蜜芽传媒

Chan fhada gus am bi clachan-meallain a鈥� tuiteam oirnn a-rithist, mura h-eil frasan dhiubh air a bhith ann mu thr脿th. Faodaidh iad a bhith gu math guineach, piantail nuair a bhualas iad air do chraiceann ach, mar as trice, ann an Alba cha bhi iad a鈥� d猫anamh cron m貌r 鈥� air c脿raichean no togalaichean no daoine.

Chan ionann e ann an 脿iteachan eile, ge-t脿. Tha cuimhn鈥� a鈥檓 air turas a bha mi ann an Sydney ann an Astr脿ilia. An oidhche roimhe, bha stoirm mh貌r ann agus bha frasan de chlachan-meallain a bha cho m貌r ri buill-ghoilf. Chaidh mi tro sg矛re far a bheil m貌ran taighean-gloinne, agus bha na clachan-meallain air sgrios mh貌r mh貌r a dh猫anamh orra. Tha caraid agam a tha a鈥� fuireach ann an Sydney agus bha e ag innse dhomh mu dheidhinn stoirm eile nuair a chaidh na c脿raichean gu l猫ir anns an t-sr脿id aige a mhilleadh le clachan-meallain ach, anns an ath-shr脿id, nach robh cron sam bith air a dh猫anamh.

Tha mi cinnteach gun cuala sibh fh猫in naidheachdan annasach mu chnapan m貌ra deighe a鈥� tuiteam 脿s an adhar. Uaireannan tha iad a鈥� tighinn far thogalaichean 脿rda. Uaireannan, tha amharas ann gu bheil iad a鈥� tighinn bho itealain. Ach ciamar a mh矛nicheas sinn mar a thuit p矛os m貌r deighe fad air falbh o bhaile sam bith nuair nach robh pl猫anaichean ann am bith? Oir thachair an dearbh rud air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd ann am meadhan an naoidheadh linn deug.

Tha Bail鈥� a鈥� Mhullaich na bhaile beag gu siar air a鈥� Bhl脿r Dhubh ann an Ros an Ear. Cha chreid mi gun do thachair an t-uamhas ann a sin na eachdraidh a dh猫anadh ainmeil e 鈥� ach 鈥檚 d貌cha aon rud. Air an treas l脿 deug dhen L霉nastal, ann an ochd deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a naoi (1849), thuit p矛os m貌r deighe don talamh ann a sin. Bha e mu shia meatairean, no fichead tr貌igh, bho cheann gu ceann 鈥� rudeigin nas m貌 na clach-mheallain 脿bhaisteach ann an Alba! Gu fortanach, cha t脿inig e s矛os air taigh no b脿thach no b貌, ged a bha e meadhanach faisg air a鈥� bhaile-fearainn fh猫in.

Chaidh a鈥� ch霉is aithris anns a鈥� ph脿ipear-naidheachd, an Times, a dh鈥檌nnis don luchd-leughaidh gu robh am p矛os deighe br猫agha, gu robh e tr矛d-shoilleir, a鈥� ciallachadh gum b鈥� urrainn do dhuine fhaicinn troimhe, agus gu robh e air a dh猫anamh de chriostalan daoimeanach a bh鈥� air an cur c貌mhla. Dh鈥檃ithris an Times cuideachd nach t脿inig e 脿s an adhar buileach gun rabhadh, oir goirid mus do nochd e, chualas brag m貌r t脿irneanaich anns na speuran.

Tha mi cinnteach gu bheil sibh air cluinntinn mu dheidhinn frasan 猫isg is frasan losgann is gnothaichean mar sin, far a bheil beathaichean beaga a鈥� tuiteam 脿s an adhar. Tha iad sin cumanta gu le貌r ann am m貌ran 脿iteachan agus chan eil c脿il as 霉r ann mun deidhinn. Gu dearbh, sgr矛obh Pliny (am fear nas s矛ne) mu dheidhinn fras de losgannan anns鈥� a鈥� bhliadhna seachdad 鈥檚 a seachd (77) A.C.

