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An Litir Bheag 1032
Litir Bheag na seachdain sa le Ruairidh MacIlleathain. Litir 脿ireamh 1032. This week's short letter for G脿idhlig learners.
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Sun 23 Feb 2025
13:30
麻豆官网首页入口 Radio nan G脿idheal
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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh 1336
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An Litir Bheag 1032
Duration: 03:16
An Litir Bheag 1032
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mun fhacal gille agus mar a th脿inig e a-steach don Bheurla mar 鈥�ghillie鈥�. Th脿inig am facal gu m鈥� aire nuair a bha mi a鈥� coimhead pr貌gram telebhisein Astr脿ilianach.聽
鈥橲 e dr脿ma a bha ann, st猫idhichte air talamh 脿rd ann am Bhictoria. Bha duine ne貌nach ann. Bha e a鈥� fuireach anns a鈥� choille. Bha e a鈥� cumail am falach. 鈥橲 ann ainneamh a chitheadh daoine e. Bha muinntir na sg矛re a鈥� gabhail 鈥�the ghillie-man鈥� no 鈥�Ghillie Jack鈥� air.聽
An toiseach, cha robh mi cinnteach d猫 bhathar a鈥� ciallachadh le ghillie-man, no an ann bhon Gh脿idhlig a th脿inig e. An uair sin, nochd an duine fh猫in. Bha e c貌mhdaichte le aodach a bha coltach ri cr矛onach na coille. Bha 鈥�ghillie-suit鈥� air!
鈥橲 e ghillie-suit aodach breug-riochda (no camouflage) a chuireas neach air fh猫in airson cumail am falach. 鈥橲 e l矛on a tha ann anns a bheil p矛osan cl貌 agus duilleagan.
Chaidh a chleachdadh an toiseach le saighdearan G脿idhealach. Ann an D脿rna Cogadh nam Boers chleachd na Lovat Scouts 猫ideadh mar sin. Anns a鈥� Chogadh Mh貌r, chaidh buidheann de shnaidhpearan a dh猫anamh anns na Lovat Scouts. B鈥� e sin a鈥� chiad bhuidheann dhen t-se貌rsa ann an Arm Bhreatainn. Bha na buill de na Lovat Scouts nan geamairean is nan stalcairean air oighreachdan G脿idhealach. Bha iad cleachdte ri bhith a鈥� cur peilear ann am fiadh bho astar.
鈥橲 d貌cha gur e sin as coireach gur e 鈥樏╥deadh-gille鈥� a bha daoine a鈥� gabhail air an aodach sin. Bha G脿idhlig aig a鈥� chuid a bu mhotha dhiubh. Agus bha am facal ghillie aithnichte ann am Beurla ann an co-cheangal ri sealg air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd.
Ach tha smuain eile ann. Ann am beul-aithris nan G脿idheal tha caractar air a bheil 鈥楢n Gille Dubh鈥�. Dh鈥檌nns mi an sgeul mu Ghille Dubh Locha Druing ann an sg矛re Ghe脿rrloch ann an Litir Bheag tr矛 cheud, trithead 鈥檚 a ceithir (334).
Bhiodh an Gille Dubh a鈥� dol am falach sa choille. Chuireadh e c貌inneach agus duilleagan am measg a chuid aodaich gus nach fhaiceadh duine e. Gun teagamh, 鈥檚 ann aigesan a bha a鈥� chiad ghillie-suit!
鈥橲 e dr脿ma a bha ann, st猫idhichte air talamh 脿rd ann am Bhictoria. Bha duine ne貌nach ann. Bha e a鈥� fuireach anns a鈥� choille. Bha e a鈥� cumail am falach. 鈥橲 ann ainneamh a chitheadh daoine e. Bha muinntir na sg矛re a鈥� gabhail 鈥�the ghillie-man鈥� no 鈥�Ghillie Jack鈥� air.聽
An toiseach, cha robh mi cinnteach d猫 bhathar a鈥� ciallachadh le ghillie-man, no an ann bhon Gh脿idhlig a th脿inig e. An uair sin, nochd an duine fh猫in. Bha e c貌mhdaichte le aodach a bha coltach ri cr矛onach na coille. Bha 鈥�ghillie-suit鈥� air!
鈥橲 e ghillie-suit aodach breug-riochda (no camouflage) a chuireas neach air fh猫in airson cumail am falach. 鈥橲 e l矛on a tha ann anns a bheil p矛osan cl貌 agus duilleagan.
Chaidh a chleachdadh an toiseach le saighdearan G脿idhealach. Ann an D脿rna Cogadh nam Boers chleachd na Lovat Scouts 猫ideadh mar sin. Anns a鈥� Chogadh Mh貌r, chaidh buidheann de shnaidhpearan a dh猫anamh anns na Lovat Scouts. B鈥� e sin a鈥� chiad bhuidheann dhen t-se貌rsa ann an Arm Bhreatainn. Bha na buill de na Lovat Scouts nan geamairean is nan stalcairean air oighreachdan G脿idhealach. Bha iad cleachdte ri bhith a鈥� cur peilear ann am fiadh bho astar.
