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An Litir Bheag 737

Litir Bheag na seachdain sa le Ruairidh MacIlleathain. Litir 脿ireamh 737. Roddy Maclean is back with this week's short letter for Gaelic learners.

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Sun 30 Jun 2019 16:00

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An Litir Bheag 737

Bu toigh leam innse dhuibh mun Uaimh Mh貌ir sear air Ceann a鈥� Ghi霉thsaich. Tha i faisg air baile-fearainn air a bheil Raitts, no 搁脿迟 ann an G脿idhlig. Tha m貌ran de mhuinntir an 脿ite a鈥� gabhail 鈥�Raitts Cave鈥� oirre. Ach chan eil i n脿darrach. 始S e se貌rsa de thaigh fo-thalamh a tha innte.聽

Air mapaichean an latha an-diugh, ch矛 sibh 鈥�souterrain鈥� far a bheil i. Air seann mhapaichean, ge-t脿, ch矛 sibh 鈥�Pict House鈥� no 鈥�Pictish House鈥� no 鈥�Earth-house鈥�. Ann an ochd ceud deug, trithead 始s a c貌ig (1835), bha am fear-saidheans ainmeil Sir Daibhidh Brewster a鈥� fuireach ann am Baile a鈥� Bhile, faisg air l脿imh. Bha e p貌sta aig Juliet, nighean an uachdarain, Seumas B脿n, no James 鈥極ssian鈥� MacPherson.

Bha Brewster gu math aithnichte ri a linn. 始S e a chruthaich an kaleidoscope. Thug e s霉il air an Uaimh Mh貌ir. Bha i l脿n chlachan is spr霉illeach. Thug iad an spr霉illeach a-mach. Lorg iad taigh fo-thalamh a bha iongantach. Bha e fada is caol, le leacan cloiche air gach taobh. Bha am mullach air a dh猫anamh de leacan cuideachd. Tha e ann an cruth crudha-eich agus an-diugh ann am meadhan p脿irc ionaltraidh.聽

Bha cuid a鈥� gabhail Uamh Chlann 始ic Ille Naoimh oirre 鈥� MacNiven鈥檚 Cave. Tha mi airson innse dhuibh carson.

O chionn fhad an t-saoghail, bha Clann 始ic Ille Naoimh cumhachdach ann am B脿ideanach. Bha iad ann an caidreabh leis na Cuimeanaich 鈥� Iarlan Bh脿ideanach. Thug Clann 始ic a鈥� Phearsain 脿 Loch Abar taic do R矛gh Raibeart am Brusach ann a bhith a鈥� smachdachadh nan Cuimeanach. Thug an R矛gh fearann dhaibh ann am B脿ideanach. Bha am fearann sin roimhe leis na Cuimeanaich.聽

Dh鈥櫭╥rich naimhdeas, mar sin, eadar na Cuimeanaich agus Clann 始ic a鈥� Phearsain. Bha sin a鈥� ciallachadh gun robh Clann 始ic Ille Naoimh cuideachd nan n脿imhdean aig Clann 始ic a鈥� Phearsain.

A r猫ir beul-aithris, thog Clann 始ic Ille Naoimh creach air fearann aig Mac a鈥� Phearsain 脿 Cluainidh, taobh an Lagain. An toiseach, cha do chuir Mac a鈥� Phearsain feachd ri ch猫ile. An 脿ite sin, chuir e a nighean gu ruige Clann 始ic Ille Naoimh mar theachdaire. Ach, mar a ch矛 sinn anns an ath Litir, cha do shoirbhich leatha.

The Little Letter 737

I would like to tell you about the 鈥楤ig Cave鈥� east of Kingussie. It鈥檚 near a farm called Raitts, or 搁脿迟 in Gaelic. Many local people call it 鈥楻aitt鈥檚 Cave鈥�. But it鈥檚 not natural. It鈥檚 a sort of underground house.

On today鈥檚 maps, you鈥檒l see 鈥榮outerrain鈥� where it is. On old maps, however, you鈥檒l see Pict House鈥� or 鈥楶ictish House鈥� or 鈥楨arth-house鈥�. In 1835, the famous scientist Sir David Brewster was taking holidays in Balavil nearby. He was married to Juliet, the daughter of the landlord, Seumas B脿n, or James 鈥極ssian鈥� MacPherson.

Brewster was well known in his day. He invented the kaleidoscope. He examined the Big Cave. It was full of stones and rubble. They took the rubble out. They found an underground house that was amazing. It was long and narrow, with stone slabs on each side. The roof was built of slabs also. It鈥檚 in the form of a horseshoe and today in the middle of a grazing field.

Some called it MacNiven鈥檚 Cave. I want to tell you why.

A long time ago, the MacNivens were powerful in Badenoch. They were in association with the Cummings 鈥� the Earls of Badenoch. The MacPhersons from Lochaber helped King Robert the Bruce in controlling the Cummings. The King gave them land in Badenoch. That land was previously owned by the Cummings.

An enmity thus arose between the Cummings and the MacPhersons. That meant that the MacNivens were also the enemies of the MacPhersons.

According to oral tradition, the MacNivens raided the cattle on the land of MacPherson of Cluny, over Laggan way. To begin with, MacPherson did not put together an armed band. Instead of that, he sent his daughter to MacNiven as a messenger. But, as we shall see in the next Litir, she wasn鈥檛 successful.

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  • Sun 30 Jun 2019 16:00

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Tha gach Litir Bheag an seo / All the Little Letters are here.

Podcast: An Litir Bheag

The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners

An Litir Bheag air LearnGaelic

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