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Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mun chloich-neirt ri taobh na h-eaglaise ann am Bàrr Èibhinn air oighreachd Chaladair. Thathar ag ràdh gu bheil ochd clachan deug de chuideam innte. Tha sin co-ionann ri ceud is ceithir-deug cileagraman. Tha i fìor dhoirbh a thogail. Tha i ri taobh na seann eaglaise ann an Clachan Bhàrr Èibhinn.

Tha cunntas againn dhen chloich bho ochd ceud deug is ochdad (1880). Bha tuathanach a’ fuireach ri taobh a’ chlachain. ʼS e Uilleam Mac an Tòisich an t-ainm a bh’ air. Bha e seachdad ʼs a seachd bliadhna a dh’aois. Dh’inns Mac an Tòisich don fhear a sgrìobh an cunntas – Uilleam Jolly – gun robh comas aige a’ chlach a thogail nuair a bha e òg. Bha e eadhon comasach air a togail gu h-àrd agus a cur air muin a’ ghàrraidh a tha timcheall a’ chladh.

Cha b’ e sin a-mhàin, ach dh’inns caraid aig Jolly a bha còmhla ris gun robh a sheanmhair air a’ chlach a thogail. Rinn i sin le bhith a’ cur a h-aparain fòidhpe. Tha an cunntas sin inntinneach oir, ann am beul-aithris nan Gàidheal, bhiodh bana-bhuidsich a’ togail chlachan mòra le bhith a’ cleachdadh an aparan. Agus bhiodh fir Ghàidhealach a’ togail chuideaman mòra uaireannan le bhith a’ cur am fèilidhean fòdhpa.

Chan eil e soilleir cia mheud duine a th’ air Clach-neirt Bhàrr Èibhinn a thogail bhon uair sin. Ach tha cunntas inntinneach a chaidh a dhèanamh o chionn ghoirid mu cheangal eadar a’ chlach agus Uibhist a Tuath. 

Bha fear às an Eilean Sgitheanach – Dòmhnall MacIllEathain – ag obair mar phoileas agus mar thuathanach ann an Siorrachd Narann anns na ficheadan dhen linn a dh’fhalbh. Dh’fhàg e an t-eilean gun sgillinn ruadh na phòcaid, ach shàbhail e airgead gu leòr airson fearann ri taobh Clachan Bhàrr Èibhinn a cheannach. Bha Dòmhnall gu math làidir agus bha ùidh aige sa chloich-neirt. Ach chan eil e dearbhte gun do thog esan i.

Cheannaich Dòmhnall crodh bho dhaoine ann an Uibhist a Tuath. Fhuair e eòlas air Uibhistich agus thug e obair do fheadhainn aca air an tuathanas aige aig àm an Dàrna Cogaidh. A rèir aithris, chùm na h-Uibhistich farpais airson faicinn cò bha comasach air a’ chlach a thogail. B’ e an aon duine a rinn an gnothach fear Pàdraig MacIllEathain.

Ann an dà mhìle ʼs a dhà-dheug (2012), thog fear à Eilginn, Martin Jancsics, a’ chlach gu a ghualainn – a’ chiad duine anns an linn seo a rinn sin, a rèir aithris. Tha esan ag ràdh nach eil a’ chlach buileach cho trom ʼs a tha feadhainn eile a’ cumail a-mach. Tha dìreach ceud ʼs a còig cileagraman de chuideam innte!

Ceithir bliadhna an dèidh sin, thill Martin airson bhidio a dhèanamh, agus e fhèin a’ togail na cloiche. Bhon uair sin, tha grunnan dhaoine air bhidiothan a dhèanamh dhiubh fhèin, agus iad a’ togail na cloiche don ghualainn no eadhon os an cionn.

Tha rudeigin laghach mu na ‘farpaisean’ togail seo. Tha iad gu mòr co-cheangailte ri eachdraidh agus dualchas nan Gàidheal. Tha na clachan fhèin gu math eachdraidheil, mar a tha an tè ann am Bàrr Èibhinn.

Faclan na Litreach: co-ionann ri: equivalent to; fìor dhoirbh: very difficult; Uilleam Mac an Tòisich: William MacIntosh; bana-bhuidsich: witches; Uibhist a Tuath: North Uist; crodh: cattle; Pàdraig MacIllEathain: Peter Maclean; Eilginn: Elgin; laghach: nice; eachdraidheil: historic.

Abairtean na Litreach: mun chloich-neirt ri taobh na h-eaglaise ann am Bàrr Èibhinn air oighreachd Chaladair: about the lifting stone next to the church in Barevan on the Cawdor estate; bha tuathanach a’ fuireach ri taobh a’ chlachain: a farmer was living next to the kirkton; gun robh comas aige a’ chlach a thogail nuair a bha e òg: that he was able to lift the stone when he was young; gun robh a sheanmhair air a’ chlach a thogail: that his grandmother had lifted the stone; le bhith a’ cur a h-aparain fòidhpe: by putting her apron underneath it; a’ togail chuideaman mòra uaireannan le bhith a’ cur am fèilidhean fòdhpa: lifting big weights by putting their plaids underneath them; bha fear às an Eilean Sgitheanach – Dòmhnall MacIllEathain – ag obair mar phoileas agus mar thuathanach ann an Siorrachd Narann: a man from Skye – Donald Maclean – was working as a policeman and farmer in Nairnshire; bha ùidh aige: he was interested; chan eil e dearbhte gun do thog esan i: it’s not proven that he lifted it; chùm na h-Uibhistich farpais: the Uist men held a competition; chithear a’ bhidio: the video can be seen; a’ togail na cloiche don ghualainn no eadhon os an cionn: lifting the stone to the shoulder or even above them.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: Bha e eadhon comasach air a togail gu h-àrd agus a cur air muin a’ ghàrraidh: that he was even capable of lifting it high and putting it on top of the stone wall. The phrase air a togail has the possessive pronoun within it. Because clach is a feminine noun, it is the third person singular feminine pronoun we employ and this does not lenite the noun. It is the same with air a cur. If I had been talking about a masculine noun e.g. ²úò°ù»å, I would have said ‘bha e comasach air a thogail...’ Here are other examples: bha e comasach air mo thogail ‘he was able to lift me’; am bithinn comasach air do thogail? ‘would I be able to lift you?’

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Thathar ag ràdh gu bheil ochd clachan deug de chuideam innte: it’s said that it weighs eighteen stones [lit. ‘that there are eighteen stones of weight in her’].