大象传媒

Bha mi a鈥� bruidhinn air gobhair agus mun chraoibh-theaghlaich an t-seachdain sa chaidh. F脿gaidh mi a鈥� chraobh-theaghlaich an d脿rna taobh an t-seachdain seo. Ach bheir mi s霉il a bharrachd air gobhair. Air mo bheulaibh, tha leabhar beag snog mu mhamailean a tha be貌 air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd, agus tha mi a鈥� leughadh seo ann: Feral Goat: unlikely to be confused with any other British mammal.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Uill, chanainn gu bheil sin f矛or. Tha gobhair eadar-dhealaichte bho chaoraich. Agus tha iad eadar-dhealaichte bho earbaichean agus f猫idh. Ach, do fheadhainn nach eil e貌lach air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd, 鈥檚 d貌cha nach eil e cho furasta sin dhaibh. Anns an leabhar aige In The Shadow of Cairngorm, tha an t-Oll. Urr. Uilleam Fearsithe a鈥� d猫anamh aithris air mar a bha sealgairean Sasannach dhen bheachd gun robh iad air earb no fiadh a mharbhadh. Ach fhuair iad a-mach an ceann greis gur e gobhar a bh鈥� ann.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Tha mi cinnteach, uaireannan, gun deach cleas a dh猫anamh air sealgairean 鈥溍箁a鈥�, agus an fheadhainn eile ag innse dhaibh gun robh boc-earba m貌r is spaideil ann an leithid seo de dh鈥櫭爄te. Bhiodh iad ga shealg airson greis gu d霉rachdach gus am faigheadh iad a-mach nach robh ann ach boc-gobhair!

听听听听听听听听听听听 Tha am facal gobhar cumanta ann an ainmean-脿ite air mapaichean na G脿idhealtachd. Lorg mi ceud 鈥檚 a sia eisimpleirean air na mapaichean Landranger aig an t-Suirbhidh 脪rdanais. An coimeas ri sin, cha do lorg mi ach caogad 鈥檚 a h-aon eisimpleirean dhen fhacal fiadh. Bha gobhair na bu chudromaiche aig aon 脿m na tha iad air a bhith thairis air a鈥� cheud gu leth bliadhna a dh鈥檉halbh. Tha e貌laichean dhen bheachd gu bheil nas lugha dhiubh ann a-nise na th鈥� air a bhith ann dhiubh fad ceudan m貌ra bhliadhnaichean.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Tha gobhair d霉thchasach bho th霉s don Ear-mheadhanach. Thathar a鈥� smaoineachadh gun t脿inig iad a Bhreatainn leis na ciad tuathanaich, ann an Nua-Linn na Cloiche. Agus chaidh iad timcheall leis na daoine oir bhuineadh iad do na daoine. An uair sin, dh鈥檉halbh feadhainn a-mach agus dh鈥檉huirich iad leotha fh猫in anns a鈥� mhonadh. Bha na daoine gan sealg airson an cuid fe貌la, bainne, b猫in agus adharcan. Bha na seann Gh脿idheil gan tomhas mar luachmhor. Bha e n脿darrach dhaibh 脿iteachan ainmeachadh air an son far am biodh na gobhair a鈥� fuireach no air an sealg.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Agus cha t脿inig iad a-steach a Bhreatainn d矛reach aon turas. Tha aithrisean ann, mar eisimpleir, gun deach gobhair a thoirt a-steach a cheann a tuath na G脿idhealtachd 脿 脠irinn anns an ochdamh linn deug.

听听听听听听听听听听听 R脿inig iad an 脿ireamh a bu mhotha dhiubh aig deireadh an ochdamh linn deug. Bha c貌rr is m矛le gobhar fiadhaich ann an cuid de sg矛rean. An uair sin, dh鈥櫭瑂lich an 脿ireamh dhiubh. Bha cuid de dh鈥檜achdarain ag iarraidh faighinn cuidhteas iad, agus fhuair. Bha diofar adhbharan airson sin.

听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥橲 ann airson coilltean 霉ra a dh矛on a bha e, agus cuideachd a chionn 鈥檚 gu bheil feadhainn dhen bheachd gun sgaoil gobhair gartain a n矛 cron air a鈥� chirc-fhraoich 鈥� eun a tha cudromach airson sealg agus eaconamaidh cuid de dh鈥檕ighreachdan air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd. Agus bha m貌ran ghobhar air am marbhadh airson biadh anns an d脿 chogadh mh貌r anns an fhicheadamh linn.

mamailean: mammals; caoraich: sheep; An t-Oll. Urr. Uilleam Fearsithe: The Rev. Dr. William Forsyth; sealgairean: hunters; boc-gobhair: billy goat.

a鈥� bruidhinn air gobhair agus mun chraoibh-theaghlaich: speaking about goats and about the family tree; f脿gaidh mi X an d脿rna taobh: I鈥檒l leave X aside; eadar-dhealaichte bho earbaichean agus f猫idh: different from roe deer and [red] deer; nach eil e cho furasta sin dhaibh: that it鈥檚 not as easy as [all] that for them; an ceann greis: after a while; gun deach cleas a dh猫anamh air X: that X was tricked; ann an leithid seo de dh鈥櫭爄te: in such and such a place; na bu chudromaiche aig aon 脿m: more important at one time; na tha iad air a bhith thairis air a鈥� cheud gu leth bliadhna a dh鈥檉halbh: as they have been over the last 150 years; gu bheil nas lugha dhiubh ann: that there are fewer of them; d霉thchasach don Ear-mheadhanach: native to the Middle East; Nua-Linn na Cloiche: The Neolithic Era; dh鈥檉huirich iad leotha fh猫in anns a鈥� mhonadh: they lived by themselves in the hills; an cuid fe貌la, bainne, b猫in agus adharcan: their meat, milk, hide and horns; dh鈥櫭瑂lich an 脿ireamh dhiubh: the number of them fell; gartain a n矛 cron air a鈥� chirc-fhraoich: ticks that cause harm to grouse; cudromach airson sealg agus eaconamaidh cuid de dh鈥檕ighreachdan air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd: important for hunting and the economy of some estates in the Highlands; bha m貌ran ghobhar air am marbhadh; many goats were killed; airson biadh anns an d脿 chogadh mh貌r anns an fhicheadamh linn: for food in the two great wars in the twentieth century.

Goats have disappeared from many localities, often by being deliberately shot out. It would be interesting to map all the 鈥済oat鈥� names in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands, and to see which of them represents a current population of wild/feral animals in addition to a historic one. Why not do it for your own 鈥減atch鈥�? The survey would have to include anglicised forms like Arinagour, Clashgour and Ardgour, where the 鈥済our鈥� represents gobhar. The 106 occurrences I found on Landranger maps included the gabhar spelling 鈥� and, of course, all the inflections 鈥� ie gobhar, ghobhair, gobhar, ghobhar, gabhar, ghabhair, gabhair, and ghabhar. I didn鈥檛 include boc or meann names which might represent goats and I didn鈥檛 include damh, agh, eilid, laogh (which would more commonly represent young cattle) or ruadhag forms in my quick count of deer names (totalling 51). But an inclusion of all these forms would probably still leave more 鈥済oat鈥� names than 鈥渄eer鈥� names on our Gaelic landscape, which is an interesting phenomenon.

Bhiodh iad ga shealg airson greis gu d霉rachdach: they would hunt it for a while diligently.

听

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