大象传媒

Cuin a bha an lioncs be貌 mu dheireadh聽ann an Alba? Chan eil fios le cinnt. Bha聽daoine a鈥� smaoineachadh gun deach e 脿聽bith m矛ltean bhliadhnaichean air ais. Ach聽tha e coltach nach eil sin f矛or.聽Tha uamhan ann an Asainte faisg聽air Innis nan Damh. Chaidh claigeann聽lioncs a lorg ann an t猫 de na h-uamhan.聽Bha sin ann an naoi ceud deug, fichead聽鈥檚 a seachd (1927). Bha na h-e貌laichean聽a鈥� smaoineachadh gun robh an claigeann聽ceithir m矛le bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois. Bha iad聽a鈥� smaoineachadh gun deach an lioncs 脿聽bith mun 脿m sin ann am Breatainn. Bha聽iad ag r脿dh gur e an aimsir fhliuch a rinn聽sin.聽Ach chaidh tomhas ceart a dh猫anamh聽air aois a鈥� chlaiginn. Chleachd iad聽teicne貌las r猫idio-charboin. Agus cha聽robh e cho sean sin. Bha e m矛le is ochd聽ceud bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois. Bha an aimsir聽air a dhol fliuch fada roimhe sin.聽Chaidh cn脿mh lioncs a lorg ann聽an Sasainn. Chaidh aois a sgr霉dadh.聽Fhuair am beathach b脿s eadar ceithir聽cheud, fichead 鈥檚 a c貌ig (425) agus sia聽ceud (600) AC. Agus tha seann d脿n 脿聽ceann a tuath Shasainn ann an seann聽Chuimris. Tha iad ag r脿dh gu bheil an聽d脿n ag ainmeachadh an lioncs.聽鈥橲 e lioncs an t-ainm air a鈥櫬燾hreutair an-diugh. Th脿inig sin bhon聽Bheurla. Anns an t-seann Gh脿idhlig, 鈥檚 e聽lug no lugh a bha na daoine ag r脿dh. Bha聽na G脿idheil e貌lach air na beathaichean聽sin o shean.聽脌s d猫idh na bliadhna d脿 cheud聽dheug (1200) chan eil am facal lugh ann聽an l脿mh-sgr矛obhainnean G脿idhlig. Chan聽eil seann sgeulachdan againn dhen lugh聽no lioncs mar a tha againn dhen torc.聽Tha iomadh st貌iridh againn dhen torc聽nimhe.聽Ach tha aithris ann am Beurla聽gun robh 鈥渓ions鈥� uaireigin pailt ann an聽ceann a tuath na h-Alba. Cha robh聽le貌mhainn ann an Alba, ge-t脿. Nise, 鈥檚 e聽a鈥� Chuimris air 鈥渓eomhann鈥� llew. Tha聽am facal c脿irdeach do lugh ann an聽G脿idhlig. Nuair a bha daoine ag aithris聽gun robh 鈥渓ions鈥� ann an Alba, an robh聽iad a鈥� ciallachadh lioncsaichean?

When was the lynx last alive in聽Scotland? It鈥檚 not known for certain.聽People were thinking that it became聽extinct thousands of years ago. But聽it appears that is not correct.聽There are caves in Assynt near聽Inchnadamph. A skull of a lynx was聽found in one of the caves. That was聽in 1927. The experts were thinking聽that the skull was four thousand聽years old. They were thinking that聽the lynx became extinct at about that聽time in Britain. They were saying聽that it was the wet weather that did聽that.聽But a correct assessment was聽made of the age of the skull. They聽used radiocarbon technology. And it聽wasn鈥檛 that old. It was one thousand聽eight hundred years old. The聽weather had become wet long before聽that.聽A lynx bone was found in聽England. Its age was assessed. The聽animal died between 425 and 600聽AD. And there is an old song from聽the north of England in old Welsh.聽They say that the poem names the聽lynx.聽The creature is called the聽鈥渓ioncs鈥� today. That came from聽English. In old Gaelic, it was 鈥渓ug鈥澛爋r 鈥渓ugh鈥� that people said. The聽Gaels were familiar with those聽animals in olden times.聽After the year 1200 AD the聽word lugh does not appear in Gaelic聽manuscripts. We don鈥檛 have old聽stories of the lynx like we do of the聽boar. We have many stories of the聽wild boar.聽But there is a report in English聽that 鈥渓ions鈥� were at one time聽plentiful in the north of Scotland.聽There were no lions in Scotland,聽however. Now, the Welsh for 鈥渓ion鈥澛爄s llew. The word is related to lugh聽in Gaelic. When people were reporting聽that there were 鈥渓ions鈥� in聽Scotland, were they meaning lynxes?