蜜芽传媒

Bha mi a-mach, an t-seachdain sa chaidh, air an naomh a thathar ag r脿dh a chuir 脿s do nathraichean ann an 脠irinn, co-dhi霉 air talamh tioram. B鈥� esan Naomh P脿draig. Ach tha e coltach nach b鈥� e P脿draig a鈥� chiad phears-eaglais a sgaoil an soisgeul ann an 脠irinn. Bha Naomh Ciaran ann roimhe, agus bu mhath leam rudeigin innse dhuibh mu dheidhinn.

Rugadh Ciaran, a r猫ir aithris, ann an eilean beag far cladach a deas na h-脠ireann anns a鈥� bhliadhna tr矛 cheud, fichead 鈥檚 a c貌ig (325). Tha seann l脿mh-sgr矛obhainn a鈥� d猫anamh tuairisgeul dheth mar a鈥� chiad naomh 脠ireannach a rugadh san d霉thaich. 鈥橲 e an t-eilean anns an do rugadh e Eilean Cl猫ire no, mar a chanas muinntir an 脿ite, aig a bheil G脿idhlig na h-脠ireann fhathast, Oile谩n Cl茅ire. Canaidh iad Ciar谩n ri Ciaran.

Tha an naomh air a chuimhneachadh gu m貌r anns an eilean an-diugh. 鈥橲 e Tr谩 Chiar谩in a chanar ris an tr脿igh bhig far am bi na b脿taichean-aiseig a鈥� tighinn a-steach. Canaidh iad Cill Chiar谩in ris an t-seann eaglais faisg air sin, a tha nise na tobhta. Faisg air an eaglais tha Tobar Chiar谩in agus Gall谩n Chiar谩in. 鈥橲 e gall谩n a chanas muinntir an 脿ite ri tursa, agus thathar ag r脿dh gur e Naomh Ciaran fh猫in a shnaigh a鈥� chrois air a鈥� chloich. Eadhon an l脿 an-diugh, gabhaidh muinntir Eilein Chl猫ire l脿 dheth air L脿 F猫ill Ciarain 鈥� an c貌igeamh l脿 dhen Mh脿rt.

Tha Naomh Ciaran ainmeil ann an 脠irinn oir st猫idhich e manachainnean agus sgaoil e an soisgeul mus robh Naomh P脿draig a鈥� d猫anamh a leithid. Ach chan ann a-mh脿in ann an 脠irinn a tha e ainmeil. Is esan pr矛omh naomh na C霉irn, ged a chanas muinntir na C霉irn Naomh 鈥淧iran鈥� ris. Bidh fios agaibh, far an robh 鈥渃鈥� ann an G脿idhlig gur ann tric a bhiodh 鈥減鈥� ann an C貌rnais is Cuimris.

Agus bha Ciaran ann an Alba cuideachd. An urrainn dhuibh smaoineachadh air 脿ite ann an Alba a tha a鈥� gi霉lan ainm? Baile ann an taobh an iar-dheas na G脿idhealtachd. Ann an Cinn T矛re. An-diugh ann am Beurla, 鈥檚 e Campbeltown a chanar ris. Ach ann an G脿idhlig, 鈥檚 e an seann ainm a th鈥� air fhathast 鈥� Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain. St猫idhich Ciaran cealla ann a sin, agus tha muinntir Chinn T矛re fhathast a鈥� coimhead air mar naomh s貌nraichte dhaibh.

Is iomadh sgeulachd a thathar ag innse mu Naomh Ciaran. Bha taobh m貌r aige do bheathaichean. Thathar ag r脿dh gur e torc nimhe a thog a chiad bhothan dha nuair a chaidh e a dh鈥檉huireach ann an coille mh貌r.

Thathar ag innse mun chumhachd 脿raidh a bh鈥� aige 鈥� 鈥檚 e sin gu robh comas aige daoine marbh a thoirt be貌 a-rithist. Mar eisimpleir, bha seachdnar chl脿rsairean aig R矛gh Aonghas na Mumhain. L脿 a bha seo, chaidh an seachdnar a mhurt le n脿imhdean an r矛gh. Thilg na murtairean na cuirp ann am boglach agus chroch iad an cl脿rsaich air craobh. Bha Aonghas air leth br貌nach.

