大象传媒

An t-seachdain sa chaidh, dh鈥檉h脿g mi sibh air taobh siar na h-脠ireann ann an Contae Mhaigh Eo. Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu charragh-cuimhne faisg air an Dubh Loch. Tha grunn sgr矛obhaidhean air 鈥� ann am Beurla. Nam measg tha seo: 鈥淗ow can men feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings?鈥�: Mahatma Gandhi. Tha sgr矛obhadh eile air a tha a鈥� cuimhneachadh 鈥渢he hungry poor who walked here in 1849鈥�. C貌 bh鈥� annta?

Uill, anns a鈥� Mh脿rt ochd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a naoi (1849), bha muinntir taobh an iar na h-脠ireann gu math bochd. B鈥� e Maigh Eo an d脿rna siorrachd as motha ann an 脠irinn anns an robh sluagh, a r猫ir meudachd an fhearainn. Nuair a th脿inig gaiseadh a鈥� bhunt脿ta, bha an sluagh ann an staing dha-r矛ribh. Agus cha do rinn Riaghaltas na R矛oghachd Aonaichte gu le貌r airson an cuideachadh.

Cha chreid mi gun robh m貌ran tachartasan na bu mhiosa nam fear a thachair faisg air an Dubh Loch. Bha buidheann mh貌r de dhaoine, agus cion b矛dh orra, air a dhol do Thaigh nam Bochd ann an Cluain Cearb谩n, no Louisburgh, am baile beag gu tuath air an loch. Dhi霉lt an t-oifigear a bh鈥� ann biadh a thoirt dhaibh agus dhi霉lt e an leigeil a-steach. Thuirt e gur e am B貌rd a dh猫anadh co-dh霉naidhean air sin 鈥� 鈥檚 e sin The Board of Guardians 鈥� agus cha robh iadsan a-staigh.

Ach, thuirt e, bhiodh dithis bhall dhen Bh貌rd a鈥� coinneachadh air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach beagan mh矛ltean air falbh. Bha na daoine ann an 猫iginn. Bha e a鈥� f脿s dorch. Chuir iad 鈥� fir, mnathan is clann 鈥� an oidhche seachad a-muigh anns an fhuachd gun bhiadh. Air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach, dh鈥檉halbh iad air chois gu ruige an t-脿ite far an robh buill a鈥� Bh霉ird a鈥� coinneachadh.

R脿inig iad an t-脿ite aig meadhan-latha. Bha na buill 鈥� an Coirneal Hograve agus Mgr Lecky 鈥� a鈥� gabhail biadh. Cha robh iad de貌nach nochdadh mu choinneamh an t-sluaigh gus am biodh iad s脿saichte. S脿saichte le biadh math. Canaidh sinn 鈥渘eo-charthannachd鈥� ris airson a bhith modhail.

Mu dheireadh, th脿inig iad a-mach agus thuirt iad ris na G脿idheil nach fhaigheadh iad dad. Bha na daoine air am bristeadh. Bha iad claoidhte. Bha iad gun d貌chas. Bha iad fuar is fliuch, agus lag le acras. Bha aca ri coiseachd air ais a Chluain Cearb谩n. Bha a鈥� ghaoth l脿idir, bha i fuar agus bha an t-uisge ann. Chaochail cuid mhath de na daoine.

Air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach chaidh feadhainn 脿 Cluain Cearb谩n ann airson na mairbh a thiodhlacadh. Ach bha an 霉ir cho tana, 鈥檚 nach b鈥� urrainn dhaibh uaighean a chladhach. Chaidh m貌ran de na cuirp a thiodhlacadh c貌mhla anns an aon sloc.

Chan eilear cinnteach cia mheud duine a fhuair b脿s. Tha cuid a鈥� cumail a-mach gun do th貌isich c貌rr is ceithir cheud duine air an t-slighe is nach do thill ach beagan ficheadan. 鈥橲 e c霉is-mhulaid a bh鈥� ann. 鈥橲 e masladh a bh鈥� ann.

