麻豆约拍

Bha mi a-mach an t-seachdain sa chaidh air an Fhrangach, Alexandre de La Rochefoucauld, a chaidh air chuairt air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd aig deireadh an ochdamh linn deug. Tha e inntinneach a bhith a鈥� leughadh an t-se貌rsa beachd a bh鈥� aig coigrich air ar d霉thaich aig an 脿m sin.

Tha e cuideachd inntinneach a bhith a鈥� leughadh aithrisean a rinn Gaidheil air d霉thchannan eile. Am measg sin, tha na sgr矛obh Uilleam Mac Ille Bhrath mun chuairt aige eadar Obar Dheathain agus Lunnainn ann an ochd-deug is naoi-deug (1819). Cha chreid mi nach eil e ceart gu le貌r 鈥淕aidheal鈥� a ghabhail air, oir thogadh e anns Na Hearadh, am measg muinntir an eilein, dham buineadh e, bha an c脿nan aige, agus bha e a鈥� coimhead air fh猫in mar chuideigin a bhuineadh don Ghaidhealtachd thar 脿ite sam bith eile.

Bha 霉idh mh貌r aig Uilleam ann an n脿dar 鈥� gu dearbh, bha e na Phroifeasair ann an E貌las-n脿dair aig a鈥� cheann thall 鈥� agus bha e airson a dhol gu Taigh-tasgaidh Bhreatainn ann an Lunnainn airson coimhead air na bh鈥� aca de bheathaichean, agus gu h-脿raidh de dh鈥檈貌in. Choisich e fad na slighe, leis fh猫in. Ged a ghabh e slighe dh矛reach ann an Sasainn, a鈥� coiseachd tr矛 cheud, trithead 鈥檚 a seachd m矛le eadar Gretna agus Lunnainn, cha do ghabh e slighe dh矛reach idir ann an Alba, agus choisich e c貌rr is c貌ig ceud m矛le anns an d霉thaich seo. Bha e airson p脿irtean 霉ra de dh鈥橝lba fhaicinn agus choisich e tro bheanntan na Gaidhealtachd, uaireannan a鈥� cadal a-muigh gun teanta. Chaidh e don Ghearastan, an uairsin gu Inbhir Aora, Glaschu, Inbhir Air, agus D霉n Phris mus do r脿inig e cr矛och Shasainn.

Rinn Mac Ille Bhrath coimeas eadar na rathaidean ann an diofar sg矛rean. Bha e dhen bheachd gu robh a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd air rudeigin a chall leis gu robh rathaidean a-nise ann far nach b鈥� 脿bhaist gin a bhith. Ach bha e cuideachd dhen bheachd gu robh na rathaidean fada na b鈥� fhe脿rr air a鈥� Ghalldachd agus ann an Sasainn na bha iad air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd. Anns na h-eileanan, sgr矛obh e, chanadh muinntir an 脿ite 鈥渞athad m貌r鈥� ri ceum-coiseachd eadar d脿 bhaile beag. Agus chanadh iad 鈥渞athad m貌r an R矛gh鈥� ri rathad m貌r m貌r no turnpike road.

Bho 脿m gu 脿m bhiodh Mac Ille Bhrath a鈥� d猫anamh coimeas eadar t矛r is sluagh na Gaidhealtachd, agus na h-脿iteachan eile tron robh e a鈥� siubhal. Uaireannan sgr矛obhadh e rudeigin inntinneach mu dheidhinn na G脿idhlig. Nise, bha aon diofar a-riamh follaiseach dhomh eadar cainnt nan Eireannach agus cainnt nan Albannach. 鈥橲 e sin gu bheil m貌ran ann an Eirinn, nuair a tha iad a鈥� bruidhinn Beurla, ag r脿dh 鈥渢鈥� far am biodh muinntir Shasainn, agus muinntir na h-Alba, ag r脿dh 鈥渢h鈥�. Bidh sibh e貌lach air an fhealla-dh脿 mun dithis Eireannach a chunnaic sanas anns a鈥� ph脿ipear-naidheachd 鈥淔orestry company seeks tree fellers鈥� agus an dragh a ghabh iad nach robh treas fear aca!