鈥橲 d貌cha gur e sin as coireach gur e 鈥樏╥deadh-gille鈥� a bha daoine a鈥� gabhail air an aodach sin. Bha G脿idhlig aig a鈥� chuid a bu mhotha dhiubh. Agus bha am facal ghillie aithnichte ann am Beurla ann an co-cheangal ri sealg air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd.
Ach tha smuain eile ann. Ann am beul-aithris nan G脿idheal tha caractar air a bheil 鈥楢n Gille Dubh鈥�. Dh鈥檌nns mi an sgeul mu Ghille Dubh Locha Druing ann an sg矛re Ghe脿rrloch ann an Litir Bheag tr矛 cheud, trithead 鈥檚 a ceithir (334).
Bhiodh an Gille Dubh a鈥� dol am falach sa choille. Chuireadh e c貌inneach agus duilleagan am measg a chuid aodaich gus nach fhaiceadh duine e. Gun teagamh, 鈥檚 ann aigesan a bha a鈥� chiad ghillie-suit!
The Little Letter 1032
I was telling you about the word gille and how it came into English as 鈥榞hillie鈥�. The word came to my attention when I was watching an Australian television program.
It was a drama, situated in high country in Victoria. There was a strange man in it. He was living in the forest. He was keeping hidden. Only rarely would people see him. The locals were calling him 鈥榯he ghillie-man鈥� or 鈥楪hillie Jack鈥�.
To begin with, I wasn鈥檛 sure what was being meant by 鈥榞hillie-man鈥�, or was it from Gaelic that it came. Then the man himself appeared. He was covered with clothing that looked like brushwood. He had a 鈥榞hillie-suit鈥� on!
A ghillie-suit is camouflage clothing which a person puts on in order to remain hidden. It鈥檚 netting in which there are pieces of cloth and leaves.
It was first used by Highland soldiers. During the Second Boer War, the Lovat Scouts used clothing of that nature. During the First World War, a group of snipers was created in the Lovat Scouts. That was the first group of the sort in the British Army. The members of the Lovat Scouts were gamekeepers and stalkers on Highland estates. They were used to putting a bullet in a deer from distance.
Perhaps that is the reason that it was 鈥榞hillie-suit鈥� that people called that clothing. Most of them spoke Gaelic. And the word 鈥榞hillie鈥� was known in English in connection with hunting in the Highlands.
But there is another thought. In Gaelic oral tradition, there is a character called the 鈥楪ille Dubh鈥�. I told you the story of the Gille Dubh of Loch Druing in the Gairloch area in Litir Bheag 334.
The Gille Dubh would hide in the woods. He would put moss and leaves among his clothing so that nobody would see him. Indeed, he possessed the first ghillie-suit!
It was a drama, situated in high country in Victoria. There was a strange man in it. He was living in the forest. He was keeping hidden. Only rarely would people see him. The locals were calling him 鈥榯he ghillie-man鈥� or 鈥楪hillie Jack鈥�.
To begin with, I wasn鈥檛 sure what was being meant by 鈥榞hillie-man鈥�, or was it from Gaelic that it came. Then the man himself appeared. He was covered with clothing that looked like brushwood. He had a 鈥榞hillie-suit鈥� on!
A ghillie-suit is camouflage clothing which a person puts on in order to remain hidden. It鈥檚 netting in which there are pieces of cloth and leaves.
It was first used by Highland soldiers. During the Second Boer War, the Lovat Scouts used clothing of that nature. During the First World War, a group of snipers was created in the Lovat Scouts. That was the first group of the sort in the British Army. The members of the Lovat Scouts were gamekeepers and stalkers on Highland estates. They were used to putting a bullet in a deer from distance.
Perhaps that is the reason that it was 鈥榞hillie-suit鈥� that people called that clothing. Most of them spoke Gaelic. And the word 鈥榞hillie鈥� was known in English in connection with hunting in the Highlands.
But there is another thought. In Gaelic oral tradition, there is a character called the 鈥楪ille Dubh鈥�. I told you the story of the Gille Dubh of Loch Druing in the Gairloch area in Litir Bheag 334.
The Gille Dubh would hide in the woods. He would put moss and leaves among his clothing so that nobody would see him. Indeed, he possessed the first ghillie-suit!
Broadcast
- Sun 23 Feb 2025 13:30麻豆官网首页入口 Radio nan G脿idheal
All the letters
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
An Litir Bheag is also on LearnGaelic (with PDFs)
Podcast
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An Litir Bheag
Litirichean do luchd-ionnsachaidh ura. Letters in Gaelic for beginners.