蜜芽传媒

An t-seachdain sa chaidh dh鈥檌nnis mi dhuibh mun ch霉 a chaidh an s脿s anns an spreadhadh nuair a chaidh seann chaisteal Inbhir Nis, Gearastan De貌rsa, a sgrios leis na Seumasaich. D矛reach d脿 mh矛os as d猫idh sin, chaidh sgrios a dh猫anamh air na Seumasaich fh猫in air bl脿r taobh a-muigh Inbhir Nis, faisg air baile beag le ainm a dh鈥檉h脿s gu math ainmeil 鈥� C霉il Lodair.

Bu mhath leam an t-seachdain seo s霉il a thoirt, chan ann air a鈥� bhatail fh猫in, ach air an ainm sin 鈥� C霉il Lodair. D猫 tha e a鈥� ciallachadh agus carson is e Culloden a th鈥� air ann am Beurla, le 鈥渘鈥� aig an deireadh, seach 鈥渞鈥�?

Thathar a鈥� d猫anamh dheth gur e a鈥� chiad ph脿irt dhen ainm 鈥淐霉il鈥� a tha a鈥� ciallachadh nook is, gu dearbh, tha an eileamaid seo a鈥� nochdadh ann an ainmean-脿ite eile ann an sg矛re Inbhir Nis agus anns an Eilean Dubh. Bha feadhainn dhen bheachd gur d貌cha gur e 鈥渃霉l鈥� a bh鈥� ann o th霉s, a鈥� ciallachadh back no at the back of ach, an-diugh, tha a鈥� chuid mh貌r dhen bheachd gur e 鈥渃霉il鈥� a bh鈥� ann. Ach d猫 tha Lodair a鈥� ciallachadh?

Rinn mi beagan rannsachaidh agus cho fada air ais 鈥檚 a b鈥� urrainn dhomh lorg, 鈥檚 e C霉il Lodair a bh鈥� air an 脿ite seo ann an G脿idhlig. Mar eisimpleir, tha 鈥渄o Chuilodair鈥� a鈥� nochdadh ann am p矛os b脿rdachd a sgr矛obh am b脿rd 脿 Inbhir Nis, Coinneach MacCoinnich, a rugadh ann seachd deug, caogad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1758). Agus sgr矛obh am b脿rd ainmeil 脿 Srath Sp猫, Iain Ruadh Sti霉bhart, a bh鈥� air a鈥� bhl脿r air l脿 a鈥� bhatail, d脿n air an robh 鈥淟atha Chuilodair鈥�. Bha Cuilodair air a litreachadh C-U-I-L-O-D-A-I-R. 鈥橲 e Culloden a bh鈥� air ann am Beurla aig an 脿m agus, mar sin, tha e follaiseach gu robh an diofar eadar an 鈥渘鈥� agus an 鈥渞鈥� air 猫irigh ro mheadhan an ochdamh linn deug.

Ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug, nochd an litreachadh F-H-O-D-A-I-R airson 鈥渇odar鈥�. C霉il-Fhodair, the nook of the fodder. 鈥橲 e sin a bh鈥� aig Iain MacCoinnich anns an leabhar Gh脿idhlig aige, 鈥淓achdraidh a鈥� Phrionnsa鈥� agus, airson greis, lean Gaidheil Inbhir Nis an d貌igh smaoineachaidh sin. Gu dearbh, 鈥檚 ann mar sin a sgr矛obh M脿iri Mh貌r nan 脪ran e na cuid b脿rdachd. Ach tha a h-uile coltas ann gu robh iad ce脿rr. Bha feadhainn eile ce脿rr cuideachd, oir shaoil iadsan gu robh an d脿rna p脿irt dhen ainm a鈥� seasamh airson 鈥渙itir鈥� no fi霉 鈥檚 airson 鈥淥din鈥�, fear de sheann diathan p脿ganach nan Lochlannach!

Nuair a th猫id sinn air ais cho fada 鈥檚 as urrainn ann an eachdraidh Inbhir Nis, agus a鈥� chuid a bu mh貌 dhith sgr矛obhte ann am Beurla, 鈥檚 e Culloden, no rudeigin coltach ris a tha sinn a鈥� lorg. Ann an cl脿r a鈥� bhaile ann am meadhan an t-siathamh linn deug, chithear Cullodyn, le 鈥測n鈥� aig an deireadh. Gu h-annasach, oir 鈥檚 ann air an rathad eile a tha e mar as trice, 鈥檚 e an t-ainm G脿idhlig a th鈥� air atharrachadh, seach an t-ainm Beurla.

