大象传媒

Bha mi ann an D霉n 脠ideann o chionn ghoirid agus aon mhadainn chaidh mi air chuairtann am P脿irc an R貌id, no Holyrood Park. Tha sin faisg air Taigh na P脿rlamaid agus L霉chairt an R貌id no Holyrood Palace 鈥� dachaigh oifigeil na Banrigh ann an Alba. Bidh m貌ran a tha ag 猫isteachd ris an Litir seo e貌lach air a鈥� ph脿irc. Bidh na m矛ltean m貌ra a鈥� tadhal oirre gach bliadhna, an d脿 chuid muinntir Dh霉n 脠ideann agus luchd-turais.

Ann am meadhan na p脿irce, tha cnoc ainmeil air a bheil Suidhe Artair. Uill, 鈥檚 e sin a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a tha mi a鈥� dol a chur air. 鈥橲 e Arthur鈥檚 Seat a th鈥� air ann am Beurla. Chan eil mi buileach cinnteach d猫 cho f矛or 鈥檚 a tha an ceangal a thathar a鈥� d猫anamh eadar an cnoc agus Artair, seann r矛gh nam Breatannach. 鈥橲 d貌cha gum bi beachd agaibh fh猫in air a鈥� cheist agus, ma tha, bu mhath leam cluinntinn bhuaibh.

Fhuair mi leth-bhreac de leabhar le fear a rinn rannsachadh m貌r air ainmean-脿ite Dh霉n 脠ideann. B鈥� esan Sti霉bhart Harris. Th脿inig an leabhar aige 鈥� The Place Names of Edinburgh 鈥� a-mach o chionn tr矛 bliadhn鈥� deug, d矛reach bliadhna mus do chaochail e. Cha robh Harris buileach cinnteach mun cheangal eadar Arthur鈥檚 Seat agus R矛gh Artair. 聽Dh鈥檃idich e gun robh e cl脿raichte mar sin ann an c貌ig ceud deug 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1508) anns an rann ainmeil The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy. Ach, anns na meadhan-aoisean, cha robh sgeul air an ainm sin. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a bh鈥� air a鈥� chnoc aigan 脿m ud, a r猫ir choltais, Craggenemarf. 鈥橲 e ainm Ceilteach a th鈥� ann. Tha cuid dhenbheachd gun t脿inig e bhon Gh脿idhlig 鈥� Creag nam Marbh. Tha cuid eile ag r脿dh gur eainm Breatannach, seach G脿idhlig, a bh鈥� ann bho th霉s. Dh鈥檉haodadh sin a bhith oir thaa鈥� Chuimris airson Creag nam Marbh gu math coltach ris a鈥� Gh脿idhlig. Sgr矛obh Harris gur d貌cha gur e cruthachadh romansach as coireach ri Arthur鈥檚 Seat.

Air an l脿imh eile, thuirt e gu bheil aon 脿ite deug ann an Alba, anns a bheil Artair air ainmeachadh. Dh鈥檃inmich MacBh脿tair feadhainn dhiubh anns an leabhar aige The Celtic Place-names of Scotland. Seo iad: Suidhe Artair ann an D霉n Bhreatainn agus Siorrachd Bhanbh, Beinn Artair aig ceann Loch Long, Aghaidh Artair anns an aon sg矛re, Sruth Artair ann an Earra-Gh脿idheal agus Arthur鈥檚 Cairn is Arthurseat ann an Siorrachd Obar Dheathain. Bha MacBh脿tair dhen bheachd gun robh e coltach gun robh a鈥� chuid as motha de na h-ainmean Artaireach co-cheangailte ris an t-seann ghaisgeach Bhreatannach.

Co-dhi霉 no co-dheth, tha aon 脿ite ann am P脿irc an R貌id a tha ceangailte ri G脿idheil, ged as e ainm Beurla a th鈥� ann, seach ainm G脿idhlig. Tha slighe air cliathaich a鈥� chnuic air a bheil Piper鈥檚 Walk. A r猫ir beul-aithris, tha an t-ainm a鈥� dol air ais do nochdamh linn deug nuair a bha c貌mhlan de Gh脿idheil a鈥� campachadh air cliathaich Suidhe Artair. Bha p矛obaire aca a bha a鈥� coiseachd air an t-slighe sin, agus a鈥� seinn na p矛oba.

