大象传媒

D脿 shoitheach. Na h-aon eileanan. D脿 bhliadhna eatarra. Agus d脿 sgeul eadar-dhealaichte. Tha mi a鈥� dol a thoirt cunntas dhuibh de dh脿 luing ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug. An fheadhainn a she貌l air t猫 dhiubh, bha iad cho e貌lach 鈥檚 a ghabhadh air Barraigh 鈥檚 Bhatarsaigh agus na h-eileanan timcheall orra. Ach gheibheadh iad b脿s fada bho na h-脿iteachan sin. An fheadhainn a she貌l air an t-soitheach eile, cha robh e貌las sam bith aig a鈥� mh貌r-chuid dhiubh air na h-eileanan. Ach sin far an d鈥� fhuair cuid mhath dhiubh b脿s. Seo cunntas dhen Admiral agus an Annie Jane.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Ged a she貌l an Admiral 脿s na h-Eileanan an Iar ann an ochd ceud deug, caogad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1851), tha a sgeul a鈥� t貌iseachadh deichead roimhe sin, nuair a fhuair an Coirneal Iain G貌rdan Chluanaidh sealbh air an eilean. Nam biodh sibh a鈥� d猫anamh liosta de dh鈥檜achdarain air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd a bha iochdmhor is carthannach, cha bhiodh an G貌rdanach oirre.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bhuineadh e do Shiorrachd Obar Dheathain, agus bha fearann m貌r anns a鈥� che脿rnaidh sin de dh鈥橝lba aig a theaghlach. Bhathar ag r脿dh mu sheanair gum biodh a h-uile tastan air an d鈥� fhuair e gr猫im a鈥� steigeadh ri chorragan. Bhathar ag r脿dh gun robh athair a鈥� di霉ltadh, na sheann aois, faighinn a-mach 脿s an leabaidh oir chosgadh e cus dha! Bhathar ag r脿dh cuideachd gum biodh an Coirneal fh猫in a鈥� dol a-mach 脿s an rathad aige airson slighe-shiubhail a sheachnadh nam biodh c矛s oirre.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Ach bha an Coirneal de貌nach airgead m貌r a chosg nam faiceadh e gun tigeadh prothaid mhath 脿s. Ann an ochd ceud deug, trithead 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1838), cheannaich e seann oighreachd Chlann Raghnaill ann an Uibhist. Cheannaich e Barraigh, agus na h-eileanan timcheall air, goirid 脿s d猫idh sin.

听听听听听听听听听听听 An toiseach, cha robh e ro dhona mar uachdaran, ged a chuir e 脿s do chuid de chroitean air an taobh an iar, a鈥� d猫anamh tuathanasan dhiubh. Ach, ann an ochd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a sia (1846), th脿inig gaiseadh a鈥� bhunt脿ta. Cha b鈥� fhada gus an robh an riaghaltas a鈥� c脿ineadh a鈥� Gh貌rdanaich airson a bhith coma mu shluagh, agus iad a鈥� fulang gu dona le acras.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Dh矛on e e fh猫in. Bha e a鈥� call airgid, thuirt e, ann a bhith a鈥� d猫anamh cobhair air na daoine. Bha 鈥榝uasgladh鈥� aige. Bhiodh e a鈥� fuadachadh nan daoine. Eadar na bliadhnaichean ceathrad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1848) agus caogad (1850), chaidh na ceudan a chur a Ghlaschu, D霉n 脠ideann is Inbhir Nis.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bha am fuadach a bu mhotha ann sa bhliadhna caogad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1851). Chuir an Coirneal G貌rdan c貌ig soithichean air d貌igh airson m矛le is seachd ceud duine a chur a-null a Quebec. Dh鈥檌arr am b脿illidh aige air an fheadhainn a chaidh ainmeachadh 脿 Barraigh, ceithir cheud gu leth duine, a dhol a Loch Baghasdal ann an Uibhist a Deas airson falbh air an Admiral. Mura nochdadh iad, bhiodh c脿in luach d脿 nota air gach duine aca.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Sgr矛obh am b脿illidh ris na h-霉ghdarrasan ann an Quebec, ag r脿dh gun robh an G貌rdanach air faraidhean nan daoine a ph脿igheadh. Sgr矛obh e gun robh e air aodach is br貌gan a thoirt dhaibh, agus gun robh e air biadh is uisge a cheannach dhaibh airson na bh貌idse. Ach, mar a ch矛 sinn an-ath-sheachdain, cha robh c霉isean buileach cho f脿bharach sin.

Barraigh: Barra; Bhatarsaigh: Vatersay; an Coirneal Iain G貌rdan Chluanaidh: Colonel John Gordon of Cluny; sealbh: ownership; prothaid: profit; 产脿颈濒濒颈诲丑: factor; Loch Baghasdal: Lochboisdale.

d脿 shoitheach: two vessels; na h-aon eileanan: the same islands; d脿 bhliadhna eatarra: two years between them; d脿 sgeul eadar-dhealaichte: two different stories; de dh脿 luing: of two ships; sin far an d鈥� fhuair cuid mhath dhiubh b脿s: that鈥檚 where most of them died; deichead roimhe sin: a decade before that; liosta de dh鈥檜achdarain a bha iochdmhor is carthannach: a list of landlords that were compassionate and charitable; bhuineadh e do Shiorrachd Obar Dheathain: he belonged to Aberdeenshire; gum biodh a h-uile tastan air an d鈥� fhuair e gr猫im a鈥� steigeadh ri chorragan: that every shilling he got hold of would stick to his fingers; a鈥� dol a-mach 脿s an rathad aige airson slighe-shiubhail a sheachnadh nam biodh c矛s oirre: going out of his way to avoid a travelling route if there were a tax on it; seann oighreachd Chlann Raghnaill: the old estate of Clanranald; gaiseadh a鈥� bhunt脿ta: potato blight; airson a bhith coma mu shluagh, agus iad a鈥� fulang gu dona le acras: for not caring about his people who were suffering badly from hunger; bhiodh e a鈥� fuadachadh nan daoine: he would clear the people; c脿in luach d脿 nota: a 拢2 fine; gun robh an G貌rdanach air faraidhean nan daoine a ph脿igheadh: that Gordon had paid the people鈥檚 fares.

gun robh e air biadh is uisge a cheannach dhaibh airson na bh貌idse: that he had bought food and water for them for the voyage. 叠丑貌颈诲蝉别 鈥榲oyage鈥� does not inflect in the standard way. 鈥楾he voyage鈥� is a鈥� bh貌idse; it is clearly a feminine noun. Thus one would expect the genitive singular form (following airson, a compound preposition) to be na b貌idse. However, it is actually na bh貌idse. The reason is simple 鈥� it is a borrowing from English (itself a borrowing from French), and the initial 鈥榖h鈥� stands for the 鈥榲鈥� in voyage. Thus, the 鈥榖h鈥� is retained in all the inflected forms. 叠丑貌迟 鈥榲ote鈥� works in a similar way; it retains its lenition in all cases. In Irish Gaelic, because of the irregular inflection, they borrowed the English 鈥榲鈥� as well 鈥� 鈥榲ote鈥� is 惫贸迟谩颈濒. We retain the traditional Gaelic representation of 鈥榲鈥� as 鈥榖h鈥� but we have to remember that we don鈥檛 inflect such words in the normal fashion.

Ach gheibheadh iad b脿s fada bho na h-脿iteachan sin: but they would die a long way from those places.

听

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