大象传媒

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh mu Niall MacLe貌id 脿 Le貌dhas. 鈥橲 e Niall Odhar a chanadh daoine ris. Bha e air a bhith an s脿s ann am murt is marbhadh fad 霉ine mh貌r. Am measg sin chuir e an teicheadh air na daoine 脿 F矛obh a bha a鈥� feuchainn ri Le貌dhas a ghabhail thairis. Bha e a鈥� fuireach greis air Eilean Bhearasaigh far cladach an iar Le貌dhais, faisg air Be脿rnaraigh.

Bha Niall a-nise air beulaibh na croiche ann an D霉n 脠ideann. Bha e an d貌chas gun tigeadh 貌rdugh maitheanais aig a鈥� mhionaid mu dheireadh. Ach cha t脿inig. Bha e air a chrochadh. An uair sin bha a cheann air a ghearradh far a chuirp.

Ach thug e r霉n-d矛omhair leis don chroich. Fhuair e a-steach air sp霉inneadair Sasannach, Peter Love. Nochd Love far taobh siar Le貌dhais ann an sia ceud deug is deich (1610). Bha st貌ras m貌r de dh鈥檌onmhas aige anns an luing aige. Rinn MacLe貌id brath air an t-Sasannach. Thug e seachad don riaghaltas e. Agus chaidh Love a chrochadh ann an L矛te.

Ach ch霉m MacLe貌id ionmhas an t-Sasannaich. Bha seudan ann, buinn 貌ir, gunnaichean, truinnsearan airgid, b猫in, sp矛osraidhean agus si霉car. A r猫ir choltais, cha robh sgeul air na rudan sin 脿s d猫idh b脿s Love. Agus chan eil sgeul orra chun an latha an-diugh 鈥� ann an cl脿raidhean a鈥� Chr霉in no ann am beul-aithris Le貌dhais. 鈥橲 iongantach mura deach an cur fon talamh ann am badeigin 鈥� 鈥檚 d貌cha fon ghainmhich ann an Sg矛re 脵ige. Saoil am bi e coltach ri Fir-t脿ilisg Le貌dhais, 鈥檚 gun nochd iad a-rithist uair no uaireigin?

Nuair a bha na F矛obhaich a鈥� feuchainn ri Le貌dhas a ghabhail thairis, bha iad an s脿s ann an iomairt dhen t-se貌rsa a bhiodh a鈥� comharrachadh 脤mpireachd Bhreatainn. Aig deireadh an t-seachdamh linn deug, dh鈥檉heuch Albannaich ri tuineachas a dh猫anamh ann an Darien ann an Meadhan Ameireagaidh. Cha do dh鈥檕braich e. Bha na h-Albannaich na b鈥� fhe脿rr air 矛mpireachd a thogail nuair a bha iad mar ph脿irt de Bhreatainn.

C貌rr is ceud bliadhna 脿s d猫idh tuineachadh Darien, bha Albannach eile an s脿s ann an iomairt airson a cho-n脿iseantaich a th脿ladh gu meadhan Ameireagaidh. An turas seo, bha e a鈥� sanasachd d霉thaich nach robh ann. 鈥橲 e foillear a bh鈥� anns an duine sin.

Rugadh Griogair MacGriogair ann an D霉n 脠ideann ann an seachd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a sia (1786). Bha e ann an arm Bhreatainn agus bha e a鈥� sabaid ann am Portagail 鈥檚 an Sp脿inn. Ach fhuair e fios mu na h-iomairtean airson saorsa a bha a鈥� dol ann an Ameireagaidh a Deas. Bha sin tarraingeach dha, agus dh鈥檉halbh e gu ruige Bhenesu猫la.

