大象传媒

A bheil sibh e貌lach air an fhacal aisir? Tha Dwelly ga eadar-theangachadh mar 鈥減assage, pass, path, defile鈥�. Tha e a鈥� nochdadh ann an d脿 ainm-脿ite ann an iar-thuath Chataibh, faisg air a鈥� Pharbh 鈥� Aisir M貌r agus Aisir Beag. Is iad sin na bailtean croitearachd air a bheil Oldshoremore agus Oldshorebeg ann am Beurla. Chan eil na h-ainmean idir co-cheangailte ri seann chladaichean.

Gu tuath air na bailtean sin, tha seann bhaile-fearainn air a bheil Inshore. Tha e p矛os beag air falbh bhon chladach, ceart gu le貌r, agus cha chuireadh e iongnadh orm nam biodh cuid de luchd-tadhail a鈥� smaoineachadh gun robh an t-ainm co-cheangailte ri astar bhon mhuir. Ach chan eil. Tha Inshore a鈥� tighinn bhon Gh脿idhlig Innis Odhar 鈥� the dun meadow 鈥� agus tha an t-ainm gu math freagarrach airson an 脿ite.

Nach eil an t-脿m ann na mapaichean againn a bhith d脿-ch脿nanach? Tha m貌ran ainmean, air a bheil dreach Beurla a-mh脿in air na mapaichean, nach eil a鈥� d猫anamh ciall sam bith. Ach tha an t-ainm G脿idhlig ciallach! Ann an iar-thuath Chataibh, tha baile beag ann air a bheil Rhiconich 鈥� R-H-I-C-O-N-I-C-H. D猫 fon ghr猫in a tha sin a鈥� ciallachadh? 鈥橲 e an t-ainm t霉sail air 鈥� An Ruigh C貌innich. Uill, tha e a鈥� d猫anamh ciall a-nise, nach eil? Tha mapa na h-Alba a鈥� bruidhinn rinn tro ar c脿nan 鈥� nuair a bheir sinn an cothrom dha.

Tha Aisir M貌r is Aisir Beag air oighreachd bheag a tha leis a鈥� bhuidhinn ghl猫idhteachais, Urras Iain Mhuir. Tha am fearann gu l猫ir fo chroitearachd, ged as e c霉l-cinn a tha sa chuid as motha dheth. Tha deichnear a鈥� ruith beagan is leth-cheud croit. Carson a bha 霉idh aig an Urras anns an oighreachd seo? Uill, tha tr脿igh mh貌r bhr猫agha oirre 鈥� B脿gh Sheannabhaid, no Sandwood Bay. Tha gl猫 bheag de thr脿ighean gainmhich air t矛r-m貌r na h-Alba a tha cho br猫agha rithe. Agus tha a鈥� chuid as motha dhen fhearann air an oighreachd 脿s aonais sluagh.

D矛reach taobh a-muigh na h-oighreachd tha bothan ann. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm air an 脿ite anns a bheil e 鈥� An Srathan. Tha m貌ran e貌lach air a鈥� bhothan mar Strathan Bothy. Tha e air a chumail an 貌rdugh le Comann Bothain nam Beann mar a tha ceud bothan eile ann an Alba. Mar a tha a鈥� chuid as motha de bhothain, 鈥檚 e dachaigh a bh鈥� ann uaireigin.

Tha an Srathan p矛os m貌r air falbh bho thaigh sam bith eile. Tha e beagan mh矛ltean thar na m貌intich air frith-rathad garbh. Agus feumaidh tu dhol tarsainn abhainn mus ruig thu am bothan. Gu tuath air an t-Srathan, chan eil duine sam bith a鈥� fuireach.

Chan eil mi cinnteach cuin mu dheireadh a bha daoine a bhuineadh don 脿ite a鈥� fuireach anns an t-srathan. Tha greis bhuaithe. Ach thachair rud ne貌nach ann o chionn beagan bhliadhnaichean. Ghluais cupall a-steach agus rinn iad an dachaigh ann gun chead bho dhuine sam bith. B鈥� iad Robbie is Anne Northway agus bu mhath leam innse dhuibh mun deidhinn. Tha an st貌iridh gu math annasach.

