大象传媒

D猫 cho tric agus a chunnaic sibh gobhar ann an Alba? Chan eil mi a鈥� ciallachadh gobhar m貌r聽geal air c霉l feansa, ach an fheadhainn a tha a鈥� fuireach sa mhonadh. Chunnaic mi fh矛n a聽leithid grunn tursan, mar eisimpleir anns an Eilean Dubh, ann an Colbhasa, ann an Srath Sp猫聽agus 鈥� o chionn ghoirid 鈥� faisg air Ceann Loch I霉 ann an Siorrachd Rois.

Bha mi a鈥� coiseachd c貌mhla ri feadhainn eile eadar an Lochan Fada ann am Fr矛th Leitir I霉 agus Loch Maruibhe. Bha sinn ann an gleann ris an canar Gleann Bianasdail. Faisg聽air l脿imh tha meall air a bheil Meallan Ghobhar mar ainm. Chunnaic mi ceumannan tron聽fhraoch air taobh thall an uillt. Bha an talamh gu math cas. D猫 eile a dh猫anadh slighean mar聽sin ach gobhair?

Bha mi a鈥� smaoineachadh gur ann air taobh thall an uillt a bhiodh na gobhair fh猫in. Ach bha an c霉 agam air thoiseach orm, a鈥� ruith gu sunndach. Gu h-obann, stad e. Bha e a鈥� coimhead air rudeigin. Bha amharas agam gur e gobhar a bh鈥� ann. Agus 鈥檚 e 鈥� boc m貌r le adharcan m貌ra. Cha robh an c霉 ro dhe貌nach dhol faisg air. Is beag an t-iongnadh! Bha mi a鈥� leughadh rudeigin annasach o chionn ghoirid mu ghobhair ann an Alba. Bha easbaig 脠ireannach air turas a dh鈥橝lba ann an seachd ceud deug is tr矛 fichead. B鈥� esan聽Ridseard Pococke 鈥� easbaig Pr貌stanach agus mac aig cl猫ireach Sasannach. Bha e air leabhar聽a sgr矛obhadh mu thr脿th mun Ear-mheadhanach, bha e air a bhith ann an Arcaibh聽bliadhnaichean roimhe agus a-nise bha e airson a dhol a choimhead air ceann a tuath t矛r-m貌r聽na G脿idhealtachd.

Chaidh Pococke a thadhal air uaislean na sg矛re agus sgr矛obh e cunntas mu mhuinntir an 脿ite. Mhol e na daoine. Bha iad tapaidh is be貌thail, shaoil e. Chaidh e air chuairt air a鈥� Pharbh agus 鈥檚 ann an sin a dh鈥檌onnsaich e rud annasach mu ghobhair. Bidh gobhair a鈥� marbhadh is ag ithe nathraichean. Chan fhaca mi fh矛n a leithid idir, ach saoil a bheil e f矛or?

Uill, chl脿ir Alasdair MacNeacail seanfhacal co-cheangailte ri sin: Cleas na goibhre 鈥檊ith鈥� na nathrach, ga s矛or itheadh, 鈥檚 a鈥� s矛or thalach. The goat鈥檚 trick is to eat the snake, eating away and still complaining. Cleas na goibhre 鈥檊 ith鈥� na nathrach, ga s矛or itheadh, 鈥檚 a鈥櫬爏矛or thalach.

Tha MacNeacail ag innse dhuinn gun robh na G脿idheil 鈥� ann an cuid de che脿rnaidhean co-dhi霉 鈥� dhen bheachd gun itheadh gobhair nathraichean. Bhiodh gobhar a鈥櫬爏tampadh air ceann na nathrach an toiseach. An uair sin bhiodh e ga h-ithe, earball an聽toiseach.聽
Fhad 鈥檚 a bhios gobhar a鈥� d猫anamh sin, bidh e a鈥� d猫anamh fuaim mar gu bheil e a鈥櫬爐alach, no a鈥� gearain.

