蜜芽传媒

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!