Ach is annasaiche leam na h-aithrisean a chuala mi mu dheidhinn mar a bhios beathaichean beagan nas m貌 na sin a鈥� tuiteam gu talamh, chan ann be貌, ach marbh, agus iad air an cuairteachadh le deigh. O chionn c貌rr is ceud bliadhna, thuit turtair a-mach 脿s an adhar ann am Mississippi anns na St脿itean Aonaichte, agus e ann am broinn deighe. Agus d矛reach ceithir bliadhna fichead air ais, bha aithris ann am p脿ipearan-naidheachd gu robh lachan re貌ite air tuiteam gu talamh ann an Arkansas. Agus bha sin anns an D霉bhlachd. Bha iad deiseil, tha e coltach, airson d矛nnear na Nollaig, ged a bha na h-itean fhathast orra!

Faclan na seachdaine: clach-mheallain, clachan-meallain: hailstone, hailstones; guineach, piantail: stinging and painful; buill-ghoilf: golf balls; itealain: aircraft (pl.); am Bl脿r Dubh: Muir of Ord; b脿thach: byre; baile-fearainn: farm, country township; luchd-leughaidh: readers; criostalan daoimeanach: diamond-shaped crystals; turtair: turtle; lachan re貌ite: frozen ducks; an D霉bhlachd: December

Abairtean na seachdaine: mura h-eil frasan dhiubh air a bhith ann mu thr脿th: if there have not already been showers of them; chan ionann e ann an 脿iteachan eile: it鈥檚 not the same in other places; anns an ath-shr脿id nach robh cron sam bith air a dh猫anamh: in the next street that no damage at all was done; gun cuala sibh fh猫in naidheachdan annasach: that you (have) heard yourselves strange anecdotes; mu chnapan m貌ra deighe a鈥� tuiteam 脿s an adhar: about large lumps of ice falling from the sky; nach t脿inig e 脿s an adhar buileach gun rabhadh: that it did not come from the sky entirely without warning; chualas brag m貌r t脿irneanaich anns na speuran: a loud thunderclap was heard in the heavens; frasan 猫isg is frasan losgann: showers of fish and showers of frogs; tha iad sin cumanta gu le貌r: they are common enough; chan eil c脿il as 霉r ann mun deidhinn: there is nothing new about them; agus iad air an cuairteachadh le deigh: surrounded by ice; am broinn deighe: inside (a lump of) ice; bha iad deiseil airson d矛nnear na Nollaig, ged a bha na h-itean fhathast orra: they were ready for Christmas dinner, although they still had feathers on them.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: gu robh e tr矛d-shoilleir: that it was transparent. I would like to make you aware this week of the preposition tr矛d which is equivalent to the more usual tro, and means 鈥渢hrough鈥�. It is now somewhat archaic, but you will meet it in old stories and in the Bible, eg Psalm XXIII: ged ghluaisinn eadhon tr矛d ghlinn dorcha sg脿il鈥� a鈥� bh脿is鈥� (though I walk in death鈥檚 dark vale鈥�). It is actually a relict of the third person singular masculine form of the prepositional pronoun incorporating an older form of tro and, because of this, it is in effect a compound preposition masquerading as a simple one. It therefore commands the genitive, rather than the dative, case eg tr矛d na f矛rinne (through the truth). However, because it is relatively archaic, a learner is most likely only to meet it in the Gaelic equivalent of transparent, tr矛d-shoilleir or tr矛d-shoillseach. Tr矛d-shoillseachd means 鈥渢ransparency鈥� and Dwelly gives tr矛d-shiubhal as 鈥減ermeation鈥�. Tr矛d is effectively an equivalent of the Latin trans which has been widely adopted in English, providing enormous capacity for word creation (look at the words starting 鈥渢rans鈥� in your English dictionary). It strikes me that we could be using tr矛d as a prefix which would allow us similar capacity to invent new Gaelic words. What you do think?

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Is annasaiche leam na h-aithrisean mu dheidhinn mar a bhios beathaichean nas m貌 na sin a鈥� tuiteam gu talamh: stranger to me are the reports about larger animals than that falling to the ground (ie from the sky). Is annasaiche leam X: I find X stranger, more novel, more unusual.