Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

A letter for Gaelic learners with Roddy MacLean.

Clip

Litir 296: A鈥 Bhanarach is am M猫irleach

Bu mhath leam t貌iseachadh an t-seachdain seo le amaladh-cainnte. 鈥橲 e sin a鈥 Gh脿idhlig air聽鈥tongue twister鈥 鈥 amaladh-cainnte, agus tha iomadh dhiubh ann ann an G脿idhlig. Feuchaibh聽am fear seo: cha robh reithe leathann liath riamh reamhar. Cha robh reithe leathann liath聽riamh reamhar. A bheil sibh ga thuigs鈥? Feuchaibh a-rithist e 鈥 gu sgiobalta. Cha robh reithe聽leathann liath riamh reamhar. Uill, rinn mi a鈥 ch霉is an 矛re mhath...

Th脿inig leabhar inntinneach a-mach an-uiridh anns a bheil naidheachdan is st貌iridhean聽co-cheangailte ris a鈥 Gh脿idhealtachd. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a th鈥 air Recollections of an Argyllshire聽Drover and other West Highland Chronicles agus 鈥檚 e a th鈥 annta ach sgeulachdan is聽naidheachdan a chaidh a chruinneachadh le Eric Cregeen. Rinn Mairead Bennett obair聽deasachaidh air an leabhar 鈥 anns a bheil st貌iridhean anns an d脿 ch脿nan.聽鈥橲 e fear de na daoine a thug sgeulachdan do Chregeen D貌mhnall Mac na Ce脿rdaich,聽no D貌mhnall Chaluim Bh脿in, 脿 Baile Phuill ann an Tiriodh. Tha mi cinnteach nach robh cus聽duilgheadais aige fh猫in le amalaidhean-cainnte, co-dhi霉 a r猫ir cho sgiobalta 鈥檚 a bha eanchainn聽is a theanga le st貌iridhean 脿 beul-aithris.

Rugadh D貌mhnall ann an ochd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1885) agus chuir e a鈥檓h貌r-chuid de bheatha seachad ann an Tiriodh fh猫in, ach a-mh脿in an 霉ine a bha e anns a鈥櫬燙habhlach R矛oghail sa Chogadh Mh貌r. Gu dearbh, chuir e seachad a鈥 mh貌r-chuid de bheatha聽ann am Baile Phuill fh猫in 鈥 鈥渂aile nam b脿rd鈥 mar a chanadh iad ris anns an naoidheamh linn聽deug. Bha athair, Calum B脿n, cuideachd ainmeil mar seanchaidh. Am measg na chruinnich聽dualchas bho Dh貌mhnall, bha Calum MacIlleathain nach maireann, agus an t-Ollamh Iain聽MacAonghais.

B鈥 e t猫 de na sgeulachdan a dh鈥檌nnis D貌mhnall 鈥淎鈥 Bhanarach agus am M猫irleach鈥.聽Seo p脿irt dhith agus cumaidh mi gu math faisg air a鈥 chainnt aig D貌mhnall fh猫in a tha cho聽br猫agha is cho Tiristeach.聽鈥淎ig an 脿m sh貌nraichte a bha seothach, bhiodh iad a鈥 goid crodh air Di霉c Earra-Gh脿idheal. Agus thachair gu robh mo shinn-sinn-seanmhair [air an robh Se貌naid], gu robh i na聽banaraich aig Di霉c Earra-Gh脿idheal. Chan fhanadh na gillean a dh鈥檉haire d猫 bha a鈥 gabhail聽脿ite, ach thuirt ise an oidhche seo 鈥 鈥檚 e boireannach sgairteil a bh鈥 innte 鈥 鈥楩anaidh mise,鈥 ars鈥櫬爄se, 鈥榓-nochd a dh鈥檉haire a鈥 chruidh ach d猫 ch矛 mi.鈥 Agus thilg i oirre am breacan agus rinn i聽air a鈥 bh脿thaich.

Shuidh i fo cheann m脿irt. Cha robh i fada bho cheann a鈥 mh脿irt nuair a th脿inig na聽m猫irlich 鈥 dithis 鈥 is bha iad a鈥 feuchainn a鈥 chruidh ach c貌 an fheadhainn a bu reamhra. Agus聽c脿鈥 na chuir fear de na m猫irlich a chorrag ach ann am beul na t猫 a bha fo cheann a鈥 mhairt.聽Agus nuair a fhuair i gr猫im air a chorraig, le aon snap thug i dheth b脿rr na corraig. Theich na聽m猫irlich. Agus anns a鈥 mhadainn nuair a bha a h-uile n矛 gu gasta, thuirt an Di霉c rithe, 鈥楥iamar聽a chaidh dhut a-raoir, a She貌naid?鈥

