大象传媒

Choinnich Calum MacGhilleathain ri Iain D貌mhnallach, 鈥淏脿rd Loch Abar鈥�, anns an Fhaoilleach naoi ceud deug, caogad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1951). Bha Calum ainmeil airson a bhith a鈥� cruinn-eachadh beul-aithris na G脿idhlig. Bha Iain ainmeil, co-dhi霉 gu h-ionadail, mar bh脿rd is seanchaidh.

Bha Iain air an rathad dhachaigh bhon eaglais. Sin an Eaglais Chaitligeach ann an Drochaid Ruaidh. Chuir Calum stad air. Bhruidhinn e ris ann an G脿idhlig. Th脿inig Iain far a bhaidhsagail.

Thuirt Calum ris gun robh e ag iarraidh beul-aithris aig Iain a chl脿radh airson Sgoil E貌lais na h-Alba. Dh鈥檃ont-aich Iain coinneachadh ris. Th脿inig iad c貌mhla aon latha gach seachdain airson c貌ig m矛osan. Fhuair Calum beul-aithris gu le貌r.

Nuair a thachair e ri Calum air an Did貌mhnaich sin, bha Iain d矛reach air 貌ran a sgr矛obhadh. Bha e mu dheidhinn nan Albannach a ghoid an Lia-f脿il 脿 Abaid Westminster. Bha sin d矛reach air tachairt. Cha robh sgeul air a鈥� chloich fhathast. Agus bha Iain gu math toilichte!

Chaidh e fh猫in is Calum air c霉l balla. Agus sheinn Iain an t-貌ran. Bha an t-貌ran l脿n l霉iths agus smior, thuirt Calum. Bha, agus an duine!

Bha Iain 脿s an Drochaid 脌rd faisg air Drochaid an Aonachain. Bha athair, Seumas Ruadh, na chlachair agus na chroitear. Mar chlachair, bha e a鈥� siubhal air feadh Loch Abar. Chruinnich e t貌rr beul-aithris. Thog Iain sgeulachdan bho athair.

Bha Iain fh猫in ag obair air na rathaidean agus air an rathad-iarainn. Dh鈥檉h脿s e ainmeil airson a chuid e貌lais air eachdraidh Loch Abar.

Bha st貌iridhean aig Iain D貌mhnallach mu dhaoine mar Chalum Cille, Raibeart Brus, D貌mhnall Ballach mac Tighearna nan Eilean, Alasdair Mac Colla, Te脿rlach 脪g Sti霉bhart agus m貌ran eile. Agus tha m貌ran dhen stuth a chl脿r Calum MacGilleathain leis gu bhith air l脿rach-l矛n 霉r an-ath-sheachdain. 鈥橲 e sin an l脿rach aig Tobar an Dualchais. Chuir am pr貌iseact sin m貌ran stuth 脿 beul-aithris ann an cruth didseatach. Bidh an l脿rach math dha-r矛ribh.

Calum Maclean met John MacDonald, the 鈥淟ochaber Bard鈥�, in January 1951. Calum was famous for collecting Gaelic oral tradition. John was famous, at least locally, as a poet and storyteller.

John was on the way home from church. That was the Catholic Church in Roybridge. Calum stopped him. He spoke to him in Gaelic. John came off his bicycle.

聽聽聽聽聽聽 Calum said to him that he was wanting to collect [some of] John鈥檚 oral tradition for the School of Scottish Studies. John agreed to meet him. They came together one day per week for five months. Calum got a lot of oral tradition.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 When he met Calum on that Sunday, John had just written a song. It was about the Scots who stole the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey. That had just happened. The stone had still not appeared. And John was delighted!

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 He and Calum went behind a wall. And John sang the song. The song was full of vigour and fire, said Calum. So was the man!

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 John was from Highbridge near Spean Bridge. His father, red-haired James, was a stonemason and crofter. As a mason, he was travelling around Lochaber. He collected a lot of oral tradition. John learned stories from his father.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 John himself was working on the roads and the railway. He became famous for his knowledge of the history of Lochaber.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 John MacDonald had stories about people like Columba, Robert Bruce, Donald Balloch, the son of the Lord of the Isles, Alasdair MacColla, Bonnie Prince Charlie and many others. And much of the material that Calum Maclean recorded with him is to appear on a new website next week. That鈥檚 the site of Tobar an Dualchais. That project digitized much oral material. The site will be excellent.