蜜芽传媒

O chionn ghoirid, chuir mi seachad seachdain ann a bhith a鈥� coiseachd air slighe a tha a鈥� dol faisg air ceud m矛le air taobh an iar na h-Alba. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a th鈥� oirre 鈥淪lighe Taobh an Iar na Gaidhealtachd鈥� agus tha i a鈥� ruith eadar Muileann Dhaidh, air iomall Ghlaschu, agus an Gearasdan.

Bha mi fortanach oir bha an aimsir uabhasach fh猫in math. Cha robh sgeul air uisge fad na seachdain, agus bha i bl脿th no teth a h-uile l脿, leis a鈥� ghrian a鈥� de脿rrsadh 脿 adhar gorm. Cha tug mi mo ch貌ta, miotagan no ad a-mach 脿s mo mh脿ileid eadar an toiseach agus an deireadh, agus cha robh mo gheansaidh orm ach airson fichead mionaid air aon l脿 aig mullach cnuic far an robh a鈥� ghaoth ann. Tha sin iongantach ann am meadhan a鈥� Ghiblein.

Ch貌rd mo thuras rium agus th脿inig mi tarsainn air m貌ran rudan co-cheangailte ri dualchas nan Gaidheal fhad 鈥檚 a bha mi a鈥� coiseachd bho dheas gu tuath. An-diugh, agus anns na seachdainean romhainn, bheir mi s霉il air an dualchas co-cheangailte ris an d霉thaich sin.

T貌isichidh mi aig toiseach mo shlighe. Tha cuid dhen bheachd gur e Muileann Dhaibhidh a th鈥� air 鈥淢ilngavie鈥� ann an G脿idhlig, is tha feadhainn eile a鈥� d猫anamh a-mach gur e Muileann Gaoithe a th鈥� ann, ach tha mi a鈥� leantainn an litreachaidh aig M矛cheal Newton, sgoilear Aimeireaganach a rinn rannsachadh m貌r air an sg矛re 鈥� Muileann Dhaidh. Sgr矛obh M矛cheal leabhar math mu dhualchas G脿idhlig na sg矛re, air a bheil 鈥淏ho Chluaidh gu Calasraid鈥�. Tha e d脿-ch脿nanach, tha e air fhoillseachadh le 鈥淎cair鈥� agus mholainn gu m貌r dhuibh e.

鈥橲 e an t-ainm G脿idhlig a th鈥� air an sg矛re eadar Muileann Dhaidh agus ceann a tuath Loch Laomainn 鈥� Leamhnachd. Thathar a鈥� d猫anamh dheth gu bheil ceangal eadar Leamhnachd agus an leamhan, a鈥� chraobh-leamhain 鈥� Ulmus glabra, ris an canar 鈥渆lm鈥� ann am Beurla. 鈥橲 ann 脿 leamhan a th脿inig ainm na h-aibhne a sruthas 脿 Loch Laomainn 鈥� the River Leven, mar a chanar rithe ann am Beurla. A r猫ir an sgoileir, Uilleam MacBh脿tair nach maireann, b鈥� e 鈥渆lm-water鈥� ciall an ainm bho th霉s.

Anns an tuiseal ghinideach, tha leamhan ag atharrachadh gu an d脿 chuid, leamhain agus leamhna. 鈥橲 e Magh Leamhna a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� air Vale of Leven, an srath trom bi an abhainn a鈥� sruthadh. Agus gu h-inntinneach, 鈥檚 e an seann ainm a bh鈥� air Loch Laomainn 鈥� Loch Leamhain no Loch Leamhna.

Ciamar, ma-th脿, a fhuair an loch an t-ainm Loch Laomainn? Uill, tha e furasta gu le貌r a mh矛neachadh. Tha beinn 脿rd faisg air an loch air a thaobh an ear air a bheil Beinn Laomainn. Tha laomainn a鈥� tighinn bho sheann fhreumh Ceilteach a tha a鈥� ciallachadh beacon. Ma choimheadas sibh ann am faclair Dwelly, ch矛 sibh gu bheil laom a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渂laze of fire鈥�, agus bha a leithid de dh鈥檉hacal ann o shean air bilean an t-sluaigh, an d脿 chuid ann an G脿idhlig agus anns an t-seann ch脿nan Bhreatannach.

