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An Litir Bheag 775

Litir Bheag na seachdain sa le Ruairidh MacIlleathain. Litir 脿ireamh 775. Roddy Maclean is back with this week's short letter for G脿idhlig learners.

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Sun 22 Mar 2020 16:00

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An Litir Bheag 775

Anns an Litir mu dheireadh, bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Loch an Iasgair faisg air an Fhionn Loch. Tha an t-ainm a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥榣och na h-iolair-uisge鈥�. Anns an leabhar aige A Hundred Years in the Highlands, tha Osgood MacCoinnich ag innse dhuinn cuideachd mu iolair eile anns an sg矛re aig an 脿m sin 鈥� an iolair-mhara.聽

Bha eilean anns an Fhionn Loch air an robh Eilean na h-Iolaire mar ainm. Bha iolairean-mara a鈥� neadachadh ann. Nuair a chaidh b脿ta beag a chur air an loch airson iasgach, cha robh an nead s脿bhailte tuilleadh. Bha daoine a鈥� goid nan uighean 脿s an nead.聽

Dh鈥檉halbh na h-iolairean-mara. Thog iad nead 霉r gu h-脿rd anns na beanntan. Ach cha robh iad s脿bhailte eadhon an sin. Bha Osgood na mh猫irleach uighean. Tha e doirbh an cunntas aige a leughadh gun a bhith a鈥� f脿s feargach!

鈥�Nuair nach robh mi ach seachd no ochd bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois,鈥� sgr矛obh e, 鈥�bha mi mu-thr脿th an s脿s ann an goid uighean, agus bha mi miannach air feadhainn aig an iolair-mhara, a bha riamh gann anns an sg矛re seo ... Cha tug mi fois gu mo mh脿thair gus an robh i air turas a chur air d貌igh don nead ... chaidh sinn ann air muin-eich, le sreapadair comasach agus r貌pan nar cois.鈥�

R脿inig Osgood an leac air an robh an nead. Ach bha na h-uighean air an goid mu-thr脿th. An latha roimhe, bha c矛obair na h-oighreachd, air an robh an nead, air a dhol ann. Thug e na h-uighean leis airson reic, oir bha e air cluinntinn gun robh luach annta. Bha Osgood fiadhaich.

Ge-t脿, bhuineadh Osgood do na h-uaislean, agus bha e beartach. Thug e airgead don ch矛obair, agus thug esan na h-uighean seachad. Chaidh Osgood dhachaigh leis na h-uighean m貌ra, b脿na. Bha toileachas na chridhe. Ma tha sibh a鈥� coimhead airson faclan aithreachais aige mun sgrios a rinn e, bidh briseadh-d霉il agaibh. Cha b鈥� fhada gus an deach an iolair-mhara 脿 bith ann an Alba. Coltach ris an iolair-uisge, ge-t脿, tha i air tilleadh ann, agus tha i ann an Ros an Iar a-rithist.

The Little Letter 775

In the last Litir, I was telling you about Loch an Iasgair near the Fionn Loch. The name means 鈥榯he loch of the osprey鈥�. In his book A Hundred Years in the Highlands, Osgood Mackenzie tells us also about another eagle in the area at that time 鈥� the sea eagle.

There was an island in the Fionn Loch called 鈥榯he island of the eagle鈥�. Sea eagles were nesting there. When a small boat was put on the loch for fishing, the nest was no longer safe. People were stealing the eggs from the nest.

The sea eagles left. They built a nest high in the mountains. But they weren鈥檛 safe even there. Osgood was an egg thief. It鈥檚 difficult to read his account without getting angry!

鈥榃hen I was no more than seven or eight years old,鈥� he wrote, 鈥業 was already quite a keen collector of eggs, and greatly coveted a clutch of those of the sea eagle, which were always rare in this district ... I gave my mother no peace until she had arranged an expedition to the nest ... we went on horseback, with an expert climber and ropes.鈥�

Osgood reached the ledge where the nest was. But the eggs had already been stolen. The day before, a shepherd on the estate, where the nest was, had gone there. He took the eggs with him to sell, because he had heard they were valuable. Osgood was angry.

However, Osgood belonged to the gentry, and he was wealthy. He gave money to the shepherd who gave him the eggs. Osgood went home with the large, pale eggs. He was filled with happiness. If you look for words of regret about the damage he did, you鈥檒l be disappointed. It wasn鈥檛 long until the sea eagle became extinct in Scotland. Like the osprey, however, it has returned here, and it is in Wester Ross again.

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  • Sun 22 Mar 2020 16:00

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