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An Litir Bheag 759

Litir Bheag na seachdain sa le Ruairidh MacIlleathain. Litir 脿ireamh 759. Roddy Maclean is back with this week's short letter for G脿idhlig learners.

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Sun 1 Dec 2019 16:00

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An Litir Bheag 759

O chionn ghoirid, chaidh mi a-null a dh鈥橢ilean Mh脿rtainn airson a鈥� chiad turais riamh. A bheil sibh e貌lach air Eilean Mh脿rtainn no Isle Martin? Tha e aig beul Loch a鈥� Bhraoin faisg air Ullapul ann an taobh siar Rois.

始S e eilean beag a tha ann. Tha e timcheall air m矛le ann am fad agus leud. Tha an ceann a tuath creagach agus garbh. 始S ann anns a鈥� cheann a deas, far a bheil talamh torrach, a bha an sluagh a鈥� fuireach. Chan eil duine a鈥� fuireach ann an-diugh.

Chaidh mi a-null ann am b脿ta. Tha e air a ruith le Urras Eilein Mh脿rtainn. Tha an t-eilean ann an l脿mhan an urrais 鈥� urras coimhearsnachd 鈥� an-diugh.聽

Chan eil fios le cinnt c貌 am M脿rtainn anns an ainm. 始S d貌cha Naomh M脿rtainn 脿 Tours. Ach chan eil sinn cinnteach mu dheidhinn sin. Tha clach anns a鈥� chladh air a bheil crois 鈥� se貌rsa a bha 始s d貌cha ceangailte ris an Eaglais Cheiltich uaireigin. Ach tha cruth na croise car annasach.

Anns an ochdamh linn deug, bha iasgach an sgadain gu math m貌r. Chaidh taigh-giollachd a leasachadh ann an Eilean Mh脿rtainn. Bhathar a鈥� d猫anamh d脿 she貌rsa sgadain ann 鈥� sgadain bh脿na ann an salann, agus sgadain dearga a bha air an smocadh.聽

Tro bhliadhnaichean an D脿rna Cogaidh, bha muileann st猫idhichte ann. Bhathar a鈥� d猫anamh min-fhl霉r ann. Bha a鈥� chuid a bu mhotha dhen luchd-obrach a鈥� fuireach air t矛r-m貌r. Chaidh am muileann a dh霉nadh ann an naoi ceud deug, ceathrad 始s a h-ochd (1948).

Bho na seasgadan dhen fhicheadamh linn (1960s) a-mach, bha Eilean Mh脿rtainn ann an l脿mhan uachdaran pr矛obhaideach. Bha e cuideachd le Comann R矛oghail D矛on nan Eun, an RSPB. Thug an RSPB seachad e don urras 鈥� an-asgaidh 鈥� o chionn fichead bliadhna.

Ach chan eil muinntir an eilein uile gu l猫ir air an d矛ochuimhneachadh ann. Faodar ionnsachadh ann an taigh-tasgaidh beag mu na teaghlaichean a bha a鈥� fuireach ann.

Mus fhalbh mi, tha mi airson ceist a chur oirbh. D猫 an d脿 thogalach ainmeil ann an Ste貌rnabhagh anns a bheil clachan 脿 Eilean Mh脿rtainn a鈥� c貌mhdachadh nam ballachan? Bheir mi am fuasgladh dhuibh an-ath-sheachdain!

The Little Letter 759

Recently, I crossed to Isle Martin for the first time ever. Do you know Eilean Mh脿rtainn or Isle Martin? It鈥檚 at the mouth of Loch Broom near Ullapool in Wester Ross.

It鈥檚 a small island. It鈥檚 about a mile in length and width. The north is rocky and rough. It鈥檚 in the south, where there is fertile ground, that the population were living. Nobody lives there today.

I went over in a boat. It鈥檚 run by the Isle Martin Trust. The island is in the hands of the trust 鈥� a community trust 鈥� today.

It鈥檚 not known for sure who the Martin in the name is. Perhaps St Martin of Tours. But we鈥檙e not certain about that. There is a stone in the cemetery on which there is a cross 鈥� the sort perhaps linked at one time to the Celtic Church. But the form of the cross is a bit strange.

In the eighteenth century, the herring fishing industry was large. A processing facility was developed on Isle Martin. Two types of herring were made there 鈥� white herring in salt and red herring that were smoked.

Through the years of the Second [World] War, a mill was established there. Flour was being made there. Most of the workers were living on the mainland. The mill was closed in 1948.

From the 1960s on, Isle Martin has been in the hands of private landlords. It was also owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the RSPB. The RSPB gave the trust the island 鈥� free of charge 鈥� twenty years ago.

But the islanders are not entirely forgotten there. One can learn in a small museum about the families who were living there.

Before I leave, I want to pose a question to you. What are the two famous buildings in Stornoway in which stones from Isle Martin cover the walls? I鈥檒l give you the solution next week.

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