大象传媒

Bha mi a鈥� coimhead an latha eile air mapa eileagtronaigeach de dh鈥橝lba air l脿rach-l矛n聽Leabharlann N脿iseanta na h-Alba. Chaidh am mapa a dh猫anamh eadar seachd ceud deug,聽ceathrad 鈥檚 a seachd (1747) agus seachd ceud deug, caogad 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1755) le Uilleam Roy.

Thogadh Roy ann an Siorrachd Lannraig. Bha e anns an arm Hanobh猫irianach aig 脿m Ar-a-mach聽nan Seumasach. Nuair a bha an t-ar-a-mach seachad, chuir ceannardan an riaghaltais聽romhpa cairt-d霉thcha math a bhith aca de dh鈥橝lba. B鈥� e sin a鈥� chiad mhapa a bha st猫idhichte聽air na prionnsabalan tomhais-fearainn as aithne dhuinn an-diugh. Cha robh loidhnichean co脿irde聽air ach bha rudan anns na h-脿iteachan ceart, gu h-脿raidh na bailtean.

Bha 霉idh mh貌r aig Roy ann an gnothaichean cogaidh. Rinn e t貌rr rannsachaidh air na聽seann champaichean R貌manach ann an ceann a deas na h-Alba. Mar sin, bha mi airson聽faighinn a-mach an robh 脿ite cl脿raichte aige ann am Br脿igh Mh脿rr. 鈥橲 e an t-脿ite C脿rn na聽Cuimhne. Ann am Beurla uaireannan 鈥檚 e Carnaqueen a chanas daoine, no The Cairn of聽Remembrance. Tha e ri taobh Uisge D猫 ann an seann Gh脿idhealtachd Siorrachd Obar聽Dheathain.

Bha mi air gu le貌r a chluinntinn mu Ch脿rn na Cuimhne oir tha e rudeigin ainmeil ann聽am beul-aithris. Ach, o chionn ghoirid, fhuair mi an cothrom a dhol a choimhead air.聽Feumaidh tu coiseachd p矛os m貌r ri taobh na h-aibhne mus ruig thu an c脿rn.

A r猫ir beul-aithris, mus rachadh Clann 鈥檌c Fhearchair gu cath, bhiodh fir na fine a鈥櫬燾oinneachadh aig a鈥� ch脿rn. Bhiodh a h-uile duine a bha a鈥� dol a shabaid a鈥� togail clach 脿s an聽abhainn. Chuireadh e a chlach air a鈥� ch脿rn. Nuair a thigeadh na saighdearan dhachaigh an聽d猫idh a鈥� chatha, bhiodh iad a鈥� togail clach bhon ch脿rn is a tilleadh don abhainn. Bhiodh fios聽an uair sin cia mheud duine a chaidh a mharbhadh. B鈥� e sin 脿ireamh nan clach a bh鈥� air聽fh脿gail air a鈥� ch脿rn.

Chan eil fhios d猫 cho sean 鈥檚 a bha an cleachdadh. Tha cuid dhen bheachd gun do聽th貌isich e o chionn fhad an t-saoghail is gur e muinntir na sg矛re air fad a bha an s脿s ann is聽chan e Clann 鈥檌c Fhearchair a-mh脿in. Agus cuin a th脿inig e gu ceann? Uill, tha cuid ag r脿dh聽gur ann ri linn Mhontr貌is a sguir e. Bha sin ceud bliadhna mus robh Uilleam Roy a鈥� cl脿radh聽Alba. Chan eil fhios a鈥檓 le cinnt a bheil sin f矛or gus nach eil.

Gu m矛-fhortanach, chan eil C脿rn na Cuimhne air mapa Roy. Tha rudan eile faisg air聽l脿imh air a鈥� mhapa, agus tha cuid dhiubh d矛reach mar a tha iad an-diugh 鈥� mar eisimpleir

Ballachlaggan (no Bail鈥� a Chlaiginn) agus Tullochcoy (no Tulach Gaoithe). Ach chan eil聽sgeul air C脿rn na Cuimhne.

