大象传媒

An t-seachdain sa chaidh, bha mi a鈥� toirt聽s霉il air seann mhapaichean. Seann聽mhapaichean na h-Alba. 鈥橲 e an Duitseach聽Joan Blaeu a rinn na mapaichean.聽Bha sin anns an t-seachdamh linn deug.聽St猫idhich e na mapaichean gu m貌r air an聽obair a rinn fear eile. B鈥� esan an t-聽Albannach Timothy Pont.聽An cois nam mapaichean bha聽p矛osan beaga sgr矛obhaidh. Tha mi airson聽innse dhuibh d猫 sgr矛obh Blaeu mu 聽dheidhinn d脿 脿ite air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd.Is iad sin Na Hearadh agus Barraigh.聽Mu Na Hearadh, sgr矛obh e: 鈥�..tha聽ionaltradh math ann do chaoraich, gu聽s貌nraichte beinn 脿rd a tha c貌mhdaichte聽gu l猫ir le feur bho a bonn gu a mullach.聽Tha D貌mhnall Rothach, fear naomh air聽leth ionnsaichte, ag r脿dh nuair a bha e聽anns na h-eileanan seo, gum faca e seann聽chaoraich air seachran, agus iad gun a聽bhith le duine sam bith. Tha 脿ireamh nan聽caorach a鈥� dol am meud fad na h-霉ine a聽chionn 鈥檚 nach eil madaidhean-allaidh,聽madaidhean-ruadha no nathraichean聽ann.鈥� Uill, d猫 ur beachd fh猫in? A bheil聽sin coltach ris Na Hearadh?聽Agus a thaobh Bharraigh, bidh 聽fios agaibh gu bheil tr脿igh mh貌r ann, air聽a bheil An Tr脿igh Mh貌r(!) Bidh daoine聽fhathast a鈥� buain shr霉ban air an tr脿igh聽sin. 鈥淎ir costa tuath Bharraigh,鈥� sgr矛obh聽Blaeu, 鈥渢ha cnoc ag 猫iridh, a tha gorm聽bho a mhullach gu a bhonn, agus fuaran聽f矛or-uisge air a mhullach. Tha seo a鈥櫬燿猫anamh allt a tha a鈥� ruith chun na mara,聽agus e a鈥� gi霉lain na uisgeachan an tuabhas聽de chreutairean beaga gun聽chumadh a tha gu math coltach ris na聽seilcheagan againne. Tha muinntir an聽脿ite a鈥� cur 鈥榯he wide sands鈥� air a鈥� ph脿irt聽dhen chladach far a bheil an t-allt a鈥櫬爎uigsinn na mara oir tha tr脿igh mh貌r聽ghainmhich ann ... An seo bithear a鈥櫬燾ladhach maorach, a thathar a鈥� d猫anamh聽dheth a dh鈥檉h脿s bho na creutairean a聽chaidh a ghi霉lain s矛os anns an allt, a聽th脿inig gu 矛re anns a鈥� mhuir.鈥澛燯ill, sin agaibh e. An e sin f矛or聽eachdraidh-beatha nan sr霉ban? Bha ar聽sinnsirean gu math glic ann an iomadach聽d貌igh. Ach saoilidh mi gun d鈥檉huair iad聽sin rudeigin ce脿rr!聽

Last week, I was looking at old聽maps. Old Maps of Scotland. It was聽the Dutchman Joan Blaeu that made聽the maps. That was in the Seventeenth聽Century. He based the maps聽to a large extent on the work another聽man did. He was the Scot,聽Timothy Pont.聽Along with the maps were short聽written accounts. I want to tell you聽what Blaeu wrote about two places聽in the G脿idhealtachd. They are聽Harris and Barra.聽About Harris, he wrote, 鈥渢here聽is excellent pasture for sheep,聽principally a very high hill entirely聽covered with grass from top to聽bottom. Donald Munro [Dean of the聽Isles], a saintly man of great erudition,聽says that when he was in these聽islands, he saw wandering sheep of聽great age that belonged to no one.聽The number of sheep is constantly聽increasing here because there are聽no wolves, foxes or snakes.鈥� Well,聽what鈥檚 your opinion? Is that like聽Harris?聽And, regarding Barra, you鈥檒l聽know that there is a large beach聽there called the 鈥渓arge beach鈥�.聽People still dig up cockles from that聽beach. 鈥淥n the north coast of聽Barra,鈥� Blaeu wrote, 鈥渞ises a hill,聽green from top to bottom, on the聽summit of which is a freshwater聽spring; this forms a stream flowing聽down into the sea that carries in its聽waters innumerable shapeless little聽creatures that strongly resemble our聽snails. Locals call the part of the聽shore where the stream reaches the聽sea 鈥榯he wide sands鈥� because a聽broad stretch of sand is exposed聽when the tide is out. Here quantities聽of shellfish are dug up, supposedly聽those grown from the creatures聽carried down by [in] the stream,聽which have grown to maturity in the聽sea.鈥澛燱ell, there you have it. Is that聽the true life history of the cockle[s]?聽Our ancestors were wise in many聽ways. But I reckon they got that one聽a bit wrong!