大象传媒

Seo ainm-脿ite inntinneach 脿 Muile 鈥� Maol Tobar Leac an t-Sagairt. The bare hill of the well of the flagstone, or gravestone, of the priest. Maol Tobar Leac an t-Sagairt. Tha e ann am meadhan ceann a deas an eilein. Tha e faisg air an rathad eadar Creag an Iubhair agus Fionnphort.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Feumaidh gu bheil tobar faisg air l脿imh. Agus, nuair a tha thu ga ghoogladh air an eadar-l矛on, tha gu dearbh fear ann 鈥� Tobar Leac an t-Sagairt. Ach c貌 an sagart a bha ann? Agus carson a chaidh an tobar ainmeachadh air a shon?

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bha T貌mas Garnett anns an sg矛re sin anns a鈥� bhliadhna seachd ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1798). Fhuair esan an st貌iridh. Sgr矛obh e mu dheidhinn anns an leabhar aige Observations on a Tour Through the Highlands ...

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Tha an st貌iridh a鈥� dol air ais do linn Chaluim Chille. Bha an naomh a鈥� fuireach ann an Eilean 脤. Chaochail sagart ann an Torasaigh. Tha sin ann an taobh sear Mhuile. Bha cothrom ann do dhuine eile a bheathachadh fhaighinn. Bha gu le貌r de shagartan c貌mhla ri Calum Cille ann an Eilean 脤. Dh鈥檌arr dithis aca air Calum Cille am beathachadh fhaighinn ann an Torasaigh.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Thuirt Calum Cille riutha, 鈥淎m fear a ruigeas Torasaigh an toiseach, 鈥檚 e a gheibh a bheathachadh.鈥� Ach 鈥檚 e an oidhche a bha ann. Chuir Calum Cille stad air an dithis bho bhith a鈥� t貌iseachadh gus an robh solas an latha ann.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 An ath mhadainn, dh鈥檉halbh fear dhiubh gu math tr脿th. Lorg an sagart eile a鈥� chiad fhear. Ach cha robh e be貌. Bha e marbh ri taobh an tobair.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 D猫 thug b脿s dha? Bha cuid dhen bheachd gun do dh鈥櫭瞝 e cus uisge aig an tobar. Bha cuid eile dhen bheachd gun do mhuirt an sagart eile e. Co-dhi霉, chaidh an tobar ainmeachadh 鈥淭obar Leac an t-Sagairt鈥�. Agus tha an t-ainm sin air fhathast.

Here is an interesting place-name from Mull 鈥� Maol Tobar Leac an t-Sagairt. The bare hill of the well of the flagstone, or gravestone, of the priest. Maol Tobar Leac an t-Sagairt. It鈥檚 in the middle of the south of the island. It鈥檚 close to the road between Craignure and Fionnphort.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 There must be a well nearby. And, when you google it on the internet, there is indeed one there 鈥� Tobar Leac an t-Sagairt. But who was the priest? And why was the well named for him?

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Thomas Garnett was in that area in the year 1798. He got the story. He wrote about it in his book Observations on a Tour Through the Highlands ...

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The story goes back to the time of St Columba. The saint was living on Iona. A priest died at Torosay. That was in the east of Mull. There was an opportunity for another man to gain his benefice. There were many priests with Columba on Iona. Two of them asked Columba if they could get their benefice in Torosay.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Columba said to them, 鈥淭he first man to reach Torosay will get his benefice.鈥� But it was night-time. Columba stopped the two men from starting until there was daylight.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The next morning, one of them left very early. The other priest found the first one. But he wasn鈥檛 alive. He was dead beside the well.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 What caused his death? Some were of the opinion that he drank too much water at the well. Others thought that the other priest murdered him. Anyway, the well was named 鈥淭obar Leac an t-Sagairt鈥�. And it鈥檚 still called that.