鈥楥haidh gu math,鈥 thuirt ise. 鈥楽in agaibh p矛os de mheur a鈥 mh猫irlich agus faighibh fh猫in聽a鈥 ch貌rr.鈥櫬燗gus 鈥檚 e tuathanach nach robh br霉ideil fada air falbh a bha a鈥 goid a鈥 chruidh, chionn聽fhuaradh e. Cha b鈥 urrainn dha chorrag fhalach agus bha e air a bhrath. Bha sgonn eile dhen聽chorraig aig an Di霉c. Uill, chan eil fhios agam an deach an duine sin a pheanasachadh. Tha mi聽cinnteach gun deachaidh.鈥澛燬in agaibh blasad dhen dualchas a chaidh a chruinneachadh bho Dh貌mhnall Chaluim聽Bh脿in 鈥 seanchaidh math dha-r矛reabh.

Faclan na Litreach

amaladh-cainnte -聽tongue twister

Mac na Ce脿rdaich -聽Sinclair

Baile聽Phuill -聽Balephuil

Tiriodh -聽Tiree

seanchaidh -聽storyteller

nach maireann -聽deceased

mo shinnsinn-seanmhair -聽my great-great-grandmother

breacan -聽tartan plaid.

Abairtean na Litreach

tha iomadh dhiubh ann: there are many of them; a bheil sibh ga聽thuigs鈥? (thuigsinn): do you understand it?; sgeulachdan is naidheachdan a chaidh a聽chruinneachadh le X: stories and anecdotes that were collected by X; nach robh cus聽duilgheadais aige fh猫in: that he himself didn鈥檛 have too much difficulty; rinn X obair聽deasachaidh air an leabhar: X edited the book; chuir e seachad a鈥 mh貌r-chuid de bheatha ann聽am X: he spent most of his life in X; mar a chanadh iad ris: as they called it; A鈥 Bhanarach聽agus am M猫irleach: The Dairymaid and the [Cattle]Thief; a tha cho br猫agha is cho Tiristeach:聽which is so delightful and so Tiree-ish; chan fhanadh na gillean a dh鈥檉haire d猫 bha a鈥 gabhail聽脿ite: the boys would not stay to be on the lookout for what was happening; 鈥檚 e boireannach聽sgairteil a bh鈥 innte: she was a hardy, energetic woman; fanaidh mise a dh鈥檉haire a鈥 chruidh聽ach d猫 ch矛 mi: I will stay to keep watch on the cattle to see what I [will] see; rinn i air a鈥櫬燽h脿thaich: she made for the byre; bha iad a鈥 feuchainn a鈥 chruidh ach c貌 an fheadhainn a bu聽reamhra: they were trying (feeling) the cattle to see which were the fattest ones; c脿鈥 na chuir聽fear de na m猫irlich a chorrag: where did one of the thieves put his finger; thug i dheth b脿rr na聽corraig: she took off the top of the finger; nuair a bha a h-uile n矛 gu gasta: when everything was聽in good order; ciamar a chaidh dhut a-raoir, a She貌naid?: how did you get on last night,聽Janet?; faighibh fh猫in a鈥 ch貌rr: [you can] get the rest for yourself; chan eil fhios agam an聽deach X a pheanasachadh: I don鈥檛 know if X was punished; tha mi cinnteach gun deachaidh聽[dialectal form of deach]: I鈥檓 sure he was.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach

Aig an 脿m sh貌nraichte a bha seothach, bhiodh iad a鈥 goid

crodh air Di霉c Earra-Gh脿idheal: at this particular time, they would steal cattle from the Duke

of Argyll. I have just looked up seothach in the three most recently published Gaelic

dictionaries and none of them carries it. This is because it is a dialectal form of seo.

Nevertheless, it is met with quite frequently, not only in Tiree, but also in the most southerly of

the Western Isles. The 鈥渟tandard鈥 form of the above sentence would be 鈥渁ig an 脿m

sh貌nraichte a bha seo, bhiodh...鈥 The same applies to sin and siud 鈥 these also exist in the

dialectal forms sineach or shineach and siudach or shiudach. Don鈥檛 be fazed by such dialectal

variation 鈥 it is one of the joys of (any) language that not everybody speaks it in exactly the

same way.

Amaladh-cainnt na Litreach

Cha robh reithe leathann liath riamh reamhar: (lit.) there聽was never a broad grey ram that was fat. Of course, the sentence is nonsense 鈥 its only value聽is as a tongue-twister!

Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh air LearnGaelic

Tha Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh air LearnGaelic (le PDFs)

All letters

Tha na litrichean uile an seo / The letters are available here

Podcast: Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh

Letter To Gaelic Learners

Podcast