大象传媒

Tha mi a鈥� coimhead air dealbh an-dr脿sta.聽Tha e de sheann bhaile聽G脿idhealach. Tha taighean tughaidh聽anns a鈥� bhaile.聽Bha am baile air eilean beag.聽Tha an t-eilean fhathast ann. Ach聽chan eil am baile ann. Dh鈥檉halbh na聽daoine o chionn fhada.聽鈥橲 e an t-eilean Boraraigh.聽Tha Boraraigh a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渄霉n-eilean鈥澛爊o 鈥渂orgh-eilean鈥� ann an聽seann Lochlannais. Tha e faisg air聽Uibhist a Tuath agus Be脿rnaraigh.聽Tha mi a鈥� tuigsinn gu bheil d矛reach聽aon duine a鈥� fuireach ann an-diugh.聽Ach, ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚聽a ceithir (1904), nuair a bha an聽dealbh air a thogail, bha coimhearsnachd聽ann. Chaidh an dealbh a聽thogail le fear Erskine Beveridge. 鈥橲聽ann 脿 D霉n Ph脿rlain a bha Beveridge,聽ach bha e gu math measail air a鈥櫬燝h脿idhealtachd. Aig toiseach an聽fhicheadamh linn, cheannaich e聽oighreachd ann an Uibhist a Tuath.聽Agus thog e taigh ann an Eilean聽Bh脿laigh faisg air cladach Uibhist.聽Tha an dealbh de Bhoraraigh聽ann an cruinneachadh de sheann聽dealbhan-camara. Nochd iad o聽chionn ghoirid ann an leabhar air a聽bheil Wanderings with a Camera in聽Scotland. Tha 脿iteachan eile anns na聽h-Eileanan an Iar anns an leabhar.聽Tha, agus Colla, Tiriodh, Lios M貌r,聽Loch Abar, Earra-Gh脿idheal, Siorrachd聽Pheairt 鈥� agus F矛obh. 鈥橲 ann de聽na bailtean beaga iasgaich ann am聽F矛obh a tha cuid de na dealbhan as聽fhe脿rr anns an leabhar.聽鈥橲 e fear-gnothaich a bha ann聽am Beveridge. Bha e beartach. Bha聽霉idh aige ann an 脿rc-e貌las, eachdraidh聽agus obair a鈥� chamara.聽Ann an ochd ceud deug,聽naochad 鈥檚 a sia (1896) bha l脿ithean-saora聽aige ann an Colla is Tiriodh.聽Rinn e rannsachadh air na seann聽l脿raichean arc-e貌lach anns na h-eileanan聽sin. Dh鈥檉hoillsich e leabhar 鈥撀燙oll and Tiree: Their Prehistoric聽Forts and Ecclesiastical Antiquities.聽Rinn e rannsachadh cuideachd聽air l脿raichean arc-e貌lach ann an聽Uibhist. Dh鈥檉hoillsich e an leabhar聽North Uist: Its Archaeology and聽Topography.聽Agus d猫 thachair don choimhearsnachd聽ann am Boraraigh? Uill,聽dh鈥檉halbh na daoine ann an naoi ceud聽deug, fichead 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1923). Bha sin聽tr矛 bliadhna 脿s d猫idh b脿s Erskine聽Beveridge. Chan e fuadach a bha聽ann. A r猫ir an leabhair 霉ir, bha na聽croitearan fh猫in ag iarraidh falbh.

I鈥檓 looking at a picture (photograph)聽just now. It is of an old聽Gaelic village. There are thatched聽houses in the village.聽The village was on a small聽island. The island is still there. But聽the village is not there. The people聽left a long time ago.聽The island is Boreray. Boreray聽means 鈥渇ort-island鈥� in Old Norse.聽It鈥檚 close to North Uist and Berneray.聽I understand there is only one聽person living there today.聽But in 1904, when the picture聽was taken, there was a community聽there. The picture was taken by a聽certain Erskine Beveridge. Beveridge聽was from Dumfermline but he聽was particularly fond of the Highlands.聽At the start of the twentieth聽century, he bought an estate in聽North Uist. And he built a house on聽[the island of] Vallay, near the coast聽of Uist.聽The picture of Boreray is in a聽collection of old photographs. They聽appeared recently in a book called聽Wanderings with a Camera in聽Scotland. There are other places in聽the Western Isles in the book. And聽there are also Coll, Tiree, Lismore,聽Lochaber, Argyll, Perthshire 鈥� and聽Fife. Some of the best photos in the聽book are of the small fishing villages聽in Fife.聽Beveridge was a businessman.聽He was wealthy. He was interested聽in archaeology, history and photography聽[camera work].聽In 1896 he had holidays in Coll聽and Tiree. He did research on the聽old archaeological sites on those聽islands. He published a book 鈥� Coll聽and Tiree: Their Prehistoric Forts聽and Ecclesiastical Antiquities.聽He also did research on聽archaeological sites in Uist. He聽published the book North Uist: Its聽Archaeology and Topography.聽And what happened to the聽community in Boreray? Well, the聽people left in 1923. That was three聽years after the death of Erskine聽Beveridge. It wasn鈥檛 a clearance.聽According to the new book, the聽crofters themselves were wanting to聽leave.