大象传媒

Tha dealbh air mo bheulaibh an-dr脿sta de sheann bhaile G脿idhealach nach eil ann tuilleadh.聽Tha na taighean a鈥� coimhead snog. Tha mullaichean tughaidh orra ach tha similear air fear聽no dh脿. Faodar a bhith cinnteach de dh鈥檃on rud 鈥� gheibhte beartas m貌r de sgeulachdan is聽貌rain Gh脿idhlig nam broinn!

Chaidh an dealbh a thogail ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 a ceithir (1904) de bhaile beag croitearachd ann am Boraraigh, eilean far costa Uibhist a Tuath. Tha mi a鈥� tuigsinn gum b鈥櫬爀 ainm a鈥� bhaile Am Borgh 鈥� ged nach eil e air a鈥� mhap鈥� agam. Dh猫anadh sin ciall oir tha聽an t-ainm Lochlannach air an eilean a鈥� ciallachadh Borgh-eilean no Eilean a鈥� Bhuirgh.

Ma tha ceangal agaibh do dh鈥橴ibhist a Tuath bidh sibh e貌lach air an ainm Erskine Beveridge, 鈥檚 d貌cha. 鈥橲 e a thog an dealbh de Bhoraraigh. Bha e measail air Uibhist a Tuath, agus thog e taigh ann aig toiseach an fhicheadamh linn. Bha sin air Bh脿laigh 鈥� eilean聽gainmhich far costa tuath Uibhist. 鈥橲 ann le Beveridge a bha Taigh Bh脿laigh aig an 脿m ud.

Tha an dealbh a thog e de Bhoraraigh ann an cruinneachadh de sheann dealbhan-camara聽aige a chaidh fhoillseachadh o chionn ghoirid mar leabhar air a bheil Wanderings聽with a Camera in Scotland. Tha m貌ran 脿iteachan eile anns na h-Eileanan an Iar a鈥櫬爊ochdadh anns an leabhar, agus Colla, Tiriodh, Lios M貌r, Loch Abar, Earra-Gh脿idheal,聽Siorrachd Pheairt 鈥� agus F矛obh. Bhuineadh e do F矛obh agus tha cuid de na dealbhan aige聽de na bailtean br猫agha iasgaich aig ceann an ear na siorrachd sin air leth math.

鈥橲 ann 脿 D霉n Ph脿rlain a bha Beveridge. Bha athair an s脿s ann an gn矛omhachas an l矛nagus bha an teaghlach beartach. Ghabh Erskine a鈥� chompanaidh thairis nuair a bha e sean聽gu le貌r agus rinn e gu math, a鈥� brosnachadh malairt eadar Alba agus na St脿itean Aonaichte.

Leis gun robh airgead gu le貌r aige, bha cothrom aige a bhith an s脿s ann an cur-seachadan聽anns an robh 霉idh aige. Agus, gu s貌nraichte, bha 霉idh aige ann an 脿rc-e貌las, eachdraidh聽agus a bhith a鈥� togail dhealbhan le camara.

Anns na h-ochdadan dhen naoidheamh linn deug, ghabh Beveridge cuairt turas nodh脿, le camara na chois, ann an ceann an iar-thuath na G脿idhealtachd, a鈥� siubhal eadarbailtean ann am b脿taichean-aiseig agus ann an cairt a bh鈥� air a tarraing le each. Ann an ochd聽ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a sia (1896) bha l脿ithean-saora aige ann an Colla is Tiriodh. Rinn e聽rannsachadh air na seann l脿raichean arc-e貌lach anns an d脿 eilean agus dh鈥檉hoillsich e聽leabhar ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1903) 鈥� Coll and Tiree: Their Prehistoric Forts and聽Ecclesiastical Antiquities.

D矛reach bliadhna 脿s d猫idh dha a bhith ann an Tiriodh is Colla, chaidh e a dh鈥橴ibhista Tuath airson a鈥� chiad turais. Ch貌rd an t-脿ite ris agus thill e gach samhradh. Cheannaich e聽Bh脿laigh agus p脿irt de th矛r-m貌r Uibhist a Tuath ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 a h-aon (1901).

Thog e taigh ann am Bh脿laigh agus rinn e t貌rr rannsachaidh air l脿raichean arc-e貌lach ann聽an Uibhist. Rinn e obair cladhaich ann an grunn 脿iteachan. Ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 a haon-deug (1911), dh鈥檉hoillsich e an leabhar North Uist: Its Archaeology and Topography.

Agus d猫 thachair don choimhearsnachd ann am Boraraigh? Uill, a r猫ir an leabhair,chaidh an t-eilean fhalmhachadh de dhaoine ann an naoi ceud deug, fichead 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1923),聽tr矛 bliadhna 脿s d猫idh b脿s Erskine Beveridge. Chan e fuadach a bh鈥� ann, ge-t脿. 鈥橲 iad nacroitearan fh猫in a bha ag iarraidh falbh.

similear: chimney; Boraraigh: Boreray; Uibhist a Tuath: North Uist;Bh脿laigh: Vallay; D霉n Ph脿rlain: Dunfermline; beartach: wealthy; 脿rc-e貌las: archaeology.

air mo bheulaibh: in front of me; nach eil ann tuilleadh: that is nolonger in existence; mullaichean tughaidh: thatched roofs; gheibhte beartas m貌r desgeulachdan is 貌rain Gh脿idhlig nam broinn: a treasury of Gaelic stories and songs would聽be had within them; dh猫anadh sin ciall: that would make sense; toiseach an fhicheadamh聽linn: the start of the twentieth century; eilean gainmhich far costa tuath Uibhist: a sandy聽island off the north coast of Uist; a chaidh fhoillseachadh o chionn ghoirid: that were聽published recently; Colla, Tiriodh, Lios M貌r, Loch Abar, Earra-Gh脿idheal, Siorrachd聽Pheairt agus F矛obh: Coll, Tiree, Lismore, Lochaber, Argyll, Perthshire and Fife; bailtean聽br猫agha iasgaich aig ceann an ear na siorrachd: the beautiful fishing ports at the eastern end聽of the county; a鈥� brosnachadh malairt: stimulating trade; a bhith an s脿s ann an curseachadan聽anns an robh 霉idh aige: to be involved in pastimes in which he was interested; le聽camara na chois: accompanied by a camera; ann am b脿taichean-aiseig agus ann an cairt a聽bh鈥� air a tarraing le each: in ferries and in a cart pulled by a horse; ch貌rd an t-脿ite ris: he聽enjoyed the place; thill e gach samhradh: he returned every summer; rinn e obair cladhaichann an grunn 脿iteachan: he conducted digs in a few places; chaidh an t-eilean fhalmhachadh聽de dhaoine: the island was emptied of people; chan e fuadach a bh鈥� ann: it wasn鈥檛 a聽clearance (expulsion).

Bhuineadh e do F矛obh: he belonged to Fife. From the聽grammatical rules you might have expected me to say bhuineadh e do dh鈥橣h矛obh as the聽preposition do lenites a following consonant. The reason I didn鈥檛 was just a feeling about聽the naturalness of the language, at least as we speak it in today鈥檚 world. The preposition do聽has been replaced in much island Gaelic (and thus in much Gaelic that is picked up by聽learners) by a similar preposition dha, but dha does not incur lenition. So with dha, we鈥檇聽naturally say bhuineadh e dha F矛obh. I suspect that part of the reason that lenition of do聽feels unnatural in this case is the influence of dha. If you have other thoughts on the matter,聽please let me know!

faodar a bhith cinnteach de dh鈥檃on rud: one can be certainof one thing.
Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA