大象传媒

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Robbie is Anne Northway a bha a鈥� fuireach ann am bothan anns an t-Srathan air a鈥� Pharbh. Choisich mi ann as t-fhoghar am-bliadhna c貌mhla ri caraid agus, an latha mus do r脿inig sinn An Srathan, chuir sinn seachad an oidhche ann am bothan eile, beagan mh矛ltean air falbh. Tha sin ann an 脿ite ris an canar Srath Chailleach, ged nach urrainn dhomh innse dhuibh c貌 na cailleachan a bha a鈥� fuireach ann, no cuin.

Tha am bothan ann an Srath Chailleach gu math beag, 矛osal is dorch, agus tha e ann an 脿ite a tha eadhon nas iomallaiche na an Srathan. Tha mu sheachd m矛le de choiseachd thar m貌intich romhad ma tha thu ag iarraidh a dhol ann. Tha e air bruach abhainn 鈥� agus chan eil drochaid thar na h-aibhne tuilleadh. Bha latha na b鈥� fhe脿rr aig Srath Chailleach.

A dh鈥檃indeoin sin, tha an togalach fh猫in ann an deagh 貌rdugh. 鈥橲 e Comann Bothain nam Beann as coireach ri sin. Tha iad a鈥� d猫anamh obair mhath air m貌ran seann togalaichean ann an 脿iteachan iomallach. Tha na bothain aca fosgailte mar 脿ite-fuirich airson oidhche do dhuine sam bith a th猫id nan rathad.

鈥淪eo far an robh e 鈥� an Seann Mhadadh Ruadh,鈥� thuirt mo charaid nuair a r脿inig sinn am bothan.

鈥淐貌 bh鈥� anns a鈥� Mhadadh Ruadh?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich mi, agus dh鈥檌nnis mo charaid dhomh mun turas a th脿inig e don bhothan sin. Bha fear a鈥� fuireach ann agus cha robh e laghach idir. 鈥淭halla!鈥� thuirt e, 鈥渃han fhaigh thu 脿ite fuirich an seo!鈥� B鈥� e an duine sin Seumas MacRuairidh Mac a鈥� Ghobhainn, agus rinn e a dhachaigh anns a鈥� bhothan sin airson timcheall air trithead bliadhna.

Bhuineadh Seumas do Dh霉n Bhreatainn. Bha e anns an arm anns a鈥� Ghearmailt an Iar 脿s d猫idh a鈥� chogaidh, ach nuair a thill e a dh鈥橝lba, cha deach c霉isean ro mhath dha. Chaill e a bhean ann an tubaist rathaid. Chaidh a chlann a dh鈥檉huireach cuide rin seana-ph脿rantan, agus ghluais Seumas don cheann a tuath. Mu dheireadh rinn e a dhachaigh anns an t-seann taigh ann an Srath Chailleach, ged a bha aige ri ochd m矛le a choiseachd thar talamh garbh airson faighinn don bh霉th. Tha e coltach gun robh e toilichte a bhith a鈥� fuireach leis fh猫in, is fad air falbh bho dhaoine eile.

Airson c貌ig bliadhn鈥� deug, cha robh gnothach aig Comann nam Bothan ris an 脿ite. An uair sin, ann an naoi ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1981), th脿inig stoirm mh貌r. Rinn i milleadh air an togalach. Dh鈥檃ontaich an Comann obair-c脿raidh a dh猫anamh air, nan cumadh Seumas aon se貌mar a-mach 脿s na tr矛 aige fosgailte do luchd-coiseachd. Dh鈥檃ontaich e ri sin ach cha do ch霉m e ris a鈥� bhargan. 鈥橲 ann tric a bhiodh e a鈥� ruagadh dhaoine a bha ag iarraidh fuireach na h-oidhche, mo charaid nam measg.

Aon turas nochd heileacoptair Ameireaganach taobh a-muigh an taighe oir bidh NATO a鈥� cumail eacarsaichean air a鈥� Pharbh. Bha Seumas a-staigh a鈥� c貌mhradh ri c矛obair. Ach ruith e a-mach le l脿mhag os a chionn agus theich na h-Ameireaganaich ann an cabhaig!

Dh鈥檉halbh Seumas 鈥� agus chaochail e 鈥� anns na naochadan. Ach tha na dealbhan-balla a rinn e fhathast rim faicinn 鈥� ma chleachdas tu toirds oir tha am bothan cho dorch eadhon air latha grianach. 脌ite br猫agha a th鈥� ann 鈥� airson latha no dh脿. Ach trithead bliadhna? 鈥橲 e 霉ine mh貌r a tha sin.

Faclan na Litreach: Srath Chailleach: Strathcailleach; ionaltradh: grazing; Thalla!: Go away!; eacarsaichean: exercises; c矛obair: shepherd; l脿mhag: axe.

Abairtean na Litreach: anns an t-Srathan air a鈥� Pharbh: in Strathan at Cape Wrath; as t-fhoghar am-bliadhna: in the autumn of this year; eadhon nas iomallaiche: even more remote; tha mu sheachd m矛le de choiseachd thar m貌intich romhad: you have about 7 miles of walking across a moor ahead of you; chan eil drochaid thar na h-aibhne tuilleadh: there is no longer a bridge across the river; ann an deagh 貌rdugh: in good condition; do dhuine sam bith a th猫id na rathad: to anybody that passes its way; an Seann Mhadadh Ruadh: The Old Fox; chan fhaigh thu 脿ite fuirich an seo: you won鈥檛 get a place to stay here; Seumas MacRuairidh Mac a鈥� Ghobhainn: James McRory Smith; airson timcheall air trithead bliadhna: for about thirty years; bhuineadh Seumas do Dh霉n Bhreatainn: James belonged to Dumbarton; anns a鈥� Ghearmailt an Iar 脿s d猫idh a鈥� chogaidh: in W Germany after the war; cha deach c霉isean ro mhath dha: things didn鈥檛 go too well for him; chaill e a bhean ann an tubaist rathaid: he lost his wife in a road accident; a dh鈥檉huireach cuide rin seana-ph脿rantan: to live with their grandparents; rinn i milleadh air an togalach: it damaged the building; nan cumadh X aon se貌mar a-mach 脿s na tr矛 aige fosgailte: if X would keep one of his 3 rooms open; cha do ch霉m e ris a鈥� bhargan: he didn鈥檛 stick to the bargain; 鈥檚 ann tric a bhiodh e a鈥� ruagadh dhaoine: often he would chase people away; theich na h-Ameireaganaich ann an cabhaig: the Americans left quickly; tha na dealbhan-balla a rinn e fhathast rim faicinn: the murals he did are still to be seen; ma chleachdas tu toirds: if you use a torch.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: Dh鈥檃ontaich an Comann obair-c脿raidh a dh猫anamh air: the Association agreed to do repair-work on it. I am often asked why it is obair-c脿raidh and not obair-ch脿raidh as might be expected from standard grammatical rules of lenition 鈥� that the qualifying element of a compound lenites as an adjective would. We say obair mh貌r not obair m貌r so why not obair-ch脿raidh? The only answer I can give, even if it is not satisfactory, is that some feminine nouns show inconsistent lenition in such situations and obair is one of them. Thus we have obair-ghr猫is and obair-shn脿thaid but obair-dachaigh and obair-taighe.

Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach: Bha latha na b鈥� fhe脿rr aig Srath Chailleach: Strathcailleach has seen better days.