大象传媒

Aig toiseach an t-seachdamh linn deug, chaidh buidheann de Ghoill 脿 F矛obh a Ste貌rnabhagh. B鈥� iad sin na Fife Adventurers. Bha iad a鈥� dol a dh猫anamh tuineachas ann an Le貌dhas. Bha taic aca bhon R矛gh, Seumas VI. Sheas Niall MacLe貌id, agus Le貌daich eile, nan aghaidh. Rinn na Le貌daich sgrios air d霉n nam F矛obhach.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bha an riaghaltas ann an D霉n 脠ideann m矛-thoilichte. Thug iad cead do cheann-cinnidh Clann 鈥檌c Coinnich Chinn T脿ile a dhol an t貌ir air Niall. Chaidh Niall a dh鈥檉huireach ann an Eilean Bhearasaigh. Tha sin far cladach an iar Le貌dhais.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Fhad 鈥檚 a bha Niall ann am Bear-asaigh, nochd sp霉inneadair Sasannach. B鈥� esan Peter Love. Bha Love air a bhith ri sp霉inneadh. Bha st貌ras m貌r aige air b貌rd de rudan luachmhor.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Thug Niall comraich do Love. Ach rinn e brath air. Chuir e Love is a chriutha ann an gr猫im. Thug e Love don riaghaltas. Bha Niall an d貌chas maitheanas fhaighinn bhon riaghaltas airson sgrios a dh猫anamh air na F矛obhaich. Ach cha d鈥� fhuair e maitheanas. Agus chaidh Love a chrochadh gu b脿s. Bha sin ann an L矛te ann an sia ceud deug is deich (1610).

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Mu dheireadh, chaidh Niall do Na Hearadh. Dh鈥檌arr e taic bhon cheann-chinnidh, Ruairidh MacLe貌id. Bha Ruairidh a鈥� dol a thoirt N猫ill a Lunnainn. Bha Niall ag iarraidh coinneachadh ris an R矛gh. Ach r脿inig iad Glaschu. Agus chaidh iarraidh air Ruairidh Niall a thoirt a Dh霉n 脠ideann. Bha Niall air a chur don phr矛osan.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Th脿inig latha a鈥� chrochaidh. Bha Niall dhen bheachd gun robh 貌rdugh maitheanais a鈥� tighinn fhathast. Cha robh e ann an cabhaig an r貌p fhaighinn timcheall amhaich. Bha fear de na crochadairean m矛-fhoighidneach. 鈥淐ome on, Bodach,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥渨e haven鈥檛 got all day.鈥� Dh鈥櫭╥gh MacLe貌id ann an G脿idhlig nach e bodach a bha ann. Agus an t脿inig maitheanas? Innsidh mi dhuibh anns an ath Litir.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a group of Lowlanders from Fife went to Stornoway. They were the Fife Adventurers. They were going to set up a colony in Lewis. They had support from the King, James VI. Neil MacLeod, and other MacLeods, stood against them. The MacLeods destroyed the Fifers鈥� stronghold.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The government in Edinburgh was displeased. They gave permission to the clan chief of the Mackenzies of Kintail to go in pursuit of Neil. Niall went to live on the island of Berisay. That鈥檚 off the west coast of Lewis.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 While Neil was in Berisay, an English pirate appeared. He was Peter Love. Love had been involved in piracy. He had a great store on board of valuable things.

聽 聽聽聽聽聽聽Neil gave Love sanctuary. But he deceived him. He put Love and his crew in custody. Neil was hoping to receive a pardon from the government for destroying the Fifers. But he didn鈥檛 get a pardon. And Love was hanged to death. That was in Leith in 1610.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Eventually, Neil went to Harris. He sought support from the clan chief, Ruairidh MacLeod. Ruairidh was going to take Neil to London. Neil was wanting to meet the King. But they reached Glasgow. And it was requested of Ruairidh that he take Neil to Edinburgh. Neil was put in prison.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The day of the hanging came. Neil was of the opinion that an order of pardon was still coming. He wasn鈥檛 in a hurry to get the rope around his neck. One of the hangmen was impatient. 鈥淐ome on, Old Man,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥渨e haven鈥檛 got all day.鈥� MacLeod shouted in Gaelic that he wasn鈥檛 an old man. And did a pardon come? I鈥檒l tell you in the next Litir.