鈥橲 e Beinn Laomainn, ma-tha, Beacon Mountain, agus 鈥檚 e sin a鈥� chiall cuideachd a th鈥� air na cnuic ann am F矛obh air a bheil the Lomond Hills. Co-dhi霉, chaidh ainm Loch Leamhna atharrachadh o chionn fhada gu Loch Laomainn. Ghabh an loch ainm na beinne air fh猫in. Mura b鈥� e sin, tha fhios gur e Loch Leven a chanadh daoine ris ann am Beurla agus tha, mu thr脿th, d脿 loch eile air a bheil an t-ainm sin. An ath-sheachdain, bheir mi air chuairt sibh tro Leamhnachd agus bheir sinn s霉il air beagan de dhualchas na G脿idhlig anns an sg矛re.

Faclan na seachdaine: Muileann Dhaidh: Milngavie; an Gearasdan: Fort William; fortanach: lucky; geansaidh: jumper; d脿-ch脿nanach: bilingual; Loch Laomainn: Loch Lomond; Beinn Laomainn: Ben Lomond; Leamhnachd: Lennox; leamhan, craobh-leamhain: elm tree; an d脿 chuid: both; freumh: root; cnuic: hills.

Abairtean na seachdaine: chuir mi seachad seachdain: I spent a week; Slighe Taobh an Iar na Gaidhealtachd: The West Highland Way; cha robh sgeul air uisge fad na seachdain: there was no sign of rain all week; leis a鈥� ghrian a鈥� de脿rrsadh 脿 adhar gorm: with the sun shining from a blue sky; cha tug mi mo ch貌ta, miotagan no ad a-mach 脿s mo mh脿ileid: I didn鈥檛 take my coat, gloves or hat out of my rucksack; aig mullach cnuic: on the top of a hill; ch貌rd mo thuras rium: I enjoyed my journey; Bho Chluaidh gu Calasraid: From the Clyde to Callander; mholainn gu m貌r dhuibh e: I would heartily recommend it to you; mar a chanar rithe ann am Beurla: as it is called in English; a r猫ir an sgoileir, Uillean MacBh脿tair nach maireann: according to the scholar, the late William (W J) Watson; ciall an ainm bho th霉s: the original meaning of the name; faisg air an loch air a thaobh an ear: close to the loch on its east side; mura b鈥� e sin: if it weren鈥檛 for that.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Sgr矛obh M矛cheal leabhar math mu dhualchas G脿idhlig na sg矛re: Michael wrote a good book about the Gaelic heritage of the area. I would like to make a point about the simple preposition mu when it is not followed by an article. It lenites a lenitable consonant in the following noun but any adjective following the noun does not have to be similarly qualified. Thus, with the masculine noun dualchas we get mu dhualchas G脿idhlig na sg矛re, not mu dhualchas Gh脿idhlig na sg矛re. However, as the noun is in the dative or prepositional case following mu, when the article is included, as in the compound form mun, the adjective then lenites in a similar way to the noun (or as a lenitable noun would behave) according to grammatical rules. Thus we would say an cuala tu mun ch矛obair mh貌r? (did you hear about the big shepherd?), not mun ch矛obair m貌r. But note that we would say mun dualchas Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� aig an sg矛re. In this instance, the 鈥渄鈥� does not lenite following the 鈥渘鈥� in mun, but G脿idhlig is lenited, as required by the rules.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Bha an aimsir uabhasach fh猫in math: the weather was fantastic. The fh猫in here may seem strange, but it simply operates as an emphasising or strengthening element. You could simply say uabhasach math, but the fh猫in strengthens it even more.