Nise, bha saighdearan G脿idhealach anns an n脿baidheachd sin ann an seachd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1745), a鈥� deisealachadh airson Bl脿r Sliabh a鈥� Chlamhain 鈥� bl脿r ainmeil ann am Bliadhna The脿rlaich. Ach a r猫ir beul-aithris, fhuair Piper鈥檚 Walk ainm bliadhnaichean 脿s d猫idh sin ann an seachd ceud deug, seachdad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1778). C貌聽na saighdearan G脿idhealach a bh鈥� ann agus carson a bha iad ann an D霉n 脠ideann?Innsidh mi sin dhuibh an ath-sheachdain.

Suidhe Artair: Arthur鈥檚 Seat; lethbhreac: copy; na meadhan aoisean:medieval times; a鈥� Chuimris: the Welsh language; MacBh脿tair: Watson (William J Watson); D霉n Bhreatainn: Dumbarton; Siorrachd Bhanbh: Banffshire; Loch Long: Loch Long; Siorrachd Obar Dheathain: Aberdeenshire; p矛obaire: piper; Bl脿r Sliabh a鈥� Chlamhain: The Battle of Prestonpans; Bliadhna The脿rlaich: the year of theJacobite rebellion, 1745-6.

air chuairt: for a walk; a鈥� tadhal oirre: visiting it; 鈥檚 e sin a鈥櫬燝h脿idhlig a tha mi a鈥� dol a chur air: that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 going to call it in Gaelic; an聽ceangal a thathar a鈥� d猫anamh eadar an cnoc agus Artair: the link that is made between聽the hill and Arthur; seann r矛gh nam Breatannach: the old (past) king of the Britons;聽d矛reach bliadhna mus do chaochail e: only a year before he died; dh鈥檃idich e gun robh e聽cl脿raichte mar sin: he admitted that it was recorded as that; cha robh sgeul air an ainm聽sin: that name was unknown/unrecorded; Creag nam Marbh: the Crag of the Dead;聽cruthachadh romansach: a romantic creation; as coireach ri: responsible for; ged as e聽ainm Beurla a th鈥� ann: although it鈥檚 an English [language] name; tha slighe aircliathaich a鈥� chnuic air a bheil: there is route on the side of the hill called; a r猫ir beulaithris:聽according to oral tradition; c貌mhlan de Gh脿idheil: a group of Gaels; a鈥� seinnna p矛oba: playing the bagpipes; bha saighdearan G脿idhealach anns an n脿baidheachd sin:聽there were Highland soldiers in that vicinity.

a鈥� campachadh air cliathaich Suidhe Artair: camping on聽the side/slopes of Arthur鈥檚 Seat. Some of you might have asked yourselves 鈥� why did I聽lenite D霉n 脠ideann in muinntir Dh霉n 脠ideann but not lenite Suidhe Artair in its genitive聽(possessive) form. That鈥檚 a tricky issue. In noun phrases (eg place names made of more聽than one element), where the first word is masculine, lenition is very common in聽modern Gaelic as a genitive marker 鈥� eg muinntir Bhaile nan Granndach, muinntir聽Cheann Loch Biorbhaidh. But it is not generally the case where the first word is聽feminine eg muinntir Drochaid an Easbaig, muinntir Cille Chomhain. However, there聽are many exceptions to the first rule, where we don鈥檛 lenite a masculine word eg聽muinntir Druim na Drochaid, muinntir Taigh Iain Ghr貌t, muinntir Caol Loch Aillse (although in some dialects they might tend to lenite those) and it鈥檚 difficult for me togive a hard-and-fast rule (sorry!) Faced with cliathaich Suidhe Artair, I felt it unnaturalto lenite Suidhe, but others might disagree.

Co-dhi霉 no co-dheth: anyhow, anyway.
Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA