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Tha mi airson innse dhuibh mu Chailleach Bheag nam Bòcan. B’ e seo am far-ainm a bh’ aig muinntir Uibhist a Deas agus Èirisgeigh air tè a bhiodh a’ tadhal air na h-eileanan. Chaidh a far-ainm eadar-theangachadh mar ‘the little middle-aged lady who is preoccupied with ghosts’. Sin agaibh Cailleach Bheag nam Bòcan.

’S e an t-ainm ceart a bh’ oirre Ada Goodrich-Freer. Bha i beò anns an dàrna leth dhen naoidheamh linn deug, agus sa chiad phàirt dhen fhicheadamh linn. Bha i eòlach air sagart ainmeil Èirisgeigh, Mgr Ailein (Dòmhnallach). Nuair a bha esan a’ sgrìobhadh mu a deidhinn ann am Beurla, ’s e ‘lady of the ghosts’ no ‘the little lady’ a bha e a’ gabhail oirre.Ìý

Bha ùidh mhòr aig Freer ann an gnothaichean os-nàdarrach. Chruinnich i beul-aithris ann an Tiriodh agus anns na h-Eileanan A-muigh a bha co-cheangailte ri gnothaichean nach b’ urrainn mìneachadh gu furasta – taibhsearachd is bòcain ’s a leithid sin.Ìý

Ach cha robh Gàidhlig aice. ’S e ban-Shasannach a bh’ innte. Ciamar a b’ urrainn dhi, ma-thà, beul-aithris a chruinneachadh bho eileanaich aig nach robh Beurla no aig an robh glè bheag dhith? Uill, le bhith a’ cleachdadh na chruinnich feadhainn eile – mar eisimpleir Mgr Ailein.

Bha Ada Goodrich-Freer an sàs ann am buidheann ris an canar Society for Psychical Research, an SPR. Bha iad a’ faighinn airgead bho Mharcas Bhòid. Fhuair Freer taic airgid airson a dhol do na h-eileanan airson rannsachadh a dhèanamh air gnothaichean os-nàdarrach. Bha i ag innse do dhaoine gun robh sinnsearan aice on Ghàidhealtachd, ach cha robh. Cha robh i onarach mu eachdraidh a beatha fhèin.

Bha i an sàs ann an rannsachadh air taigh mòr ann an Siorrachd Pheairt, aig an robh cliù mar an taigh as motha ann an Alba air an robh tàbharnadh. Tha sin a’ ciallachadh gum biodh bòcain a’ tathaich an taighe nas trice na taigh sam bith eile ann an Alba. ’S e Taigh Bhail’ Eachainn an t-ainm a bh’ air an àite. Tha Bail’ Eachainn ri taobh Uisge Tatha eadar Bail’ an Luig agus Obar Pheallaidh.Ìý

Ghabh an SPR an taigh air mhàl. Bha am fear leis an robh e a’ fuireach thall thairis. Bha seo ann an ochd ceud deug, naochad ’s a seachd (1897). Am measg nan daoine a chuir seachad ùine ann bha Mgr Ailein. Bha Freer eòlach air on a chaidh i a dh’Èirisgeidh agus Uibhist a Deas dà bhliadhna roimhe.,

Chualas fuaimean anns an taigh ach bha cuid dhen bheachd nach robh ann ach èadhar anns na pìoban-uisge! Sgrìobh Freer altan anns a’ phàipear-naidheachd Tìm Lunnainn mu dheidhinn an rannsachaidh aice. Bha feadhainn dhen bheachd nach robh ann ach toradh a mac-meanmna.Ìý

Tha cuid dhen bheachd gun robh Freer eas-onarach agus gun do ghabh i brath air Mgr Ailein nuair a bha i anns na h-eileanan. Bha an sagart measail oirre agus thug e dhi cuid de na leabhrannan aige anns an do rinn e notaichean mu thachartasan annasach. Chleachd Freer tòrr dhen stuth aige gun a bhith ag innse gur ann bhuaithe a thàinig e. Dh’fhàs i cliùmhor – airson greis co-dhiù, mus do thuig daoine gun robh i air brath a ghabhail air an t-sagart.Ìý

Anns an ath Litir, bheir sinn sùil air eisimpleirean dhen bheul-aithris a chruinnich Mgr Ailein fhèin.

Faclan na Litreach: os-nàdarrach: supernatural; Tiriodh: Tiree; na h-Eileanan A-muigh: the Outer [Western] Isles; ban-Shasannach: an English woman; Marcas Bhòid: the Marquis of Bute; altan: articles; Tìm Lunnainn: The Times of London.

Abairtean na Litreach: am far-ainm a bh’ aig muinntir Uibhist a Deas agus Èirisgeigh air tè a bhiodh a’ tadhal air na h-eileanan: the nickname that the people of South Uist and Eriskay had for a woman who would visit the islands; bha i eòlach air sagart ainmeil Èirisgeigh, Mgr Ailein (Dòmhnallach): she knew the famous Eriskay priest, Father Allan (McDonald); nach b’ urrainn mìneachadh gu furasta: that could not be easily explained; taibhsearachd is bòcain ’s a leithid sin: the second sight and ghosts and things like that; bho eileanaich aig nach robh Beurla no aig an robh glè bheag dhith: from islanders who spoke no English or only a little [of it]; gun robh sinnsearan aice on Ghàidhealtachd: that she had ancestry from the Highlands; cha robh i onarach mu eachdraidh a beatha fhèin: she wasn’t honest about her own history; gum biodh bòcain a’ tathaich an taighe nas trice na taigh sam bith eile: that ghosts would haunt the house more often than any other house; tha Bail’ Eachainn ri taobh Uisge Tatha eadar Bail’ an Luig agus Obar Pheallaidh: Ballechin is next to the River Tay between Ballinluig and Aberfeldy; ghabh X an taigh air mhàl: X rented the house; chualas fuaimean: noises were heard; bha feadhainn dhen bheachd nach robh ann ach toradh a mac-meanmna: some folk reckoned it was just the product of her imagination; gun do ghabh i brath air X: that she took advantage of X; bha an sagart measail oirre: the priest liked her; thug e dhi cuid de na leabhrannan aige: he gave her some of his notebooks.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: ’S e Taigh Bhail’ Eachainn an t-ainm a bh’ air an àite: the place was called Ballechin House. Ballechin is pronounced similarly to Bail’ Eachainn (with the emphasis on the personal name) which means ‘Eachann’s farm/dwelling’ or ‘Hector’s farm/dwelling’, Hector being commonly used as an anglicised form of Eachann. The Gaelic scholar Charles M Robertson, a native of Perthshire, tells us that Eachann was a son of King James II and an ancestor of later proprietors of the house (which was demolished in the 1960s, although outbuildings remain to this day).

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: an taigh as motha ann an Alba air an robh tàbharnadh: the most haunted house in Scotland.Ìý