麻豆约拍

Ann an Tiriodh, thathar fhathast a鈥� cuimhneachadh se貌ladair an naoidheamh linn deug air an robh an Caiptean D貌mhnall MacFhiongain mar ainm. B鈥� e a shloinneadh D貌mhnall mac N猫ill 鈥檌c Dh貌mhnaill Ruaidh agus tha e air a chuimhneachadh fhathast ann an Tiriodh air s脿illeamh gnothaichean a rinn e aig muir, fad air falbh o eilean a bhreith.

Bha e na sgiobair air longan de she貌rsa s貌nraichte a bha a鈥� toirt carago 鈥� gu h-脿raidh t矛 鈥� eadar S矛na agus Breatainn 鈥� na clipearan. Bhiodh farpais mh貌r ann eadar na companaidhean, agus na sgiobairean, a bha a鈥� ruith diofar chlipearan. Agus bhiodh moit mh貌r 脿 sgiobair soithich nan tigeadh e dhachaigh na bu luaithe na c脿ch. Bidh sibh a鈥� tuigsinn gu robh seo mus robh einnseanan ann am b脿taichean. Bha iad an urra ris a鈥� ghaoith a-mh脿in.

Chaidh uabhasach math do Dh貌mhnall MacFhiongain ann an ochd deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a ceithir (1864) nuair a thug e d矛reach ochdad 鈥檚 a h-ochd l脿 eadar S矛na is Lunnainn. A鈥� bhliadhna as d猫idh sin, b鈥� e a bu luaithe a-rithist, ged a thug e beagan na b鈥� fhaide an turas sin - ceud鈥檚 a dh脿 l脿.

Agus bliadhna as d猫idh sin, chaidh farpais cheart a chur air d貌igh, le duais luach ceud not airson an sgiobair a dh猫anadh a鈥� ch霉is. Uill, bha cabhag mh貌r air muinntir gach luinge faighinn air falbh agus gu h-annasach, dh鈥檉halbh seachd soithichean an 矛re mhath aig an aon 脿m. Bha iad gu bhith a鈥� r猫iseadh thar a鈥� chuain mh貌ir fad na slighe a Bhreatainn.

As d猫idh greis, bha d脿 shoitheach air thoiseach, agus a鈥� str矛 gu l脿idir an aghaidh a鈥� ch猫ile airson a bhith anns a鈥� phr矛omh 脿ite. 鈥橲 iad na h-ainmean a bh鈥� orra an Taeping agus an Ariel agus bha iad le ch猫ile air an togail air Abhainn Chluaidh. Agus b鈥� iad na sgiobairean dithis Albannach, an Caiptean Keay anns an Ariel agus an Caiptean D貌mhnall MacFhiongain anns an Taeping.

Chaidh na seachdainean seachad agus bha an d脿 chlipear aig fairge, fad air falbh o ch猫ile, ach a鈥� d猫anamh air Lunnainn aig an aon astar. Thar a鈥� Chuain Innseanaich is faisg air costa Afraga, ann am B脿gh Bhisc猫idh agus ann an Caolas Shasainn, chan fhaca MacFhiongain an Ariel, is chan fhaca Keay an Taeping. Ach nuair a bha an Ariel aig beul Abhainn Thames, chunnaic Keay se貌l air f脿ire 鈥� an Taeping agus bha i a鈥� se貌ladh aig astar!

Bha a鈥� ghaoth na b鈥� fhe脿rr do MhacFhiongain agus rinn e a鈥� ch霉is ann a bhith a鈥� faighinn gu tuga a bheireadh suas an abhainn e. Agus r脿inig an Taeping an cidhe fichead mionaid air thoiseach air an Ariel. D矛reach fichead mionaid as d猫idh seachdainean os cionn na doimhne!

Uill, d猫 se貌rsa duine a bh鈥� ann an D貌mhnall mac N猫ill 鈥檌c Dh貌mhnaill Ruaidh? Duine math, a r猫ir choltais, oir shaoil e gu robh an r猫is air a bhith cho math, agus na longan cho faisg air a鈥� ch猫ile aig an deireadh, 鈥檚 gun do cho-dh霉in e gum biodh e iomchaidh dha leth dhen duais a thoirt seachad don Chaiptean Keay.

Tha an duine agus an r猫is air an cuimhneachadh ann am beul-aithris Thiriodh. Ach tha iad cuideachd air an cuimhneachadh ann an 貌ran, 鈥淒eoch-sl脿inte nan Gillean鈥� a chaidh a sgr矛obhadh le fear dhen chriubha air b貌rd an Taeping. Cha chreid mi nach ann 脿 Muile a bha e, oir 鈥檚 e an loighne mu dheireadh dhen 貌ran: 鈥淕um b鈥� fhe脿rr a bhith 鈥檓 Muile fo dhubhar nam beann.鈥� Mar iomadach Gaidheal eile, ged a she貌l e tric gu ceann thall an t-saoghail, bha a chridhe a-riamh ann an d霉thaich a bhreith.

Faclan na seachdaine: Tiriodh: Tiree; an Caiptean D貌mhnall MacFhiongain: Captain Donald Mackinnon; D貌mhnall mac N猫ill 鈥檌c Dh貌mhnaill Ruaidh: Donald, son of Neil who was the son of Red-haired Donald; longan: ships; carago: cargo; an Cuan Innseanach: the Indian Ocean; B脿gh Bhisc猫idh: Bay of Biscay; Caolas Shasainn: The English Channel; tuga: tug (boat).

Abairtean na seachdaine: Thathar fhathast a鈥� cuimhneachadh se貌ladair an naoidheamh linn deug: a 19th Century sailor is still remembered; air s脿illeamh gnothaichean a rinn e aig muir: because of things he did at sea; fad air falbh o eilean a bhreith: far away from the isle of his birth; bhiodh moit mh貌r 脿 sgiobair soithich nan tigeadh e dhachaigh na bu luaithe na c脿ch: a skipper of a vessel would be very proud if he came home quicker than the rest; b鈥� e a bu luaithe a-rithist: it was him that was fastest again; le duais luach ceud not airson an sgiobair a dh猫anadh a鈥� ch霉is: with a prize worth 拢100 for the winning skipper; bha cabhag mh貌r air muinntir gach luinge: the people of all the ships were in a hurry; bha iad le ch猫ile air an togail air Abhainn Chluaidh: they were both built on the River Clyde; bha an d脿 chlipear aig fairge: the two clippers were at sea; a鈥� d猫anamh air Lunnainn aig an aon astar: making for London at the same speed; chunnaic Keay se貌l air f脿ire: Keay saw a sail at a distance (on the horizon); r脿inig X an cidhe fichead mionaid air thoiseach air Y: X reached the quay 20 minutes before Y; as d猫idh seachdainean os cionn na doimhne: after weeks above the deep (on the ocean); gum biodh e iomchaidh dha leth dhen duais a thoirt seachad: that it would be fitting for him to give away half of the prize; tha iad cuideachd air an cuimhneachadh ann an 貌ran: they are also remembered in a song; cha chreid mi nach ann 脿 Muile a bha e: I think he was from Mull.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Bha iad gu bhith a鈥� r猫iseadh thar a鈥� chuain mh貌ir fad na slighe a Bhreatainn: they were to be racing across the great ocean all the way to Britain. Thar is one of the slightly tricky prepositions, which acts like a compound preposition in that it commands the genitive case, although it appears to be a simple preposition with only one element (which would take the dative). So instead of thar a鈥� chuan we say thar a鈥� chuain, with cuan lenited and slenderised because it is in the genitive. The adjective qualifying cuan ie m貌r behaves in the same way ie it is also lenited and slenderised so we get thar a鈥� chuain mh貌ir. Three other prepositions, commonly met with, behave in the same grammatical manner, taking the genitive, rather than the dative: chun (eg chun na traghad), far (eg far a鈥� bh霉ird) and r猫 (eg r猫 na bliadhna).

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Bha iad an urra ris a鈥� ghaoith a-mh脿in: they were dependent on the wind alone.