大象传媒

Ghluais Eric MacLe貌id a Chearachar聽ann an naoi ceud deug, seachdad 鈥檚 a sia聽(1976). Tha Cearachar air cladach Loch聽a鈥� Ch脿irn Bh脿in ann an Asainte. Bha聽bean agus dithis nighean aig Eric. Cha聽robh an seann taigh ann an staid mhath.聽Mar sin, thug iad carabhan leotha a聽Chearachar. Ach cha robh rathad a鈥� dol聽ann.聽Thog Eric r脿th m貌r. Fhuair e taic聽bho iasgair a bha a鈥� fuireach sa Chaolas聽Chumhang. Tharraing an t-iasgair an聽r脿th gu ruige Cearachar leis an eathar聽aige.鈥橲 e Ruairidh MacLe貌id an聽t-ainm air an iasgair. Tha Ruairidh 脿聽Sgalpaigh Na Hearadh. Ach tha e air a聽bhith a鈥� fuireach m貌ran bhliadhnaichean聽ann an Asainte agus D霉thaich MhicAoidh. Rinn e obair mh貌r airson na聽G脿idhlig anns na sg矛rean sin.聽Sgr矛obh Eric leabhar mu na聽bliadhnaichean aige ann an Cearachar 鈥撀燭he Kerracher Man. Tha e ag ainmeachadh聽Ruairidh MhicLe貌id gu tric.聽Co-dhi霉, tharraing Ruairidh an r脿th s矛os聽an loch. Bha an carabhan a-nise ann mar聽dhachaigh don teaghlach.聽Dh鈥檉heuch Eric a bhith na iasgair.聽Thug Ruairidh obair dha. Cha do mhair聽sin fada, ge-t脿. Bha cur na mara air Eric.聽Thug Ruairidh comhairle dha. 鈥淐han eil聽ann ach aon leigheas airson cur na聽mara,鈥� thuirt e.聽鈥淒猫 th鈥� ann?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich Eric.聽鈥淎 bhith nad sheasamh fo聽chraobh!鈥� thuirt Ruairidh. Th脿inig聽dreuchd Eric mar iasgair gu cr矛ch.聽Ach bha e fh猫in is a theaghlach聽soirbheachail ann an d貌ighean eile. Rinn聽iad diofar rudan airson airgead a dh猫anamh聽鈥� gruagaireachd, dr脿ibheadh bus na聽sgoile, croitearachd agus 脿rach-猫isg. Bha聽cearcan aca. Bha poll-m貌nach aca.聽Bha stoirmean m貌ra ann aig聽amannan. Aon turas th脿inig stoirm aig聽脿m an reothairt. Bha an l脿n ann air an聽oidhche. Bha am fiodh a bha aca airson聽an taigh a ch脿radh a鈥� flodadh a-mach gu聽muir.聽Bha c霉isean doirbh aig amannan.聽Ach aig amannan eile ch貌rd an t-脿ite聽riutha gu m貌r. Aig a鈥� cheann thall, agus聽a鈥� chlann-nighean air falbh, ghluais iad聽a-mach. Ach tha an eachdraidh aca 鈥� sia聽bliadhn鈥� deug ann an Cearachar 鈥� gu聽math inntinneach.

Eric MacLeod moved to Kerracher聽in 1976. Kerracher is on the shore聽of Loch a鈥� Ch脿irn Bh脿in in Assynt.聽Eric had a wife and two daughters.聽The old house wasn鈥檛 in a good聽condition. Thus, they took a caravan聽with them to Kerracher. But there聽wasn鈥檛 a road going there.聽Eric built a big raft. He got聽help from a fisherman who was聽living in Kylesku. The fisherman聽pulled the raft to Kerracher with his聽boat.聽Roddy MacLeod is the name of聽the fisherman. Roddy is from聽Scalpay Harris. But he has been聽living for many years in Assynt and聽the Mackay Country [of N Sutherland].聽He did much work for Gaelic聽in those areas.聽Eric wrote a book about his聽years in Kerracher 鈥� The Kerracher聽Man. He names Roddy MacLeod聽often. Anyway, Roddy pulled the raft聽down the loch. The caravan was聽now a home for the family.聽Eric tried to be a fisherman.聽Roddy gave him work. That didn鈥檛聽last long, however. Eric suffered聽from seasickness. Roddy gave him聽advice. 鈥淭here鈥檚 only one cure for聽seasickness,鈥� he said.聽鈥淲hat is it?鈥� Eric asked.聽鈥淪tanding under a tree!鈥� said聽Roddy. Eric鈥檚 career as a fisherman聽came to an end.聽But he and his family were聽successful in other ways. They did聽different things to make money 鈥撀爃airdressing, driving the school bus,聽crofting and fish-farming. They had聽hens. They had a peat bank.聽They had big storms at times.聽One time there was a storm at the聽time of the spring tides. There was a聽high tide at night. The wood they聽had for fixing up the house was聽floating out to sea.聽Things were difficult at times.聽But at other times they enjoyed the聽place immensely. In the end, with聽the girls away, they left. But their聽story 鈥� sixteen years at Kerracher 鈥撀爄s very interesting.