大象传媒

O chionn beagan mh矛osan bha mi ann an Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain ann an Cinn T矛re. Bha mi anns an ionad-choimhearsnachd 霉r anns a鈥� bhaile. Ri taobh an ionaid tha carragh-cuimhne m貌r ann don Ridire Uilleam MacFhionghain. Feumaidh mi aideachadh nach robh m貌ran fios agam mu dheidhinn aig an 脿m sin.

Beagan seachdainean an d猫idh sin, bha mi a鈥� c猫ilidh air caraidean air a鈥� Chomraich. Thug iad a-mach leabhar mu dheidhinn sgoil gu math inntinneach agus rudeigin ainmeil. Sgoil phr矛obhaideach le ceangal l脿idir don Gh脿idhealtachd. Chaidh iomadh G脿idheal 貌g tro a dorsan.

鈥橲 e an t-ainm air an leabhar 鈥淜eil School 鈥� a History鈥� agus chaidh a sgr矛obhadh le Barrach 鈥� fear Ruairidh MacAsgaill a thogadh ann an E貌laigearraidh. Bha esan na sgoilear aig Keil School anns na tritheadan.

Agus d猫 an ceangal a th鈥� ann eadar an leabhar agus an carragh-cuimhne ann an Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain? Uill, mura b鈥� e Uilleam MacFhionghain, cha robh an sgoil air a bhith ann idir. Agus bha an carragh-cuimhne uaireigin ann an 脿rainn na sgoile, ged a bha e roimhe sin ann an Afraga. Airson a鈥� ch霉is a mh矛neachadh, feumaidh mi innse dhuibh an toiseach mu bheatha Uilleim MhicFhionghain. Dh鈥櫭╥rich e gu bhith na dhuine air leth beartach is cli霉iteach.

Rugadh e ann an ochd ceud deug, fichead 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1823) ann an Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain. Bha na sinnsirean aige 脿 Eilean Arainn agus bha athair na gh猫idsear. B鈥� e Uilleam am fear a b鈥� 貌ige ann an teaghlach m貌r. Bha tr矛 duine deug de chloinn ann. Fhuair e tr猫anadh mar ghrosair ach cha robh e riaraichte le bhith ag obair ann am b霉th agus rinn e air Glaschu.

脌s d猫idh greis ag obair ann an oifis anns a鈥� bhaile sin, dh鈥檉halbh e do na h-Innseachan. Bha sin ann an ochd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a seachd (1847) nuair a bha e fichead 鈥檚 a ceithir bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois. Chuir e fh猫in is caraid 脿 Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain companaidh malairt air chois ann an Calcutta. Bha oifisean aca an d脿 chuid ann an Calcutta is Glaschu.

Bha e gu math comasach mar fhear-gnothaich. Fhuair e c霉mhnantan riaghaltais airson am post a ghi霉lain eadar Bengal agus Burma, agus bha na longan aige a鈥� dol cho fada ri Singapore agus Persia. Bha e deimhinne gur e soithichean-sm霉ide an d貌igh air adhart, seach soithichean-se貌laidh, agus bha e ceart. Ann an ochd ceud deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1862), chaidh a鈥� chompanaidh aige ainmeachadh 脿s 霉r mar The British India Steam Navigation Company.

Bha aire Uilleim a鈥� gluasad air falbh bho na h-Innseachan is a dh鈥檌onnsaigh taobh sear Afraga. Fhuair e e貌las air Sultan Zanzibar. Chuir e companaidh 霉r air chois 鈥� The Imperial British East Africa Company. Bha a鈥� chompanaidh a鈥� riaghladh sg矛re mh貌r ann an Afraga an Ear. Tro th矛de cheannaich Riaghaltas Bhreatainn an d霉thaich sin bhuapa agus chruthaich iad British East Africa 脿s.

Cha b鈥� e gnothaichean malairteach a-mh脿in a bha cudromach do dh鈥橴illeam. Bha taobh m貌r aige don Eaglais Shaoir agus thug e taic-airgid don Eaglais nuair a bha iad a鈥� cur miseanaraidhean a dh鈥檌onnsaigh meadhan Afraga. Bha e e貌lach air an luchd-rannsachaidh, Livingstone is Stanley, agus thug e taic mh貌r do Stanley nuair a bha e a鈥� rannsachadh ann an Afraga. Sgr矛obh Stanley ann an iomradh-b脿is do dh鈥橴illeam gun do chuir e seachad a bheatha air fad a鈥� d猫anamh rudan matha. Cha do r脿inig mi Keil School fhathast, ach ruigidh anns an ath Litir.

Abairtean na Litreach: tha carragh-cuimhne m貌r ann don Ridire Uilleam MacFhionghain: there is a large monument to Sir William MacKinnon; bha mi a鈥� c猫ilidh air caraidean: I was visiting friends; chaidh a sgr矛obhadh le Barrach 鈥� fear Ruairidh MacAsgaill a thogadh ann an E貌laigearraidh: it was written by a man from Barra 鈥� one Roddy MacAskill who was raised in Eoligarry; mura b鈥� e X, cha robh an sgoil air a bhith ann idir: if it hadn鈥檛 been for X the school would never have existed; ann an 脿rainn na sgoile: in the grounds of the school; feumaidh mi innse dhuibh an toiseach: I must tell you to begin with; dh鈥櫭╥rich e gu bhith na dhuine air leth beartach is cli霉iteach: he rose to become an extremely wealthy and well-known man; bha na sinnsirean aige 脿 Eilean Arainn: his ancestors were from the Isle of Arran; bha athair na gh猫idsear: his father was an exciseman; chuir e fh猫in is caraid companaidh malairt air chois: he and a friend set up a trading company; c霉mhnantan riaghaltais airson am post a ghi霉lain: government contracts to carry the mail; a dh鈥檌onnsaigh taobh sear Afraga: towards East Africa; tro th矛de cheannaich Riaghaltas Bhreatainn an d霉thaich sin bhuapa: eventually the British Government bought that country from them; gnothaichean malairteach a-mh脿in: only commercial matters; bha taobh m貌r aige don Eaglais Shaoir: he was very supportive of the Free Church; bha e e貌lach air an luchd-rannsachaidh: he knew the explorers; gun do chuir e seachad a bheatha air fad a鈥� d猫anamh rudan matha: that he spent his entire life doing good.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: Bha e deimhinne gur e soithichean-sm霉ide an d貌igh air adhart: he was certain that steam vessels were the way ahead. Sm霉id means smoke or vapour. One might say of a smoking fire that is not burning well 鈥� 鈥渢ha e a鈥� cur sm霉ide鈥�. 鈥淭ha i a鈥� sm霉ideadh thall!鈥� might have been the Gaelic equivalent of the 鈥渢har she blows!鈥� of the English-speaking whalermen [if any ex- whalers read this column, I鈥檇 love to know some of the terminology they used]. Sm霉id was used in its genitive form sm霉ide (as an adjective) to describe the industrial inventions of the 19th Century which produced smoke as a by-product. Thus a steam-train is a tr猫ana-sm霉ide and a steamship or steamboat is a long-sm霉ide, soitheach-sm霉ide or b脿ta-sm霉ide.