麻豆约拍

Bidh cuimhn鈥� agaibh gu robh mi a鈥� dol a dh鈥檌nnse dhuibh an t-seachdain-sa gu d猫 an t-eun dubh is geal air a bheil ainm ann am Beurla a th脿inig gu d矛reach bhon Chuimris. Uill, 鈥檚 e am 鈥減enguin鈥� a th鈥檃nn. Ann an Cuimris, tha 鈥減en鈥� a鈥� ciallachadh ceann agus tha 鈥済wyn鈥� a鈥� ciallachadh geal neo fionn. Pen-gwyn. Tha e coltach gu robh Cuimreach air choreigin am measg a鈥� chiad fheadhainn a chaidh don Antarctaig 脿s Breatainn, ceudan bliadhna air ais, agus gun do chuir e an t-ainm sin air na h-e貌in. Agus gun t脿inig sin tarsainn don Bheurla aig an 脿m sin.

Th脿inig an gnothach seo gu m鈥檃ire nuair a bha mi ann am bun-sgoil far a bheilear a鈥� teagasg tro mheadhan na G脿idhlig. Cha robh mi e貌lach air facal sam bith airson 鈥減enguin鈥� ann an G脿idhlig ach penguin fh猫in. Ach air a鈥� bhalla anns an sgoil sin, bha dealbhan a rinn na sgoilearan de bheathaichean anns an Antarctaig. Agus fo dhealbh de dh鈥檈un dhen t-se貌rsa sin bha an tiotal 鈥� 鈥淐eann-fionn鈥�. Bha cuideigin air a鈥� Chuimris eadar-theangachadh don Gh脿idhlig. Pen-gwyn: ceann-fionn. Chan eil fhios a鈥檓 an tuigeadh bodach ann am Br脿gar, ge-t脿, gur e ceann-fionn penguin.

Ach, air falbh bhon Antarctaig, tha mi a鈥� faicinn gu bheil fear 脿 Sasainn, a th鈥檃ir a bhith a鈥� rannsachadh Uilebheist Loch Nis, d矛reach air a bhith anns na St脿itean Aonaichte airson sreath 貌raidean a thoirt air 鈥淣essie鈥� thall an sin. Thug P貌l MacEanraig leabhar a-mach o chionn ghoirid, air a bheil Encyclopaedia of the Loch Ness Monster.

Cha do leugh mi an leabhar, ach chaidh aithris a dh猫anamh air ann am p脿ipear-naidheachd air Gh脿idhealtachd mar 鈥渃hl脿r aibidileach dhen ch霉is 鈥� bho shealladh Chaluim Chille [dhen uilebheist] ann an 565 gu rannsachaidhean an latha an-diugh.鈥� Tha e inntinneach cho tric 鈥檚 a tha Calum Cille air a thoirt a-steach don ghnothach airson barrachd chreideis a thoirt dha. Gu h-脿raidh leis nach robh m貌ran aithrisean ann eadar a linn-san agus na tricheadan anns an fhicheadamh linn. Ach an e uilebheist Loch Nis a chunnaic an naomh?

Rachamaid air ais don aithris a sgr矛obh Naomh Adomnan air a鈥� ch霉is. B鈥檈san naoideamh Aba 脤 agus sgr矛obh e an leabhar Vita Sancti Columbae, Beatha Naoimh Chaluim Chille, ann an Laideann, aig deireadh an t-seachdamh linn.

鈥溾�� air latha eile,鈥� sgr矛obh e, 鈥渘uair a chuir an duine beannaichte seachad grunn l脿ithean ann an d霉thaich nan Cruithneach, b鈥檉heudar dha dhol tarsainn Abhainn Nis. Nuair a r脿inig e a bruach, chunnaic e cuid de mhuinntir an 脿ite, agus iad a鈥� tiodhlacadh duine truagh. Thuirt iad gun tug beist na h-aibhne greim air, agus gun do rinn e cron air, fhad鈥檚 a bha e a鈥� sn脿mh goirid roimhe sin.鈥� A-reir Adomnan, dh鈥檌arr Calum Cille air fear de a chompanaich dhol a shn脿mh agus, nuair a dh鈥櫭╥rich an t-uilebheist bho ghrunnd na h-aibhne le droch r霉n, gun do dh鈥櫭瞨daich an naomh dha teicheadh ann an ainm Dh猫.

鈥橲 e an rud a bu ch貌ir dhuinn mothachadh mun sgeulachd seo nach ann ann an Loch Nis a bha an t-uilebheist seo idir, ach anns an abhainn. Tha fhios a鈥檓 gu bheil an d脿 rud ceangailte ri ch猫ile, 鈥檚 gu bheil an abhainn a鈥� sruthadh a-mach 脿s an loch. Ach tha mi searbh de bhith a鈥� cluinntinn gur e Uilebheist Loch Nis a chunnaic Calum Cille. Cha b鈥檈, ach Uilebheist na h-Aibhne.

Agus bhon uairsin cha chreid mi gun cualas guth air Uilebheist Abhainn Nis. Is beag an t-iongnadh 鈥檚 d貌cha. 鈥橲 e duine cumhachdach a bh鈥檃nn an Calum Cille. Ach an robh uilebheist anns an loch aig an 脿m sin agus, ma bha, a bheil gin air fh脿gail an-diugh? Uill, f脿gaidh mi sin agaibh fh猫in.

fionn: fair; an Antarctaig: the Antarctic; Br脿gar: Bragar (in Lewis);Uilebheist Loch Nis: the Loch Ness Monster; na St脿itean Aonaichte: the United States;sreath 貌raidean: a series of lectures: P貌l MacEanraig: Paul Harrison; cl脿r aibidileach: analphabetised record; rannsachaidhean: explorations; inntinneach: interesting; beannaichte:blessed; na h-aibhne: of the river.

am measg a' chiad fheadhainn: among the first (people); gunt脿inig sin tarsainn don Bheurla: that that came over to English; bha X air a Chuimris eadar-theangachadh:X had translated the Welsh; chaidh aithris a dh猫anamh air: a report wasmade of; bho shealladh Chaluim Chille: from Columbas sighting; airson barrachd chreideisa thoirt dha: to give it (masc.) more credibility; eadar a linn-san agus na tricheadan anns anfhicheadamh linn: between his day and the thirties in the 20th century (trichead is thirty inthe new counting system at which we shall look in a future letter); besan naoidheamh Aba脤: he was the 9th Abbot of Iona; d霉thaich nan Cruithneach: the land of the Picts; gun tug Xgreim air agus gun do rinn e cron air: that X took grip of and mauled; dh猫irich an tuilebheistbho ghrunnd na h-aibhne: the monster rose from the river bed; ann an ainm Dh猫:in the name of God; tha mi searbh de: I am fed up of; cha chreid mi gun cualas guth air X:I dont think that a mention was heard of X; f脿gaidh mi sin agaibh fh猫in: I will leave that upto you (note the p sound between agaibh and fh猫in; it is sometimes written agaibh p-fh猫in).

Rachamaid air ais don aithris a sgr矛obh Naomh Adomnan:let us go back to the report that Saint Adomnan wrote. Have you been confused by constructionslike rachamaid or bhitheamaid or coisicheamaid? They are formed by adding (e)amaidto the root of the appropriate verb. They always refer to the 1st person plural and can meaneither let us or we would . They can be differentiated by looking at (or listeningto) the beginning of the word. If it is lenited, it means we would ; if it is not lenited, itmeans let us. Here are some examples: Bhitheamaid (we would be), bitheamaid (let usbe); choisicheamaid (we would walk), coisicheamaid (let us walk); dheanamaid (we woulddo, make), deanamaid (let us do, make); bhuaileamaid (we would hit, strike), buaileamaid(let us hit, strike). Canamaid gu robh e ceart (let us say he was correct). Chanamaid madainnmhath nuair a thigeadh an tidsear a-steach (we would say good morning when the teachercame in). Deanamaid 霉rnaigh (let us pray), dheanamaid 霉rnaigh ann an uamh anns nabeanntan (we would pray in a cave in the mountains).

Is beag an t-iongnadh: it is of little surprise. Is beag an t-iongnadhgun do bhuannaich iad. Biadsan an sgioba a b'fhe脿rr. (It is hardly surprising theywon. They were the best team).