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An Litir Bheag 782

Litir Bheag na seachdain sa le Ruairidh MacIlleathain. Litir 脿ireamh 782. Roddy Maclean is back with this week's short letter for G脿idhlig learners.

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Sun 10 May 2020 16:00

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An Litir Bheag 782

A bheil sibh e貌lach air Gleann Eireachd ann an Siorrachd Pheairt? Tha Uisge Eireachd a鈥� sruthadh troimhe. Sin an abhainn a tha a鈥� dol tro Bhl脿r Ghobharaidh.
聽Tha Uisge Eireachd a鈥� t貌iseachadh aig Drochaid Challaidh, far a bheil Uisge 脌rdail agus an t-Uisge Dubh a鈥� tighinn c貌mhla. Deas air Drochaid Challaidh, tha an abhainn a鈥� sruthadh tro mh貌r-chlais. An sin, tha Creag an Fhithich. Air na mapaichean, tha seo sgr矛obhte far a bheil a鈥� chreag: Lady Lindsay鈥檚 Castle (remains of).听

C貌 bha ann am Baintighearna Liondsaidh? Uill, seo agaibh a sgeul. Timcheall na bliadhna ceithir cheud deug, ochdad 始s a naoi (1489), bha dithis bhr脿ithrean ann an caisteal ann an Srath 脌rdail. B鈥� iad Alasdair Liondsaidh, am mac a bu shine aig a鈥� cheann-chinnidh 鈥� Iarla Chrawford 鈥� agus a bhr脿thair, Iain.听

Chaidh na br脿ithrean a-mach air a ch猫ile. Thog iad buill-airm an aghaidh a ch猫ile. Bha Alasdair air a le貌n. Bha e na laighe san leabaidh an d猫idh l脿imhe. Chuir a bhean cluasag air aodann airson a mh霉chadh.听

B鈥� i a bhean Se貌naid Gh貌rdan, nighean aig Iarla Hunndaidh. Bha a m脿thair na nighinn aig R矛gh Seumas I. Cho luath 始s a bha Alasdair Liondsaidh a-mach 脿s an rathad, ph貌s Se貌naid fear eile. Cha robh esan be貌 fada. Goirid an d猫idh a bh脿is, bha treas p貌sadh aice.听

Bha i saor bho chasaidean eucoir airson c貌rr is deich bliadhna. Ach anns a鈥� bhliadhna c貌ig ceud deug (1500), bha i air a d矛teadh airson murt Alasdair. B鈥� e a peanas a bhith air a glasadh ann an t霉r air mullach Creag an Fhithich, tr矛 cheud troigh os cionn na h-aibhne.听

Bha a鈥� Bhaintighearna Liondsaidh sa phr矛osan fad a鈥� ch貌rr de a beatha. Gach latha, bha i a鈥� sn矛omh sn脿ithlean. Nuair a ruigeadh an sn脿ithlean an abhainn, gheibheadh a鈥� bhaintighearna biadh.

Lean i oirre mar sin, latha an d猫idh latha, seachdain an d猫idh seachdain, bliadhna an d猫idh bliadhna, gus an robh i c貌rr is ceud bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois. Mu dheireadh, chaochail i. Ach, mar a ch矛 sinn an-ath-sheachdain, nochd i a-rithist mar thaibhs, agus rinn i rudeigin math.

The Little Letter 782

Do you know Glen Ericht in Perthshire? The River Ericht flows through it. That鈥檚 the river that goes through Blairgowrie.

The River Ericht starts at Bridge of Cally, where the River Ardle and the Black Water come together. South of Bridge of Cally, the river flows through a ravine. There, there is 鈥榯he raven鈥檚 crag鈥�. On the maps, this is written where the crag is: 鈥楲ady Lindsay鈥檚 Castle (remains of)鈥�.

Who was Lady Lindsay? Well, here is her story. Around the year 1489, two brothers were in a castle in Strathardle. They were Alexander Lindsay, the eldest son of the clan chief 鈥� the Earl of Crawford 鈥� and his brother, John.

The brothers fell out with each other. They wielded weapons against each other. Alexander was wounded. He was lying in his bed afterwards. His wife put a pillow on his face to suffocate him.

His wife was Janet Gordon, a daughter of the Earl of Huntly. Her mother was a daughter of King James I. As soon as Alexander Lindsay was out of the way, Janet married another man. He wasn鈥檛 alive long. Shortly after that, she had a third marriage.

She was free from accusations of crime for more than ten years. But in the year 1500, she was convicted of Alexander鈥檚 murder. Her punishment was to be locked in a tower on the top of the raven鈥檚 crag, three hundred feet above the river.

Lady Lindsay was in prison for the rest of her life. Every day, she was spinning a thread. When the thread reached [would reach] the river, the lady would receive food.

She continued like that, day after day, week after week, year after year, until she was more than a hundred years old. In the end, she died. But, as we鈥檒l see next week, she appeared again as a ghost, and she did something good.

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