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08/03/2010
Tha litir bheag na seachdain-sa aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain. This week's short letter for learners is introduced by Ruaraidh MacLean.
Last on
Mon 8 Mar 2010
19:00
ĂŰŃż´«Ă˝ Radio nan GĂ idheal
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An Litir Bheag 252
Duration: 03:09
An Litir Bheag 252
Bha mi ann an à ite inntinneach o chionn ghoirid. Tha e ann am Brà igh Mhà rr. ’S e an t-à ite Cà rn na Cuimhne. Ann am Beurla canaidh daoine Carnaqueen no The Cairn of Remembrance. Cà rn na Cuimhne. Tha e ri taobh Uisge Dè ann an seann Ghà idhealtachd Siorrachd Obar Dheathain. Tha Cà rn na Cuimhne ainmeil. A rèir beul-aithris, bha e co-cheangailte ri Clann ’ic Fhearchair. Bha na daoine a’ coinneachadh aig a’ chà rn. Bha iad a’ dèanamh sin nuair a bha a’ dol a chur cath. Bha gach fear a’ togail clach bhon abhainn. Bha e a’ cur na cloiche air a’ chà rn. An uair sin chaidh e a shabaid. An dèidh a’ bhatail, bha na daoine a’ tilleadh don chà rn. Bha iad a’ togail clach bhon chà rn. Bha iad a’ tilgeil na cloiche don abhainn. Bha fios an uair sin cia mheud duine a chaidh a mharbhadh anns a’ chath. B’ e sin à ireamh nan clach a bha air fhà gail air a’ chà rn. Tha cuid ag rà dh gun robh an cleachdadh uabhasach sean. Tha feadhainn dhen bheachd gun robh e airson a h-uile duine anns an sgìre. Tha iad ag rà dh nach robh e airson Clann ’ic Fhearchair a-mhà in. Agus cuin a sguir daoine bho bhith a’ cur clachan air a’ chà rn? Uill, chan eil sinn cinnteach. Tha cuid ag rà dh gun do sguir an cleachdadh ri linn Mhontròis. Bha sin anns an t-seachdamh linn deug. Mar sin, cha do chleachd iad an cà rn ri linn Ar-a-mach nan Seumasach anns an ochdamh linn deug. Ach an e “Cà rn na Cuimhne” a bu chòir a bhith air mar ainm? Anns an leabhar aca, The Place Names of Upper Deeside, tha Adhamh MacBhà tair agus Ealasaid NicAilein ag rà dh gur e Cà rn na Coinneimh a bha air bho thùs. Bha na saighdearan a’ coinneachadh ann aig à m catha. Mus do thòisich iad air sabaid bha iad ag èigheachd ainm a’ chùirn. Ach, a rèir aithris, chan e “Cà rn na Coinneimh!” a bha iad èigheachd. Bha iad ag èigheachd “Cà rn na Cuimhne!”
The Little Letter 252
I was in an interesting place recently. It’s in [the region of] Braemar. The place is Cà rn na Cuimhne. In English people say Carnaqueen or The Cairn of Remembrance. Cà rn na Cuimhne. It’s beside the River Dee in the old Gaidhealtachd of Aberdeenshire. Cà rn na Cuimhne is famous. According to oral tradition, it was connected to the Farquharson clan. People were gathering at the cairn. They were doing that when they were going into battle. Every man was picking up a stone from the river. He was putting the stone on the cairn. Then he was going to fight. After the battle, the people were returning to the cairn. They were lifting a stone from the cairn. They were throwing the stone into the river. Then it was known how many people were killed in the battle. That was the number of stones that were left on the cairn. Some people say that the practice was very old. Some are of the opinion that it was for everybody in the area. They say it wasn’t just for the Farquharsons. And when did people stop putting stones on the cairn? Well, we’re not sure. Some say that the practice stopped at the time of [the Marquis of] Montrose. That was in the Seventeenth Century. Thus, they didn’t use the cairn at the time of the Jacobite uprising in the Eighteenth Century. But is it “Cà rn na Cuimhne” that it should be called? In their book The Place Names of Upper Deeside, Adam Watson and Elizabeth Allan say it was originally called Cà rn na Coinneimh [“The Meeting Cairn”]. The soldiers were meeting there at the time of confict. Before they started to fight they were shouting the name of the cairn. But, by all accounts, it’s not “Cà rn na Coinneimh!” they were shouting. They were shouting “Cà rn na Cuimhne!”
Broadcast
- Mon 8 Mar 2010 19:00ĂŰŃż´«Ă˝ Radio nan GĂ 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.