Ach an e 鈥淐脿rn na Cuimhne鈥� a bu ch貌ir a bhith air? Anns an leabhar aca, The Place聽Names of Upper Deeside, tha Adhamh MacBh脿tair agus Ealasaid NicAilein ag r脿dh gur e聽C脿rn na Coinneimh a bh鈥� air bho th霉s oir 鈥檚 ann aig a鈥� ch脿rn a bhiodh na saighdearan a鈥櫬燾oinneachadh aig 脿m catha. Mus rachadh iad a shabaid bhiodh iad ag 猫igheachd ainm a鈥櫬燾h霉irn. Ge-t脿, a r猫ir aithris, 鈥檚 e 鈥淐脿rn na Cuimhne!鈥� a dh鈥櫭╥gheadh iad seach 鈥淐脿rn na聽Coinneimh!鈥� Nach biodh e math a dhol air ais ann an eachdraidh is 猫isteachd ris na chanadh聽na daoine ann an dha-r矛ribh?聽

eileagtronaigeach: electronic; Siorrachd Lannraig: Lanarkshire; Uisge D猫: The River Dee; C脿rn na Cuimhne: The Cairn of Remembrance.

Leabharlann N脿iseanta na h-Alba: The National Library of Scotland; anns an arm Hanobh猫irianach: in the Hanoverian army; Ar-a-mach nan Seumasach: the Jacobite Rebellion; chuir ceannardan an riaghaltais romhpa cairt-d霉thcha math a bhith aca: the leaders of the government decided they must have a good map; st猫idhichte air na prionnsabalan tomhais-fearainn as aithne dhuinn: based on the surveying principles we know today; an robh 脿ite cl脿raichte aige ann am Br脿igh Mh脿rr: if he had a place recorded in [the region of] Braemar; ainmeil ann am beul-aithris: well known in oral tradition; feumaidh tu coiseachd p矛os m貌r ri taobh na h-aibhne: you must quite a way beside the river; mus rachadh Clann 鈥檌c Fhearchair gu cath: before the Farquharsons went into battle; bhiodh fir na fine a鈥� coinneachadh: the men of the clan would gather; nuair a thigeadh na saighdearan dhachaigh an d猫idh a鈥� chatha: when the soldiers would come home after thebattle; a tilleadh don abhainn: return it to the river; cia mheud duine a chaidh a mharbhadh: how many were killed; 脿ireamh nan clach a bh鈥� air fh脿gail air a鈥� ch脿rn: the number of stonesleft on the cairn; tha cuid dhen bheachd gun do th貌isich e o chionn fhad an t-saoghail: some people think it started in ancient times; gur ann ri linn Mhontr貌is a sguir e: in the time of Montrose it stopped [mid 17th Century]; chan eil fhios a鈥檓 le cinnt: I鈥檓 not certain; Adhamh MacBh脿tair agus Ealasaid NicAilein: Adam Watson and Elizabeth Allan; 鈥檚 ann aig a鈥� ch脿rn a bhiodh na saighdearan a鈥� coinneachadh aig 脿m catha: it鈥檚 at the cairn that the soldiers would meet at a time of conflict; mus rachadh iad a shabaid: before they went tofight; bhiodh iad ag 猫igheachd ainm a鈥� ch霉irn: they would shout the name of the cairn.

Cha robh loidhnichean co-脿irde air: there were no contour lines on it. The Gaelic for contour line is loidhne cho-脿irde which means 鈥渓ine of equa laltitude鈥�. Co- is a very useful element in creating compounds. It can be equivalent to the English elements co- (both are related to the Latin) or iso- (鈥渆qual鈥�) or syn-(鈥渢ogether鈥�),both derived from the Greek. Thus we can form Gaelic equivalents as follows:co-ordinate: co-chomharra; commutative: co-iomlaideach; isohyet: loidhne cho-uisge ;isotherm: loidhne cho-theas; symmetrical: co-chothromach. Other examples are co-amail (simultaneous) and co-astarail (equidistant).

is 猫isteachd ris na chanadh na daoine ann an dha-r矛ribh: andlisten to what the people would say in reality.

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