麻豆约拍

Thathar ag r脿dh mas toigh leibh guga, gu bheil fuil Niseach a鈥� sruthadh nur cuislean. Chan eil daoine eile cho measail 鈥檚 a tha na Nisich air gugaichean 鈥� s霉lairean 貌ga. Agus leanaidh muinntir Nis le seann chleachdadh fhathast, anns am bi feadhainn a鈥� falbh a-mach gach samhradh gu ruige S霉la Sgeir airson gugaichean a ghlacadh. Ach saoilidh mi gu bheil e car annasach mar a tha daoine eile a鈥� cur s矛os air blas a鈥� ghuga oir, mar as trice, is toigh leotha fh猫in cearc-fhe貌il agus iasg, agus tha an guga letheach-slighe eadar na dha!

Tha S霉la Sgeir cho fad鈥� air falbh o 脿iteachan eile, cho beag is cho doirbh faighinn air is dheth, 鈥檚 gu bheil e iongantach gu robh daoine uaireigin a鈥� fuireach ann. Tha i c貌rr is ceathrad m矛le gu tuath air Eilean Le貌dhais, agus aona mh矛le dheug gu siar air R貌naigh.

Uill, 鈥檚 d貌cha nach robh daoine a鈥� fuireach air an sgeir fada oir chan eil tobar no fuaran oirre is cha bhiodh uisge, no b霉rn, aca ri 貌l. 鈥橲 d貌cha gur ann d矛reach as t-samhradh a bhiodh iad ann nuair a gheibheadh iad biadh gu le貌r le bhith a鈥� glacadh e貌in-mhara. Ach tha fhios againn gum biodh uaireigin manaich a鈥� falbh a-mach gu eileanan iomallach airson fuireach orra, agus tha togalach cloiche ann an S霉la Sgeir a dh鈥檉haodadh a bhith na chealla.

Nuair a chaidh muinntir an t-Suirbhidh 脪rdanais ann, ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug, lorg iad grunn bhothan. Sgr矛obh iad gur e am fear a bu shine is a bu mh貌 dhiubh 鈥渁n Teampall鈥�. Mun aon 脿m, chaidh T.S. Muir ann agus sgr矛obh esan gum b鈥� e ainm an togalaich seo 鈥淎n Taigh Beannaichte鈥�, agus gu robh mullach air.

An l脿 an-diugh, chan eil daoine ag aontachadh mun togalach. Tha cuid a鈥� d猫anamh dheth gu robh e air a chleachdadh d矛reach le fir Nis, airson fuireach ann, nuair a chaidh iad ann airson gugaichean. Tha cuid eile ag r脿dh gum biodh na h-eunadairean ag adhradh ann. Ach cha chuala Muir beul-aithris sam bith a dh鈥檌nnseadh dha c貌 an duine, no c貌 na daoine, a dh鈥檉haodadh a bhith co-cheangailte ris.

Ach fhuair an Suirbhidh 脪rdanais fios air a sin bho dhithis a bhuineadh do Nis. B鈥� e a鈥� chiad sgeulachd gu robh fear ann o chionn fhada, air an robh Maold貌mhnaich mar ainm, a bha a鈥� fuireach ann an R貌naigh. Feumaidh gun do rinn e rudeigin ce脿rr agus chaidh a thoirt a-null a Sh霉la Sgeir, far an do dh鈥檉huirich e ann am bothan beag. Nuair a chaidh b脿ta ann air a shon as d猫idh c貌ig no sia seachdainean, bha e marbh. Tha e coltach gur e cion-b矛dh no cion-uisge a chur 脿s dha.

Tha an sgeulachd eile ag innse mu bhoireannach, Brianuilt, t猫 de na peathraichean aig an Naomh R貌nan, a bha a鈥� fuireach ann an R貌naigh c貌mhla ris an naomh. Bha e fh猫in is i fh猫in a鈥� coiseachd c貌mhla l脿 a bha seo nuair a dh鈥檌nnis e do phiuthar cho tarraingeach 鈥檚 a bha i dha. Shaoil ise gum biodh e glic dhi falbh, agus chaidh i a dh鈥檉huireach ann an S霉la Sgeir far am faiceadh i eilean a br脿thar fhathast.

Is tha 脿iteachan ann an S霉la Sgeir a鈥� cumail cuimhne air Brianuilt fhathast, agus mar a bhiodh i na suidhe, a鈥� coimhead thar a鈥� chuain a dh鈥檌onnsaigh R貌naigh 鈥� 脿iteachan mar Suidhe Bhrianuilt agus Bealach an t-Suidhe. Agus tha e coltach gur e an t-ainm a bha uaireigin aig muinntir Nis airson an t-s霉laire 鈥� eun Bhrianuilt.

Faclan na seachdaine: guga: guga, young of gannet or solan goose; Nisich: people of Ness; s霉lairean: gannets; annasach: unusual; ceathrad: forty; R貌naigh: (North) Rona; manaich: monks; togalach cloiche: a stone building; cealla: religious cell; Suidhe Bhrianuilt: Brianuilt鈥檚 Seat; Bealach an t-Suidhe: the Pass of the Seat.

Abairtean na seachdaine: gu bheil fuil Niseach a鈥� sruthadh nur cuislean: that Ness blood runs in your veins; leanaidh X le seann chleachdadh: X follows with an old practice; mar a tha daoine eile a鈥� cur s矛os air X: as others criticise X; cho doirbh faighinn air is dheth: so difficult to get on and off; le bhith a鈥� glacadh e貌in-mhara: by catching seabirds; nuair a chaidh muinntir an t-Suirbhidh 脪rdanais ann: when the Ordnance Survey people went there; lorg iad grunn bhothan: they found a few bothies; an Taigh Beannaichte: the Blessed House; tha cuid a鈥� d猫anamh dheth: some reckon; tha cuid eile ag r脿dh gum biodh na h-eunadairean ag adhradh ann: some others say that the birders would worship there; feumaidh gun do rinn e rudeigin ce脿rr: he must have done something wrong; tha e coltach gur e cion-b矛dh no cion-uisge a chuir 脿s dha: it appears that a lack of food and a lack of water that did for him; t猫 de na peathraichean aig an Naomh R貌nan: one of the sisters of St Ronan; nuair a dh鈥檌nnis e do phiuthar cho tarraingeach 鈥檚 a bha i dha: when he told his sister how attractive she was to him; shaoil ise gum biodh e glic dhi falbh: she thought it would be wise for her to leave; a鈥� coimhead thar a鈥� chuain a dh鈥檌onnsaigh R貌naigh: looking across the ocean towards Rona.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: 鈥檚 d貌cha nach robh daoine a鈥� fuireach air an sgeir fada: probably people were not living long on the rock. I hope that fada here did not confuse you and make you think it was referring to the sgeir itself. Let us analyse which case sgeir is in: it is preceded by a simple preposition (air), so it is in the dative or prepositional case. If the fada referred to the sgeir, it would be lenited as it would be an adjective qualifying the dative noun, ie for 鈥渢hey were not on the long rock鈥�, we would say cha robh iad air an sgeir fhada. This is the same as saying tha iad air a鈥� bh貌rd mh貌r, with the m貌r lenited following the lenited b貌rd. But for 鈥渢hey were not on the rock long鈥�, fada is acting as an adverb and is qualifying the verb not the noun. Thus we would say cha robh iad air an sgeir fada or cha robh iad fada air an sgeir. For 鈥渢hey were not long on the long rock鈥� you could say cha robh iad fada air an sgeir fhada. There are two other points to be made. Fada still lenites when qualifying a dative singular noun even though 鈥渟g鈥� cannot lenite 鈥� this is a general rule in Gaelic. Secondly sgeir is a feminine noun and one might expect a qualifying adjective to slenderise in the dative singular (eg anns an eaglais bhig, don nighinn 貌ig), but fada does not slenderise. These exceptions to rules keep us on our toes!

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: tha an guga letheach-slighe eadar na dh脿: the guga is halfway between the two.