大象传媒

Tha mi fhathast anns na h-Eileanan Beaga an t-seachdain seo. Ach tha mi air gluasad bho Eige gu ruige Canaigh. Bha mi toilichte cluinntinn o chionn ghoirid gu bheilear a鈥檇ol a dh猫anamh rannsachadh air seann l脿rach eachdraidheil ann an Canaigh. Chan e rannsachadh a th鈥� ann air eachdraidh an 脿ite 鈥� ach rannsachadh air mar a ghabhas an t-脿ite聽s脿bhaladh. Mura t猫id rudeigin a dh猫anamh a dh鈥檃ithghearr, tuitidh e 脿s a ch猫ile.

鈥橲 e Coroghon Castle an t-ainm air ann am Beurla, ged nach e caisteal 脿bhaisteach a th鈥� ann. Ann an G脿idhlig 鈥檚 e an Corra-dh霉n a th鈥� air. Bidh sibh e貌lach airan fhacal corra-bheinn, tha mi an d霉il. A steep or pointed hill or mountain. Corra-dh霉n,ma-th脿, steep fort or hill. Gu dearbh, 鈥檚 e sin a th鈥� ann. Ged nach eil e m貌r, tha e gumath cas.

Chaidh mi a鈥� choimhead air a鈥� Chorra-dh霉n an turas mu dheireadh a bha mi ann an Canaigh, agus bha e follaiseach nach maireadh an 鈥渃aisteal鈥� fada 脿s aonais obair c脿raidh聽mh貌r. 鈥橲 e a th鈥� anns a鈥� chaisteal togalach beag cloiche faisg air mullach cnuic an cois a鈥� chladaich. Tha an togalach a鈥� coimhead a-mach a dh鈥檌onnsaigh an d脿 chuid cladach an eilein agus taobh na mara 鈥� 脿s an tigeadh cunnart anns an t-seann aimsir.

Tha e a鈥� coimhead coltach gur e n脿dar de dh霉n a bh鈥� ann far am biodh daoine a鈥檇ol airson an d矛on fh猫in nuair a bha cogadh ann. Bhiodh e furasta gu le貌r a dh矛on 鈥檚 d貌cha. Air an l脿imh eile, chan eil uisge ann agus cha b鈥� urrainn m貌ran b矛dh a bhith air a st貌radh ann. Tha e d矛reach ro bheag. Mar sin, cha mhaireadh e fada an aghaidh feachd mh貌r 脿s aonais taic bhon taobh a-muigh. Ach bha e faisg air baile far an robh sluaghuaireigin. An deach na daoine ann fhad 鈥檚 a bha iad a鈥� feitheamh ri taic bho Chloinn Raghnaill ann an Uibhist no air t矛r-m貌r?

Tha sanasan ann an-diugh a tha a鈥� toirt rabhadh do dhaoine gun a bhith a鈥� streapair an d霉n. Tha e ro chunnartach. 鈥橲 e Urras N脿iseanta na h-Alba a chuir na sanasan ann. Agus chuir iad air na sanasan 鈥淐oroghon Castle/Prison鈥�. Saoil an e pr矛osan a bh鈥檃nn, seach caisteal?

Chaidh agallamh a dh猫anamh le seann eileanach, Aonghas D貌mhnallach, leis an neach-cruinneachaidh beul-aithris, Calum MacIlleathain. Rugadh Aonghas ann an ochdceud deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1863). Chan e 鈥渃aisteal鈥� a thuirt esan ach 鈥減r矛osan鈥�.聽
Agus tha beul-aithris ag innse dhuinn gun robh an togalach air a chleachdadh mar phr矛osan oshean. C貌 bh鈥� air a chumail ann mar phr矛osanach? Uill, bha bean fear de na cinnchinnidh.

Bha i uabhasach br猫agha agus bha an ceann-cinnidh m矛-thoilichte gun robh fireile ga suirghe.

Ann am beul-aithris b鈥� e D貌mhnall Dubh na Cuthaig an ceann-cinnidh sin. Bha ena cheann-cinnidh do Chloinn Raghnaill agus chaochail e ann an Canaigh ann an sia ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a sia (1686). Tha cuid a鈥� d猫anamh dheth gun do ghlais e a bhean M貌r ann am Pr矛osan a鈥� Chorra-dh霉in.

Ma tha sin f矛or, tha an togalach a鈥� dol air ais gu co-dhi霉 an seachdamh linn deug. Nochd a鈥� chiad dhealbh dheth ann an cl貌 anns an ochdamh linn deug anns an leabhar a sgr矛obh T貌mas Pennant mu a thuras a dh鈥橝lba ann an seachd ceud deug, seachdad 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1772). 鈥橲 fhiach an togalach a sh脿bhaladh ma ghabhas e d猫anamh. Ach saoilidh mi nach bi sin furasta no saor.

Na h-Eileanan Beaga: The Small Isles; 脿bhaisteach: normal: An Corra-dh霉n: Coroghan (Castle); cas: steep; cunnartach: dangerous; Urras N脿iseanta nah-Alba: The National Trust for Scotland; pr矛osan: prison; D貌mhnall Dubh na Cuthaig: Black-haired Donald of the Cuckoo; chaochail: died.

bho Eige gu ruige Canaigh: from Eigg to Canna; gu bheilear a鈥� dol a dh猫anamh rannsachadh air seann l脿rach eachdraidheil: that they are going to do research on an old historical site; mar a ghabhas an t-脿ite s脿bhaladh: how the place can be saved; mura t猫id rudeigin a dh猫anamh a dh鈥檃ithghearr: if nothing is done soon; tuitidh e 脿s a ch猫ile: it will fall to pieces; nach maireadh X fada 脿s aonais obair-c脿raidh mh貌r: that X wouldn鈥檛 last long without a lot of repair work; airson an d矛on fh猫in nuair a bha cogadh ann: to defend themselves at time of war; cha b鈥� urrainn m貌ran b矛dh a bhith air a st貌radh ann: not much food could be stored there; cha mhaireadh e fada 脿saonais taic bhon taobh a-muigh: it wouldn鈥檛 last long without help from the outside; bhoChloinn Raghnaill ann an Uibhist: from Clanranald in Uist; gun a bhith a鈥� streap: not to climb; c貌 bh鈥� air a chumail ann mar phr矛osanach?: who was held there as a prisoner?;bean fear de na cinn-chinnidh: the wife of one of the clan chiefs; gun robh fir eile ga suirghe: that other men were seeking her favours; an seachdamh linn deug: the Seventeenth Century; ann an cl貌: in print; saoilidh mi nach bi sin furasta no saor: I reckon that will not be easy or cheap.

togalach beag cloiche faisg air mullach cnuic an cois a鈥櫬燾hladaich: a little stone building close to a hilltop next to the shore. How are you at聽recognizing nouns in the genitive case? Can you identify the three in this sentence聽[have a look before reading on!]? The first is cloiche, the genitive singular of clach, a聽feminine noun. It is working here as an adjective meaning 鈥渕ade of stone鈥�. Cnuic is聽the genitive singular of the masculine noun cnoc; it means 鈥渙f a hill鈥�. And a鈥� chladaich聽means 鈥渙f the shore鈥�, cladaich being the genitive singular form of the masculine noun聽cladach. This word is in the genitive following the compound preposition an cois.

鈥橲 fhiach an togalach a sh脿bhaladh ma ghabhas e聽d猫anamh: it鈥檚 worth saving the building if it can be done.

Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA