大象传媒

Bha An t-Urr Alexander Pope na mhinistear ann am Meaghrath ann an Gallaibh anns an ochdamh linn deug. Anns a鈥� bhliadhna seachd ceud deug, trithead 鈥檚 a naoi (1739) no mar sin, chruinnich e beul-aithris Gh脿idhlig ann an Gallaibh. Ann am bliadhna nuair a tha am M貌d N脿iseanta gu bhith ann an Gallaibh, saoilidh mi nach d猫an e cron sam bith s霉il a thoirt air an obair aige.

Am measg na chruinnich e bha Duan Diarmaid. Seo na sgr矛obh e fh猫in mu dheidhinn: Tha bodach anns an sg矛re seo a bheir dheth a bhonaid gach turas a ghabhas e 鈥淒uan Diarmaid鈥�. Fhuair mi a-steach don taigh agam e, thug mi botal leann dha agus dh鈥檌arr mi air 鈥淒uan Diarmaid鈥� a ghabhail. 脌s d猫idh c貌mhradh beag, thuirt e gun d猫anadh e sin airson ministear a pharaiste a thoileachadh ach thug e a bhonaid dheth. Dh鈥檌arr mi air stad agus a bhonaid a chur air. Ach thug e leisgeul air choreigin.

Cho luath 鈥檚 a th貌isich e air seinn, dh鈥櫭╥rich mi agus chuir mi a bhonaid air a-rithist. Rinn e guidheachan agus dhi霉lt e an tuilleadh a ghabhail mura leiginn leis a cheann fh脿gail gun cheann-bheart. Thug mi a shaorsa dha agus sheinn e gu foghainteach. An uair sin dh鈥檉haighnich mi dheth gu d猫 an t-adhbhar a bh鈥� aige [a bhith a鈥� seinn gun cheann-bheart]; thuirt e rium gur e urram don ghaisgeach a bu choireach [a鈥� ciallachadh Diarmaid]. Dh鈥檉haighnich mi dheth an robh e dhen bheachd gun robh spiorad a鈥� ghaisgich an l脿thair; thuirt e nach robh ach gun robh e iomchaidh dhaibhsan a bha na shliochd a bhith a鈥� toirt urram do a chuimhne.

Tha ochdad 鈥檚 a c貌ig loidhnichean anns an duan. Chan eil e furasta a leughadh oir cha do sgr矛obh Mgr Pope a鈥� Gh脿idhlig leis an t-siostam litreachaidh a th鈥� againn an-diugh. Tha an duan a-mach air mar a mharbh Diarmad an torc nimhe airson dearbhadh do Fhionn MacCumhail gun robh e airidh air Gr脿inne a bhith aige mar bhean-ch猫ile.

鈥橲 aithne dhomh tr矛 脿iteachan ann an Alba far a bheilear ag r脿dh gun do mharbh Diarmad an torc 鈥� Gleann S矛dh, T貌rr an Tuirc faisg air an 脪ban agus Beinn Laghail ann an D霉thaich MhicAoidh. De na tr矛 脿iteachan sin, 鈥檚 e Beinn Laghail as fhaisge air Meaghrath ann an Gallaibh. Gu dearbh, chithear a鈥� bheinn 脿 Meaghrath air latha soilleir. Ach gu h-inntinneach tha an duan a chruinnich Mgr Pope ann an Gallaibh a鈥� gabhail 脿ite ann an Gleann S矛dh, seach ann an D霉thaich MhicAoidh.

Am measg na chruinnich e tha sgeulachdan na F猫inne a tha a鈥� toirt a-steach Fionn, Oisean, Oscar, Caoilte is Conlaoch 鈥� na laoich air a bheil sinn e貌lach bho sg矛rean eile. Ach tha st貌iridh aige nach fhaca mi ann an 脿ite sam bith eile 鈥� Duan Learmoin. Tha Oisean, mac Fhinn, a鈥� caoidh mar a chaill r矛oghachd athar gu dubh aig l脿mhan nan Lochlannach.

B鈥� e Learmon fear cumhachdach a bh鈥� ann an co-bhanntachd le Fionn. Ach nuair a nochd cabhlach m貌r 脿 Lochlann, cha robh Learmon de貌nach cath a chur. Lagaich sin na G脿idheil agus thug na Lochlannaich buaidh orra. Saoil an robh an sgeulachd sin na chomharra air rudeigin a thachair ann an eachdraidh nan G脿idheal 鈥� eadhon ann an Gallaibh 鈥� o chionn fhada?

Meaghrath: Reay (parish); Gallaibh: Caithness; torc nimhe: wild boar; Gleann S矛dh: Glenshee; Beinn Laghail: Ben Loyal; D霉thaich MhicAoidh: The Mackay Country (N Sutherland); seach (ann an): rather than (in); Oisean, mac Fhinn: Ossian, the son of Fionn; co-bhanntachd: coalition; cabhlach: fleet.

saoilidh mi nach d猫an e cron sam bith: I reckon it won鈥檛 do any harm; thug mi botal leann dha: I gave him a bottle of ale; gun d猫anadh e sin airson ministear a pharaiste a thoileachadh: that to oblige his parish minister he would do so; leisgeul air choreigin: some excuse; rinn e guidheachan: he swore; dhi霉lt e an tuilleadh a ghabhail: he refused to sing any more; mura leiginn leis a cheann fh脿gail gun cheann-bheart: unless I allowed him [his head] to be uncovered; thug mi a shaorsa dha: I gave him his freedom; sheinn e gu foghainteach: he sang with great spirit; gur e urram don ghaisgeach a bu choireach: that it was out of regard for the hero; an robh e dhen bheachd gun robh spiorad a鈥� ghaisgich an l脿thair: if he thought that the spirit of the hero was present; gun robh e iomchaidh dhaibhsan a bha na shliochd: that it well became them who descended from him; a bhith a鈥� toirt urram do a chuimhne: to honour his memory; airidh air Gr脿inne a bhith aige mar bhean-ch猫ile: worthy of having Gr脿inne as his wife; 鈥檚 aithne dhomh: I know; chithear a鈥� bheinn air latha soilleir: the mountain can be seen on a clear day; a鈥� caoidh mar a chaill r矛oghachd athar aig l脿mhan nan Lochlannach: laments how his father鈥檚 country lost at the hands of the Norsemen; na chomharra air rudeigin a thachair: a representation of something that happened.

Since first coming across Buaile Oscar, an ancient hillfort on the top of Beinn Freiceadain near Halkirk in Caithness, I have been intrigued as to whether the name means 鈥渓eap fold鈥� as in local tradition or whether it is linked to the great legendary Gaelic hero Oscar (or Osgar), son of Oisean and grandson of Fionn MacCumhail. A local tradition connects the hill by a leap (of a giant) to the next hill to the north where there is a supposed footprint called Lorg an Fhamhair. But Rev Pope鈥檚 collection shows us that Oscar was a significant figure in Caithnessian Gaelic tradition, as he was elsewhere in Gaelic Scotland. The collection includes ten Fingalian legends from Caithness, and Oscar is mentioned in five of them. If you have any information on Fingalian connections to Caithness and Sutherland, I鈥檇 love to hear from you.

cha robh Learmon de貌nach cath a chur: Learmon wasn鈥檛 willing to wage war.

听

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