Tha buidheann air a bheil Afri 鈥� Action From Ireland 鈥� a tha a鈥� coiteachadh 脿s leth c貌raichean daoine 鈥� a鈥� cumail cuairt gach bliadhna eadar an Dubh Loch is Cluain Cearb谩n, a鈥� cuimhneachadh na thachair. O chionn sia bliadhn鈥� deug bha an t-脌rd-easbaig Desmond Tutu 脿 Afraga a Deas am measg na chaidh air a鈥� chuairt. 鈥橲 ann 脿s d猫idh sin a chaidh an carragh-cuimhne a chur suas.

Tha e math gu bheil na daoine a dh鈥檉huiling an sin air an cuimhneachadh. Ach tha e rudeigin duilich nach do smaoinich buidheann a tha a鈥� riochdachadh c貌raichean daonna gun robh iad airidh air a bhith air an cuimhneachadh nan c脿nan fh猫in.

Faclan na Litreach: Contae Mhaigh Eo: County Mayo; carragh-cuimhne: memorial (statue/stone); claoidhte: exhausted; c霉is-mhulaid: tragedy; masladh: disgrace; daonna: human (adjective).

Abairtean na Litreach: C貌 bh鈥� annta?: who were they?; gaiseadh a鈥� bhunt脿ta: the potato blight; ann an staing dha-r矛ribh: in a terrible predicament; Riaghaltas na R矛oghachd Aonaichte: the government of the UK; cha chreid mi gun robh m貌ran tachartasan na bu mhiosa: I don鈥檛 think there were many worse occurrences; agus cion b矛dh orra: who were suffering from a lack of food; Taigh nam Bochd: the poorhouse, workhouse; dhi霉lt e an leigeil a-steach: he refused to let them in; gur e am B貌rd a dh猫anadh co-dh霉naidhean: that it was the Board that would make decisions; air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach: the next day; ann an 猫iginn: in terrible straits; dh鈥檉halbh iad air chois gu ruige an t-脿ite: they left on foot for the place; de貌nach nochdadh mu choinneamh an t-sluaigh gus am biodh iad s脿saichte: willing to appear in front of the people until they鈥檇 had their fill of food; chaochail cuid mhath de na daoine: many of the people died; airson na mairbh a thiodhlacadh: to bury the dead; bha an 霉ir cho tana, 鈥檚 nach b鈥� urrainn dhaibh uaighean a chladhach: the soil was so thin they couldn鈥檛 dig graves; nach do thill ach beagan ficheadan: only a few dozen [twenties] returned; a tha a鈥� coiteachadh 脿s leth c貌raichean daoine: who lobby on behalf of people鈥檚 rights; a鈥� cumail cuairt gach bliadhna: organise a walk every year; gun robh iad airidh air a bhith air an cuimhneachadh nan c脿nan fh猫in: that they were worthy of being remembered in their own language.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: an d脿rna siorrachd as motha ann an 脠irinn anns an robh sluagh, a r猫ir meudachd an fhearainn: the second most populous county in Ireland, in relation to land mass. This might strike you as being a bit wordy when what I want to express is 鈥渟econd most densely populated county in Ireland鈥�. But I鈥檓 fairly confident that the fluent listener would understand it. I might have used d霉mhlachd (sluaigh) for 鈥�(population) density鈥� and said 鈥渁n d脿rna siorrachd as motha ann an 脠irinn a thaobh d霉mhlachd sluaigh鈥�, but d霉mhlachd is probably not widely understood in the general community, and it might be confused (to the ear) with d霉bhlachd which means 鈥渢he darkness of midwinter鈥� and is also the Gaelic for the month of December.

Gn脿thas-cainnt na Litreach: Canaidh sinn 鈥渘eo-charthannachd鈥� ris airson a bhith modhail: we鈥檒l call it 鈥渦ncharitableness鈥� to be polite 鈥� ie we鈥檒l use 鈥渘eo-charthannachd鈥� as a euphemism.