大象传媒

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh mu thuras a ghabh mi fh矛n agus an teaghlach agam gu ruige Innis Caillich ann an Loch Laomainn. Fhad 鈥檚 a bha mise a鈥� cumail s霉il air a鈥� bh脿ta, chaidh c脿ch air chuairt air feadh an eilein. Th脿inig iad air ais thugam le sgeul mu bheathach a chunnaic iad.

鈥淏ha e m貌r agus b脿n,鈥� thuirt iad. 鈥淏ha e coltach ri gobhar.鈥�

Ach chan e gobhar a bh鈥� ann. 鈥橲 e dathas a bh鈥� ann. Dathas.

Nise, cuiridh mi geall gu bheil m貌ran a tha ag 猫isteachd an-dr脿sta, eadhon feadhainn le f矛or dheagh Gh脿idhlig, aig nach eil fios d猫 th鈥� ann an dathas. Is beag an t-iongnadh oir tha iad rudeigin gann ann an Alba, gu h-脿raidh anns a鈥� cheann a tuath.

鈥橲 e dathas a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air fallow deer. 鈥橲 e se貌rsa de dh鈥檉hiadh a tha d霉thchasach do na ce脿rnaidhean timcheall na Mara Meadhan-t矛rich. Bhathar a鈥� smaoineachadh gur iad na Normanaich a thug a Bhreatainn iad 鈥� airson sealg. Ach tha fianais ann gun robh iad ann an ceann a deas Bhreatainn fada roimhe sin. 鈥橲 d貌cha gun tug na R貌manaich a-steach iad. Co-dhi霉, an-diugh tha iad pailt ann am p脿irtean de Shasainn 鈥檚 a鈥� Chuimrigh.

Ach ciamar a fhuair iad gu eileanan ann an Loch Laomainn? Uill, a r猫ir beul-aithris, 鈥檚 e Raibeart Brus, R矛gh na h-Alba, a bu choireach. Bha am Brusach a鈥� lorg 脿ite airson dathais a shealg, agus bha eileanan Loch Laomainn gl猫 mhath airson sin. Bha iad saor bho mhadaidhean-allaidh. Tha na dathais ann fhathast agus bidh iad a鈥� sn脿mh bho eilean gu eilean. Mar sin, chan eil e furasta an cunntadh.

Tha e coltach gun t脿inig am facal dathas bho damhasg. Tha MacBheathain dhen bheachd gun t脿inig damhasg bho damh-seasg 鈥� mar gum biodh 鈥渇allow stag鈥�. Uill, dh鈥檉haodadh sin a bhith. Ach chan eil fallow ann am Beurla a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渟easg鈥� no 鈥渘eo-thorrach鈥� ann an co-cheangal ris an fhiadh seo. Tha e a鈥� tighinn bho sheann fhacal Beurla a tha a鈥� ciallachadh dath eadar ruadh is odhar. Sin an dath a th鈥� orra 鈥� agus tha feadhainn aca ballach no breac.

Ach nach tuirt mi aig toiseach na Litreach gum facas beathach b脿n, seach creutair breac ruadh? Uill, chunnacas, agus sin rud inntinneach mun dathas 鈥� gu h-脿raidh an fheadhainn ann an Loch Laomainn. Tha m貌ran dhiubh b脿n, seach a bhith ruadh no odhar. Cuiridh mi geall gu bheil an fheadhainn bh脿na nas pailte an-diugh na bha iad ri linn a鈥� Bhrusaich. Carson? Uill, bha e air a bhith furasta an sealg, leis gu bheil iad cho faicsinneach ann an dorchadas na coille.

Nuair a dh鈥檉h脿g sinn Innis Caillich cha do thill sinn sa mhionaid don 脿ite-fuirich againn ann an Innis Mhearain. Chaidh sinn gu eilean eile air an t-slighe air ais. Innis Chonachain. Tha an t-eilean sin c貌mhnard an coimeas ri Innis Caillich 鈥� ach tha e cuideachd c貌mhdaichte le coille 鈥� agus tha t貌rr fraoich is lusan dearc fo na craobhan. Agus tha beathach annasach a鈥� fuireach ann. Ach chan e dathas a th鈥� ann, agus chan eil e b脿n.

Bha uachdaran ann uaireigin a bha measail air ualabaithean 鈥� beathaichean Astr脿ilianach coltach ri cangar霉than beaga. Thug i feadhainn a-steach do dh鈥橧nnis Chonachain agus fhuair cuid dhiubh ma sgaoil. Tha iad fhathast anns an eilean. Leis gun do rugadh a鈥� bhean agam ann an Astr脿ilia, bha mi airson ualabai Albannach a shealltainn dhi! Ach bha iad gan cumail fh猫in am falach air an latha sin is chan fhaca sinn gin.

Faclan na Litreach: c脿ch: the others; dathas: fallow deer; gann: rare; R貌manaich: Romans; pailt: plentiful; MacBheathain: [Alexander] MacBain (who wrote 鈥淎n Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language鈥�); chunnacas: [it] was seen; c貌mhnard: flat, level; c貌mhdaichte: covered; annasach: unusual; Innis Chonachain: Inchconnachan.

Abairtean na Litreach: gu ruige Innis Caillich ann an Loch Laomainn; to Inchcailloch on Loch Lomond; fhad 鈥檚 a bha mise a鈥� cumail s霉il air a鈥� bh脿ta: while I was keeping an eye on the boat; th脿inig iad air ais thugam le sgeul mu bheathach: they came back to me with a story about an animal; cuiridh mi geall: I鈥檒l bet; is beag an t-iongnadh: it鈥檚 hardly surprising; na ce脿rnaidhean timcheall na Mara Meadhan-t矛rich: the areas around the Mediterranean Sea; gur iad na Normanaich a thug a Bhreatainn iad: that it was the Normans that took them to Britain; fada roimhe sin: long before that; 鈥檚 e Raibeart Brus, R矛gh na h-Alba, a bu choireach: Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, was responsible; bidh iad a鈥� sn脿mh bho eilean gu eilean: they swim from island to island; 鈥渟easg鈥� no 鈥渘eo-thorrach鈥�: barren or infertile; dath eadar ruadh is odhar: a colour between red-brown and yellow-brown; gum facas beathach b脿n, seach creutair breac ruadh: that a pale (white) animal was seen, rather than a red-brown spotted creature; ri linn a鈥� Bhrusaich: in [the] Bruce鈥檚 time; cho faicsinneach ann an dorchadas na coille: so visible in the darkness of the forest; tha t貌rr fraoich is lusan dearc fo na craobhan: there is a lot of heather and blaeberry below the trees; bha uachdaran ann uaireigin a bha measail air ualabaithean: there was once a landowner who like wallabies; coltach ri cangar霉than beaga: like small kangaroos; fhuair cuid dhiubh ma sgaoil: some of them got loose; bha iad gan cumail fh猫in am falach: they were keeping themselves hidden.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: ballach no breac: how do we say 鈥渟potted鈥� in Gaelic when referring to animals and plants? You will often hear spotach used 鈥� and it will be universally understood. It derives from spot which is obviously a borrowing from English. But there are two commonly used words which have a much older Gaelic heritage 鈥� ballach which derives from ball, 鈥渁 spot鈥� and breac 鈥渟peckled鈥�. Breac is also a noun meaning 鈥渢rout鈥� 鈥� the native Scottish brown trout being highly speckled.

Gn脿thas-cainnt na Litreach: saor bho mhadaidhean-allaidh: free of wolves. Note that the preposition in Gaelic is bho/o (ie free 鈥渇rom鈥� wolves).