鈥� chd. In Scottish Gaelic, although not in Irish, when this is terminal to a word, the d is pronounced like the English 鈥渒鈥�, and not like an English 鈥渄鈥� or 鈥渢鈥�. Thus we get words like achd (鈥渁chk鈥�), uchd (鈥渙ochk鈥�), smachd (鈥渟machk鈥�), feachd (鈥淔EH-uchk鈥�), cumhachd (鈥淐OO-uchk鈥�), tiormachd (鈥淐HIR-uh-muchk鈥�) and diadhachd (鈥淛EE-uh-ghuchk鈥�). This is an important point in fine honing your spoken Gaelic. In internal situations, it is also commonly pronounced in this way, eg cleachdadh (鈥淜LEH-uhchk-ugh鈥�), reachdail (鈥淩EH-uhck-il鈥�) and tlachdmhor (鈥淭LACHK-vur鈥�). However, eachdraidh (history, narrative) which appears in the Litir in bu mhath leam eachdraidh annasach innse dhuibh (I would like to relate an unusual story to you), is an exception to this in most parts of the Gaidhealtachd. It is pronounced 鈥淓H-uch-tree鈥�, with the 鈥渄鈥� being closer to a 鈥渢鈥� and certainly not approximating a 鈥渒鈥�. Remember this exception. But note also that in parts of Argyll, eg the island of Lismore, eachdraidh follows the 鈥渃hk鈥� pronunciation rule and is pronounced 鈥淓H-uch-kree鈥�.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Chaill e gu dubh (aig Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair): he lost really badly (at the Battle of Culloden).