Uill, bha mi a-riamh a鈥� smaoineachadh, leis gur e an aon ch脿nan 鈥� seann Gh脿idhlig 鈥� a bh鈥� aig Gaidheil gach d霉thaich bho shean, gur d貌cha gu robh an aon rud f矛or uaireigin mu dheidhinn nan Albannach. Sgr矛obh Mac Ille Bhrath gu robh, agus ri linn. 鈥淭ha am fuaim 鈥渢h鈥�, a th鈥� aig na Sasannaich,鈥� sgr矛obh e, 鈥渘eo-aithnichte do na Gaidheil. Mar sin, bidh am fear Gaidhealach, a tha ag ionnsachadh na Beurla, ga radh mar 鈥渢鈥� no 鈥渄鈥�; an 脿ite throw away that nasty thing, canaidh e tro afuawy tat naisti ting.鈥� Sin Gaidheil na h-Alba, chan e Gaidheil na h-Eireann. A bheil sinn air atharrachadh bhon uairsin? I tink so, mar a thuirt am fear eile.

Faclan na seachdaine: an-c貌mhnaidh: always; Uilleam Mac Ille Bhrath: MacGillivray; Taigh-tasgaidh Bhreatainn: the British Museum; an Gearastan: Fort William; Inbhir Aora: Inveraray; Inbhir Air: Ayr; D霉n Phris: Dumfries; ceum-coiseachd: footpath; neo-aithnichte: unknown, unrecognised.

Abairtean na seachdaine: bha mi a-mach an t-seachdain sa chaidh air X: I was on about X last week; a bhith a鈥� leughadh an t-se貌rsa beachd a bh鈥� aig coigrich: to read the sort of opinion that foreigners had; d猫 chanamaid airson sin?: what would we say for that?; cha chreid mi nach eil e ceart gu le貌r 鈥淕aidheal鈥� a ghabhail air: I think it鈥檚 alright to call him a 鈥淕ael鈥�; mar chuideigin a bhuineadh don Ghaidhealtachd thar 脿ite sam bith eile: as somebody who belonged to the Gaidhealtachd over and above any other place; bha e na Phroifeasair ann an E貌las-n脿dair aig a鈥� cheann thall: he was eventually a Professor of Natural History; ged a ghabh e slighe dh矛reach: although he took a direct route; tr矛 cheud, trithead 鈥檚 a seachd m矛le: 337 miles; uaireannan a鈥� cadal a-muigh gun teanta: sometimes sleeping out without a tent; mus do r脿inig e cr矛och Shasainn: before he reached the border of England; far nach b鈥� 脿bhaist gin a bhith: where there used to be none; na h-脿iteachan eile tron robh e a鈥� siubhal: the other places through which he was travelling; bha aon diofar a-riamh follaiseach: one difference was always obvious; nach robh treas fear aca: that they didn鈥檛 have a third 鈥渇eller鈥�; sgriobh X gu robh, agus ri linn: X wrote that it was, and in his day; a bheil sinn air atharrachadh bhon uairsin?: have we changed since then?

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Choisich e fad na slighe, leis fh猫in: he walked the entire route, by himself. If you use fad as a noun to represent the entire length of something eg distance or time, remember that the second noun which is qualified by it is placed in the genitive case (ie fad na slighe means 鈥渢he length of the route). To use it properly, therefore, you must know how to form the genitive of a noun, most particularly by recognising if it is masculine or feminine. Here are some feminine examples, where the article is na: fad na h-霉ine (all the time); fad na t矛de (all the time); fad na h-oidhche (all night long); fad na seachdain (all week long); fad na bliadhna (the entire year long). Here are some examples where the noun is masculine: fad an rathaid (the entire road); fad an l脿 (all day long); fad an t-siubhail (lit. all the journey, but it means 鈥渁ll the time). Fad can also be used without the article eg fad seachdain (for a week); fad ceala-deug (for a fortnight); fad bliadhna (for a year); fad tr矛 uairean a th矛de (for a period of 3 hours).

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Bho 脿m gu 脿m: from time to time.