脌s d猫idh beagan bhliadhnaichean ann an Ameireagaidh a Deas agus Meadhan Ameireagaidh, thill MacGriogair a Bhreatainn cuide ri a bhean bhr猫agha, Josefa Andrea Lovera. Bha ise c脿irdeach do cheannard luchd-str矛 na saorsa 鈥� Sim贸n Bol铆var. Dh鈥檌nnis MacGriogair do dhaoine ann an Lunnainn gun robh 脿rd-dhreuchd is tiotal aige 鈥� His Serene Highness Gregor I, Prince of Poyais. Dh鈥檌nns e cuideachd gun robh e ann an sliochd Rab Ruaidh MhicGriogair. Fhuair e cuireadh a nochdadh air beulaibh an R矛gh, De貌rsa IV. Dh鈥檌nns e don a h-uile duine mu Phoyais 鈥� d霉thaich iongantach bheartach thorrach a bha l脿n choilltean agus 鈥� 鈥檚 d貌cha 鈥� l脿n 貌ir. D霉thaich nach robh ann! Innsidh mi tuilleadh mu dheidhinn a鈥� ghnothaich an-ath-sheachdain.听

air a bhith an s脿s ann am murt is marbhadh: had been involved in murder and mayhem; air beulaibh na croiche: in front of the gibbet; gun tigeadh 貌rdugh maitheanais aig a鈥� mhionaid mu dheireadh: that an order of clemency would come at the last minute; bha a cheann air a ghearradh far a chuirp: his head was cut from his body; fhuair e a-steach air sp霉inneadair Sasannach: he got friendly with an English pirate; rinn X brath air Y: X deceived Y; bha seudan ann, buinn 貌ir, gunnaichean, truinnsearan airgid, b猫in, sp矛osraidhean agus si霉car: there were jewels, gold coins, guns, silver plates, animal skins, spices and sugar; cl脿raidhean a鈥� Chr霉in: Crown records; 鈥檚 iongantach mura deach an cur fon talamh ann am badeigin: they probably got buried somewhere; fon ghainmhich ann an Sg矛re 脵ige: under the sand in Uig (parish); saoil am bi e coltach ri Fir-t脿ilisg Le貌dhais?: do you think it鈥檒l be like the Lewis Chessmen?; uair no uaireigin: some time or other; iomairt dhen t-se貌rsa a bhiodh a鈥� comharrachadh 脤mpireachd Bhreatainn: a campaign of the type that would characterize the British Empire; airson a cho-n脿iseantaich a th脿ladh: to attract his fellow countrymen; ann an sliochd Rab Ruaidh MhicGriogair: a descendant of Rob Roy MacGregor; bha ise c脿irdeach do cheannard luchd-str矛 na saorsa: she was a relation of the leader of the freedom fighters; a nochdadh air beulaibh an R矛gh, De貌rsa IV: to appear in front of the King; d霉thaich iongantach bheartach thorrach a bha l脿n choilltean: an amazing rich fertile country that was heavily forested; d霉thaich nach robh ann: a country that didn鈥檛 exist.

an-ath-sheachdain: next week. A point about written conventions this week. I try to stick to the most recent Gaelic Orthographic Conventions (GOC) but there have been some small changes in the 2009 (bilingual) version, compared to the 2005 (English-only) version 鈥� and I鈥檝e only just caught up with one of them. In 2005 the recommendation was an ath-sheachdain for 鈥渘ext week鈥� and an ath sheachdain for 鈥渢he following week鈥�. The 2009 GOC word list gives more hyphenation viz. an-ath-sheachdain for 鈥渘ext week鈥� and an ath sheachdain for 鈥渢he following week鈥�. Similarly, the new recommendations include 补苍-补迟丑-辞颈诲丑肠丑鈥� (tomorrow night), an ath oidhche (the following night), 补苍-补迟丑-产丑濒颈补诲丑苍鈥�/补苍-补迟丑-产丑濒颈补诲丑苍补 (next year) and an ath bhliadhna (the following year).

thug e r霉n-d矛omhair leis: he took a secret with him.

听

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