大象传媒

Bha papar 鈥� d矛threabhaich Gh脿idhealach 鈥� a鈥� fuireach ann an Innis T矛le ann an ochd ceud is seachdad (870). Tha an 脥蝉濒别苍诲颈苍驳补产贸办 ag innse sin dhuinn. 鈥橲 e sin a鈥� bhliadhna a nochd na Lochlannaich. Dh鈥檉halbh na papar. Cha do thill iad. Dh鈥檉h脿g iad clagan agus leabhraichean air an eilean.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ach nochd G脿idheil eile ann an Innis T矛le. Bha mnathan G脿idhealach aig cuid de Lochlannaich. Agus bha na tr脿illean aig na Lochlannaich 脿 脠irinn is Alba. Bha G脿idhlig acasan.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Dh鈥檌onnsaich sinn bho DNA, eachdraidh, ainmean-脿ite is c脿nan gun tug na G脿idheil buaidh air muinntir Innis T矛le. Chan eil fios againn cia mheud G脿idheal a bha ann. Tha cuid ag r脿dh gun robh iad a鈥� d猫anamh suas ri ceathrad 脿s a鈥� cheud dhen t-sluagh.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 An robh na tr脿illean ag innse sgeulachdan? An d鈥� fhuair na T矛lich an gr脿dh aca air st貌iridhean bho na G脿idheil? Tha e貌laichean ag aithneachadh rudan coltach eadar na seann st貌iridhean G脿idhealach agus na seann st貌iridhean T矛leach. 鈥橲 e smuain inntinneach a tha sin.

Mus leig mi soraidh le Innis T矛le, tha mi ag iarraidh innse dhuibh mu bheinn ainmeil anns an d霉thaich sin. Tha i mun aon 脿irde ri Beinn Nibheis. Ach, eucoltach ri Beinn Nibheis, bidh i a鈥� spreadhadh bho 脿m gu 脿m. 鈥橲 e bholc脿no a tha innte. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm oirre 鈥� Hekla.

Spreadh Hekla ceithir tursan anns an fhicheadamh linn. Uair no uaireigin bidh a鈥� spreadhadh a-rithist. Chuir mi sin 脿s mo cheann nuair a bha mi faisg oirre. Ach d猫 mu dheidhinn a h-ainm? Tha hekla a鈥� ciallachadh 肠濒别貌肠补. Bidh ce貌 oirre mar chle貌ca cha mh貌r fad na h-霉ine.

A bheil sibh e貌lach air beinn eile air a bheil Hecla? Tha t猫 ann an Uibhist a Deas. Am bi ce貌 oirrese gu tric cuideachd? Bhiodh sin ciallach gu le貌r.

Papar 鈥� Gaelic-speaking hermits 鈥� were living in Iceland in the year 870. 脥蝉濒别苍诲颈苍驳补产贸办 tells us that. That鈥檚 the year the Norse appeared. The papar left. They did not return. They left bells and books on the island.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But other Gaels appeared in Iceland. Some of the Norse had Gaelic wives. And the slaves of the Norse were from Ireland and Scotland. They spoke Gaelic.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We鈥檝e learned from DNA, history, place-names and lang-uage that the Gaels influenced the people of Iceland. We don鈥檛 know how many Gaels there were. Some people say that they made up to forty percent of the population.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Were the slaves telling stories? Did the Icelanders get their love of stories from the Gaels? Experts recognise simil-arities between the old Gaelic stories and the old Icelandic stories. That鈥檚 an interesting thought.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Before I bid farewell to Iceland, I want to tell you about a famous mountain in that country. It鈥檚 about the same height as Ben Nevis. But, unlike Ben Nevis, it erupts from time to time. It鈥檚 a volcano. It鈥檚 name is Hekla.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Hekla erupted four times in the twentieth century. Some time or another it will erupt again. I put that out of my thoughts when I was close to it. But what about its name? Hekla means 鈥渃loak鈥�. It has mist/cloud on it like a cloak almost all the time.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Do you know another mountain called Hecla? There is one in South Uist. Does it often get mist/cloud on it as well? That would make sense.