
24/10/2008
Litir na seachdain aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain. This week's letter for learners from Roddy MacLean.
Last on
Clip
-
Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh 486
Duration: 05:34
Litir 486: An Ridire Uilleam MacFhionghain
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.
Faclan na Litreach
Abairtean na Litreach
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
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.
Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach
Broadcast
- Fri 24 Oct 2008 11:55大象传媒 Radio nan G脿idheal
Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh air LearnGaelic
Tha Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh air LearnGaelic (le PDFs)
All letters
Tha na litrichean uile an seo / The letters are available here
Podcast: Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
Letter To Gaelic Learners
Podcast
-
Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
Litrichean Gaidhlig do luchd-ionnsachaidh. Gaelic letters for students of the language.