Ann an Srath Narainn, p矛os beag a-mach 脿 Inbhir Nis, tha 脿ite ann air a bheil Achloddan ann am Beurla. 鈥橲 e sin Ach鈥� an Lodain 鈥� the field of the little pool. Tha lodan a鈥� ciallachadh little pool, bog no little marsh. Agus Culloden? Uill, 鈥檚 e C霉il Lodain a bh鈥� air ann an G脿idhlig bho th霉s, rud a thuig na sgoilearan G脿idhlig anns an fhicheadamh linn. C霉il Lodain 鈥� the nook of the pool no nook of the marsh 鈥� ainm a tha gu math coltach.

Faclan na seachdaine: eileamaid: element; Eilean Dubh: Black Isle; Coinneach MacCoinnich: Kenneth Mackenzie; Srath Sp猫: Strathspey; Iain Ruadh Sti霉bhart: John Roy Stewart; fodar: fodder; Srath Narainn: Strathnairn.

Abairtean na seachdaine: bu mhath leam s霉il a thoirt, chan ann air a鈥� bhatail fh猫in, ach air an ainm sin: I would to look, not at the battle itself, but at that name; gu robh an diofar air 猫irigh ro mheadhan an ochdamh linn deug: that the difference had arisen before the middle of the 18th Century; lean Gaidheil Inbhir Nis an d貌igh smaoineachaidh sin: the Gaels of Inverness followed that line of thinking; 鈥檚 ann mar sin a sgr矛obh M脿iri Mh貌r nan 脪ran e na cuid b脿rdachd: that鈥檚 the way Big Mary of the Songs (Mary MacPherson) wrote it in her poetry; tha a h-uile coltas ann gu robh iad ce脿rr: it appears they were wrong; gu robh an d脿rna p脿irt dhen ainm a鈥� seasamh airson 鈥渙itir鈥�: that the second part of the name stood for 鈥渙itir鈥� (a shingle bank of which there were many close to Inverness); fear de sheann diathan p脿ganach nan Lochlannach: one of the old pagan Norse gods; nuair a th猫id sinn air ais cho fad 鈥檚 as urrainn ann an eachdraidh Inbhir Nis: when we go back as far as we can in Inverness鈥檚 history; gu h-annasach, oir 鈥檚 ann air an rathad eile a tha e mar as trice: unusually, for it is usually the other way round; 鈥檚 e an t-ainm G脿idhlig a th鈥� air atharrachadh, seach an t-ainm Beurla: it is the Gaelic name that has changed, rather than the English name; rud a thuig na sgoilearan G脿idhlig anns an fhicheadamh linn: something the Gaelic scholars understood in the 20th Century.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: chaidh sgrios a dh猫anamh air na Seumasaich fh猫in air bl脿r taobh a-muigh Inbhir Nis: the Jacobites themselves were destroyed on a battlefield outside Inverness. I once heard a heated argument between two fluent Gaelic speakers after one of them had said (in Gaelic) that he had just been to Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair. The second asked facetiously if he had the Tardis-like ability to transport himself back in time to 1746, to which the other replied with a proverb that castigates ignorance! Of course, they were talking at cross purposes. The first, a mainlander, meant, quite legitimately, that he had just been to the Culloden Battlefield site. The second, an islander, had seemingly only heard bl脿r being used, at least in reference to Culloden, for the famous battle itself. The original meaning of bl脿r is a plain or large flat area and this is the reason for its appearance in old place names, such as Blairgowrie (Bl脿r Ghobharaidh) and Blair Atholl (Bl脿r Athall). Such places were ideal for battles, so the word came to mean 鈥渂attlefield鈥� and, in time, also to mean 鈥渂attle鈥�. So Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair can mean 鈥淭he Battle of Culloden鈥� or 鈥淭he Battlefield of Culloden鈥�; the context should make it obvious what is meant.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: ainm a tha gu math coltach: a name which is pretty likely (to be correct).