Bha mi airson faighinn a-mach a bheil a leithid cl脿raichte ann an 脿iteachan eile. Mar sin, chaidh mi gu m脿thair-uisge an fhiosrachaidh 鈥� an t-eadar-l矛on. Seadh 鈥� tha fhios a鈥檓 鈥� 鈥檚聽e cleachdadh cunnartach a th鈥� ann.

Tha bhidiothan goirid m矛-thlachdmhor air an eadar-l矛on de nathraichean ag ithe ghobhar. Ach lorg mi aon chunntas de ghobhar a dh鈥檌th nathair. Tha fear anns na h-Innseachan air a bheil Mohammed Pasha. Bidh Mohammed a鈥� reic 猫isg. Bha gobhar aige聽ceangailte ri teadhair faisg air an 脿ite far an robh e a鈥� reic an 猫isg. Agus bha a ghobhar ag ithe聽an 猫isg!聽

A-nise bidh e ag ithe c貌rr air c貌ig cileagraman 猫isg gach latha! Aon turas dh鈥檌th an聽gobhar nathair. Nam biodh Mohammed c貌ir e貌lach air an t-seanfhacal Gh脿idhlig, cha bhiodh聽iongnadh sam bith air!

gobhar: goat; Ceann Loch I霉: Kinlochewe; Fr矛th Leitir I霉: the聽Letterewe deer forest; Loch Maruibhe: Loch Maree; uaislean: gentry; a鈥� gearain:聽complaining; na h-Innseachan: India.

chunnaic mi fh矛n a leithid grunn tursan: I myself saw the like on several occasions; ceumannan tron fhraoch: paths through the heather; taobh thall an uillt: the far side of the burn; d猫 eile a dh猫anadh slighean mar sin?: what else would make routes like that?; air thoiseach orm, a鈥� ruith gu sunndach: ahead of me, running happily; boc m貌r le adharcan m貌ra: a big buck with big horns; is beag an t-iongnadh: it鈥檚 hardly surprising; easbaig Pr貌stanach agus mac aig cl猫ireach Sasannach: a Protestant bishop and son of an English cleric; mun Ear-mheadhanach: about the Middle East; tapaidh is be貌thail: well built and energetic; air chuairt air a鈥� Pharbh: on a journey to Cape Wrath; saoil a bheil e f矛or?: do you reckon it鈥檚 true?; a鈥� stampadh air ceann na nathrach an toiseach: stamping on the snake鈥檚 head to start with; earball an toiseach: tail first; m脿thair-uisge an fhiosrachaidh 鈥� an t-eadarl矛on: the wellspring of [all] knowledge 鈥� the internet; cleachdadh cunnartach: a dangerous practice; bhidiothan goirid m矛-thlachdmhor: short unpleasant videos; aon chunntas deghobhar a dh鈥檌th nathair: one account of a goat that ate a snake; ceangailte ri teadhair: tied to a tether; faisg air an 脿ite far an robh e a鈥� reic an 猫isg: close to the place where he was selling fish; c貌rr air c貌ig cileagraman 猫isg gach latha: more than 5 kg of fish every day; cha bhiodh iongnadh sam bith air: he would not be surprised.

gleann ris an canar Gleann Bianasdail: a glen called Gleann聽Bianasdail. You might wonder why I haven鈥檛 followed the guidelines of the Gaelic聽Orthographic Conventions (GOC) and replaced the sd in Bianasdail with st (猫isd has聽become 猫ist and an-dr脿sda has become an-dr脿sta, for example). In fact I have followed GOC聽guidelines. They also tell us where the sd is part of a name of Norse origin in which the final聽element is dal/dail eg Lacasdal, Baghasdail, that the dal/dail should be preserved for the sake聽of its etymology.

Cleas na goibhre 鈥檊 ith鈥� na nathrach, ga s矛or itheadh, 鈥檚 a鈥� s矛or聽thalach: the goat鈥檚 trick is to eat the snake, eating away and still complaining.
Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA