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Bha mi a鈥� bruidhinn an t-seachdain sa chaidh mun chuthaig. Bidh i a鈥� tighinn a dh鈥橝lba gach bliadhna. Ach, anns an t-seann aimsir, cha robh i a鈥� dol gu Hiort ro thric, co-dhi霉 a r猫ir an Sgitheanaich, M脿rtainn MacIlleMh脿rtainn. Tha cunntas aige dhen chuthaig ann an Hiort anns an leabhar aige A Late Voyage to St Kilda. Bha e ann o chionn c貌rr is tr矛 cheud bliadhna.

鈥樖糞 ann ainneamh a bhios a鈥� chuthag ri a faicinn an seo,鈥� sgr矛obh MacIlleMh脿rtainn. 鈥楢gus sin ann an co-cheangal ri tachartasan 脿raidh, mar eisimpleir b脿s an uachdarain, MacLe貌id [Dh霉n Bheagain], no nuair a nochdas coigreach cli霉mhor.鈥� Rinn MacIlleMh脿rtainn g脿ire nuair a chuala e am beul-aithris sin. Thuirt e ri muinntir an 脿ite gun robh e gun reusan. Ach dhearbh b脿illidh an eilein gun robh am fiosrachadh aca ceart. Ri a linn fh猫in agus ri linn athar, thuirt e, chunnaic muinntir an eilein a鈥� chuthag an d猫idh b脿s na dithis uachdaran mu dheireadh, agus goirid mus do nochd coigrich ann an Hiort.

Bidh ceist agaibh, tha fhios. An do nochd a鈥� chuthag ann an Hiort goirid mus do nochd MacIlleMh脿rtainn fh猫in ann?! Uill, nochd, a r猫ir muinntir an 脿ite. Bha na Hiortaich deimhinne gur e M脿rtainn fh猫in a bu choireach ris. Bha ministear c貌mhla ris, ach bha esan ann an Hiort roimhe. Mar sin, chan e coigreach a bha ann.

Tha beul-aithris anns an Eilean Sgitheanach a tha a鈥� cur ris an sgeul seo. Bhathar ag r脿dh, nuair a bha sluagh ann an Hiort, gun robh rudeigin annasach a鈥� tachairt gach turas a bha ceann-cinnidh nan Le貌dach a鈥� faighinn b脿s. Nan tachradh e as t-samhradh, bhiodh na cuthagan gu l猫ir timcheall Caisteal Dh霉n Bheagain a鈥� teicheadh. Bha iad a鈥� falbh a Hiort.

Chaidh iad ann airson innse do mhuinntir Hiort gun robh an uachdaran marbh. Thathar ag r脿dh, bliadhna a bha seo, gun deach b脿ta 脿 D霉n Bheagain a Hiort airson innse do na daoine gun robh an ceann-cinnidh marbh. Ach, nuair a r脿inig na Sgitheanaich an t-eilean, bha na Hiortaich a鈥� caoidh a bh脿is mu-thr脿th. Bha fios aca mu dheidhinn. Bha na cuthagan air innse dhaibh!

I was speaking last week about the cuckoo. She comes to Scotland every year. But, in olden times, she wasn鈥檛 going to St Kilda too often, at least according to the Skyeman, Martin Martin. He has an account of the cuckoo on St Kilda in his book A Late Voyage to St Kilda. He was there more than three hundred years ago.

鈥楾he cuckoo is rarely seen here,鈥� wrote Martin. 鈥楢nd that upon extraordinary occasions, such as the death of the proprietor MacLeod [of MacLeod], or the arrival of some notable stranger.鈥� Martin laughed when he heard that oral tradition. He told the local people it was without reason. But the island鈥檚 steward confirmed that their information was correct. In his own day and his father鈥檚, he said, the people of the island saw the cuckoo after the death of the two last landlords, and shortly before a stranger arrived in St Kilda.

You鈥檒l have a question, I鈥檓 sure. Did the cuckoo appear in St Kilda shortly before Martin himself appeared there?! Well, yes, according to the local people. The St Kildans were certain that Martin himself was responsible for it. There was a minister with him, but he was in St Kilda before. Thus, he was not a stranger.

There is oral tradition on Skye that adds to this story. It was said, when there was a population on St Kilda, that something strange was happening every time a MacLeod clan chief died. If it happened in summer, all of the cuckoos around Dunvegan Castle were fleeing. They were going to St Kilda.

They went there to tell the people of St Kilda that their landlord was dead. It is said, one particular year, that a boat went from Dunvegan to St Kilda to tell the people that their clan chief was dead. But, when the Skyemen reached the island, the St Kildans were already lamenting his death. They knew about it. The cuckoos had told them!