Ach thuirt Naomh Ciaran ris gun d鈥� fhuair e a-mach c貌 iad na murtairean agus c脿ite an do rinn iad a鈥� ch霉is olc. Chaidh an naomh agus an r矛gh don 脿ite c貌mhla. Sguir Ciaran bho bhith ag ithe fad l脿 agus, thairis air an 霉ine sin, thiormaich a鈥� bhoglach. Chunnaic Ciaran agus Aonghas cuirp an t-seachdnar agus rinn an naomh 霉rnaigh. Ged a bha iad air a bhith marbh fad m矛os, dh鈥櫭╥rich na cl脿rsairean, agus iad sl脿n fallain a-rithist. Thog iad an cuid chl脿rsach agus sheinn iad 貌rain bhinn airson taing a thoirt don naomh agus don r矛gh. Sin agaibh Naomh Ciaran agus bidh tuilleadh agam ri r脿dh mu dheidhinn an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na seachdaine: naomh: saint; nathraichean: snakes; l脿mh-sgr矛obhainn: manuscript; tuairisgeul: description; b脿taichean-aiseig: ferry boats; tursa: standing stone; C貌rnais is Cuimris: Cornish and Welsh; a鈥� giulan: carrying; Cinn T矛re: Kintyre; Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain: Campbeltown; cumhachd: power; R矛gh Aonghas na Mumhain: King Aengus of Munster; cuirp: bodies; boglach: bog; br貌nach: sad.

Abairtean na seachdaine: bha mi a-mach air: I was on about; co-dhi霉 air talamh tioram: at least on dry land; a鈥� chiad phears-eaglais a sgaoil an soisgeul: the first churchman who spread the gospel; bu mhath leam rudeigin a r脿dh: I would like to say something; mar a chanas muinntir an 脿ite: as the people of the place say; a chanar ris an tr脿igh bhig: that the small beach is called; a tha nise na tobhta: which is now a ruin; a shnaigh a鈥� chrois air a鈥� chloich: who engraved the cross on the stone; eadhon an l脿 an-diugh: even today; l脿 dheth air L脿 F猫ill Ciarain: a day off on St Ciaran鈥檚 Day; an c貌igeamh l脿 dhen Mh脿rt: the 5th of March; mus robh X a鈥� d猫anamh leithid: before X was doing the like; pr矛omh naomh na C霉irn: the patron saint of Cornwall; is iomadh sgeulachd a thathar ag innse: many stories are told; bha taobh m貌r aige do bheathaichean; he was fond of animals; gur e torc nimhe a thog a chiadh bhothan dha: that it was a wild boar that built him his first bothy; chaidh an seachdnar a mhurt: the seven men were murdered; gun d鈥� fhuair e a-mach: that he found out; rinn an naomh 霉rnaigh: the saint prayed; dh鈥櫭╥rich na cl脿rsairean: the harpists arose; sheinn iad 貌rain bhinn; they sang melodious songs.

Puing-ch脿nain na seachdaine: I wanted to make a little point about the pronunciation of Scottish Gaelic, in comparison with the Gaelic of Munster, the southern province of Ireland in which Oile谩n Cl茅ire (Cape Clear Island) is located. Scottish Gaelic is thought to have preserved the ancient stress pattern 鈥� that is, the stress almost always goes on the first syllable of a bisyllabic or polysyllabic word, whereas the southern dialects of Irish came heavily under the influence of Norman French, which is considered to be the cause of the terminal stress found there on very similar words. Thus Scottish bradan (salmon) is brad谩n in Ireland, amadan (fool) is amad谩n, eilean (island) is oile谩n and Ciaran is Ciar谩n. But can you think of any Scottish words (other than recent loan-words from other languages) in which the final syllable is emphasised? An example is carson (why) which arose as a compound of two other words. See if you can think of any others.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Bha Naomh Ciaran ann roimhe: St. Ciaran was there before/beforehand. Actually, this could also mean 鈥淪t. Ciaran was there before him鈥� (referring to St. Patrick). Roimhe means both 鈥渂eforehand鈥� and 鈥渂efore him鈥�.