Anns an t-Sultain 2000, ghluais Robbie is Anne don t-Srathan cuide ri dusan c霉, ceathrad g猫adh, meall chearcan is thunnagan, agus gearran. Cha robh an dithis aca ann an deagh shl脿inte ach, a dh鈥檃indeoin sin, thug iad an 脿irneis a-steach leotha don dachaigh 霉r aca 鈥� air an druim. Bha sin fh猫in doirbh gu le貌r 鈥� ach cha b鈥� ann leothasan a bha am bothan. Am biodh Comann Bothain nam Beann riaraichte le daoine a鈥� fuireach fad na h-霉ine ann am fear de na bothain aca? Ch矛 sinn d猫 thachair an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: aisir: passage, pass, path, defile; Cataibh: Sutherland; Am Parbh: Cape Wrath; t霉sail: original; deichnear: ten people; B脿gh Sheannabhaid: Sandwood Bay; An Srathan: Strathan; 脿irneis: furniture.

Abairtean na Litreach: co-cheangailte ri seann chladaichean: connected to old shores; seann bhaile-fearainn: an old farm/fermtoun; cha chuireadh e iongnadh orm: it wouldn鈥檛 surprise me; nam biodh cuid de luchd-tadhail a鈥� smaoineachadh: if some visitors thought; astar bhon mhuir: distance from the sea; dreach Beurla a-mh脿in: only an anglicized form; An Ruigh C貌innich: Rhiconich [lit. the mossy slope]; nuair a bheir sinn an cothrom dha: when we give it the opportunity; oighreachd bheag a tha leis a鈥� bhuidhinn ghl猫idhteachais, Urras Iain Mhuir: a small estate which is owned by the conservation group, the John Muir Trust; tha am fearann gu l猫ir fo chroitearachd: all the land is under crofting tenure; ged as e c霉l-cinn a tha sa chuid as motha dheth: although most of it is common grazing [ie rough country]; gl猫 bheag de thr脿ighean gainmhich: very few sandy beaches; 脿s aonais sluagh: without a population; air a chumail an 貌rdugh le Comann Bothain nam Beann: maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association; 鈥檚 e dachaigh a bh鈥� ann uaireigin: it was once a home; thar na m貌intich air frith-rathad garbh: over the moor on a rough track; feumaidh tu dhol tarsainn abhainn mus ruig thu: you have to cross a river before you reach; cuin mu dheireadh a bha daoine a bhuineadh don 脿ite a鈥� fuireach ann: when local people last lived there; ghluais cupall a-steach: a couple moved in; meall chearcan is thunnagan, agus gearran: a number of hens and ducks, and a pony; doirbh gu le貌r: hard enough; cha b鈥� ann leothasan a bha am bothan: the bothy wasn鈥檛 theirs.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: It鈥檚 surely reasonable of us in the Gaelic world, given the passing of the Gaelic Language Act, to expect our maps to get gradually more bilingual. There are many towns and villages which bear only anglicized forms of their names 鈥� and these mean nothing until back-translated into the Gaelic (or sometimes Norse) original. If we take Am Parbh (Cape Wrath) as an example, the map of the countryside is full of meaningful names like Meall na M貌ine, Cnoc an Daimh, Creag Riabhach and Loch na Seamraig. But when it comes to the places where people live, we get meaningless anglicized forms like Oldshoremore, Oldshorebeg, Inshore and Balchrick, without the originals (Aisir M貌r, Aisir Beag, Innis Odhar and Baile a鈥� Chnuic). Of course, where the original is Norse, the meaning may not be clear but, where a Gaelic form exists, even of a Norse original, it should be on the map 鈥� because that is what the place is called in our language in this bilingual country. And why is learning to read the map of Scotland not a compulsory study for all students in Scotland鈥檚 schools? It would bring immediate awareness of their country鈥檚 cultural and linguistic heritage 鈥� Gaelic, Norse, Pictish, Cumbric, Scots and English. It鈥檚 time a national task force created such an education module!

Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach: Tha greis bhuaithe: It鈥檚 a while since [it happened].