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An Litir Bheag 783

Litir Bheag na seachdain sa le Ruairidh MacIlleathain. Litir 脿ireamh 783. Roddy Maclean is back with this week's short letter for G脿idhlig learners.

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4 minutes

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Sun 17 May 2020 16:00

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An Litir Bheag 783

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mun Bhaintighearna Liondsaidh. Bha i na ban-ogha aig R矛gh Seumas I. Bha i glaiste ann an caisteal os cionn Uisge Eireachd ann an Siorrachd Pheairt 鈥� a chionn 始s gun do mhurt i an duine aice.

Gach latha, bha aice ri sn脿ithlean a shn矛omh. Ruigeadh an sn脿ithlean an abhainn tr矛 cheud troigh f貌idhpe. Chan fhaigheadh i biadh gus an robh an sn脿ithlean deiseil.聽

An d猫idh a b脿is, thill an taibhs aice. Agus lean i oirre le bhith a鈥� sn矛omh a sn脿ithlein gach latha, bliadhna an d猫idh bliadhna. Bha Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair ann. Bha cuid 脿 Gleann Eireachd ann an arm nan Seumasach. An d猫idh l脿imhe, bha iad nan ruagalaichean. Nam measg, bha Niall M貌r nam Breac.

Bha Niall f矛or mhath mar iasgair-slait. Bha e n脿darrach dha gum biodh e a鈥� dol am falach ri taobh na h-aibhne. Lorg e c貌s eadar na creagan, d矛reach os cionn bonn na creige far an robh an caisteal. Ghlac e bric gu le貌r anns an abhainn.聽

Ge-t脿, latha a bha seo, bha uisge m貌r ann an Srath 脌rdail. Th脿inig tuil s矛os Uisge 脌rdail agus a-steach don Eireachd. Cha robh fios aig Niall gun robh e a鈥� tighinn. Gun rabhadh, chaidh a sguabadh a-mach 脿s a鈥� ch貌s aige.

Bha e ann an cunnart a bheatha. Nuair a bha e fon chreig, chunnaic e sn脿ithlean crochte bhon bhearradh gu h-脿rd. Ghabh e gr猫im air. Ged a bha e tana, bha e l脿idir gu le貌r. R脿inig Niall bruach na h-aibhne. Ghabh e gr猫im air preas fe脿rna, agus tharraing e e fh猫in a-mach 脿s an uisge.

Thug e s霉il an-脿irde. Chunnaic e taibhs na Baintighearna Liondsaidh le cuigeal na l脿imh. Ghabh e eagal agus thilg e an ceann aigesan dhen t-sn脿ithlean don uisge. Thilg ise a鈥� chuigeal agus an c貌rr dhen t-sn脿ithlean don abhainn, agus dh鈥檉halbh i 脿 fianais.

Chan fhacas bhon uair sin i. Bha a h-obair deiseil. Bha a peanas seachad. Bha a鈥� Bhaintighearna Liondsaidh, murtair, air beatha a sh脿bhaladh. Agus bha esan na fhear-leantainn aig cinneadh a seanar, na Sti霉bhartaich. Dh鈥檉haodadh i a bhith marbh a-nise ann an s矛th.

The Little Letter 783

I was telling you about Lady Lindsay. She was the grand-daughter of King James I. She was locked in a castle above the River Ericht in Perthshire 鈥� because she [had] murdered her husband.

Every day, she had to spin a thread. The thread would reach the river three hundred feet below her. She wouldn鈥檛 get food until the thread was done.

After her death, her ghost returned. And she continued to spin her thread every day, year after year. The Battle of Culloden took place. Some from Glen Ericht were in the Jacobite army. Afterwards, they were fugitives. Among them was鈥� big Neil of the trout鈥�.

Neil was a top angler. It was natural for him to go into hiding next to the river. He found a crevice between the rocks, just below the crag where the castle was. He caught plenty of trout in the river.

However, one day, there was heavy rain in Strath Ardle. A flood came down the River Ardle and into the Ericht. Neil didn鈥檛 know it was coming. Without warning, he was swept out of his crevice.

He was in danger of his life. When he was under the crag, he saw a thread hanging from the precipice above. He grabbed hold of it. Although it was thin, it was strong enough. Neil reached the bank of the stream. He grabbed hold of an alder bush, and he pulled himself out of the water.

He looked up. He saw the ghost of Lady Lindsay with a distaff in her hand. He took fright and threw his end of the thread into the water. She threw the distaff and the rest of the thread into the river, and she disappeared.

She hasn鈥檛 been seen since then. Her work was finished. Her punishment was over. Lady Lindsay, murderer, had saved a life. And he was a follower of her grandfather鈥檚 line, the Stuarts. She could now be dead in peace.

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  • Sun 17 May 2020 16:00

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

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