大象传媒

Tha seann abairt ann 鈥� Chan ann am 叠貌颈诲 uile a tha an t-olc; tha cuid dheth sa Chumaradh Bheag l脿imh ris. Obh obh. Chan eil fhios a鈥檓 c貌 chruthaich an abairt, ach cha bhiodh na 叠貌诲aich no Cumaraich uabhasach toilichte mu dheidhinn. Not all evil is in Bute; some is in Little Cumbrae nearby. Chan ann am 叠貌颈诲 uile a tha an t-olc; tha cuid dheth sa Chumaradh Bheag l脿imh ris. Tha fhios nach eil sin f矛or an-diugh, ma bha riamh.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bidh sibh e貌lach air na h-eileanan sin ann an Linne Chluaidh 鈥� 叠貌诲, no Eilean 叠丑貌颈诲, l脿imh ri Comhghall, agus Cumaradh, no Eilean Chumaraidh, mu choinneimh na Leargaidh Ghallta. Uill, tha d脿 eilean ann, l脿imh ri ch猫ile, air a bheil Cumaradh mar ainm 鈥� an Cumaradh M貌r agus an Cumaradh Beag. Tha an Cumaradh M貌r gu tuath air a鈥� Chumaradh Bheag. Agus tha e, mar a bhiodh d霉il, nas motha.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Cha robh mi riamh anns a鈥� Chumaradh Bheag, ach bha sa Chumaradh Mh貌r. O chionn beagan bhliadhnaichean, thug mi mo mh脿thair, agus i c貌rr is ochdad bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois, gu ruige Port a鈥� Mhuilinn. Bhiodh i gu tric ag innse dhomh mu l脿ithean-saora samhraidh an sin na h-貌ige. Bhiodh i a鈥� gabhail tr猫ana 脿 Glaschu, far an robh i a鈥� fuireach, gu ruige an Leargaidh Ghallta, agus b脿t鈥�-aiseig gu ruige Port a鈥� Mhuilinn.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Cha robh i air a bhith anns an eilean fad 霉ine mh貌r, agus ch貌rd e rithe tilleadh ann. Agus ch貌rd e riumsa cuideachd. Tha Port a鈥� Mhuilinn gl猫 shnog agus bha e math uiread de dhaoine fhaicinn air latha samhraidh, agus iad air baidhsagalan, seach ann an carbadan-ola.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Leis an fh矛rinn innse, chan ann am Port a鈥� Mhuilinn a bhiodh mo mh脿thair a鈥� fuireach, ach ann am baile-fearainn air an robh Creag nan Gobhar. Tha ainmean-脿ite G脿idhlig anns an eilean, measgaichte le ainmean 脿 Seann Bhreatannais, Albais is Beurla. Chan urrainn dhomh a r脿dh le cinnt nach eil ainmean Lochlannach ann a bharrachd.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Co-dhi霉, chaidh sinn a choimhead air Creag nan Gobhar. Bha am baile p矛os a-mach 脿 Port a鈥� Mhuilinn, suas leathad, le seallaidhean matha de th矛r-m貌r. Bha sinne ann an carbad ach, na h-貌ige, bhiodh mo mh脿thair a鈥� coiseachd na slighe sin, uaireannan a鈥� gi霉lain m脿ileid mh貌r agus poca l脿n b矛dh. 鈥橲 i a bha fut is l脿idir!

听听听听听听听听听听听 Tha an t-ainm Cumaradh inntinneach. Tha e coltach ris an ainm Gh脿idhlig airson 鈥榃ales鈥� 鈥� a鈥� Chuimrigh. Agus coltach ri Cymru 鈥� an t-ainm ann an Cuimris airson na d霉thcha sin. Coltach cuideachd ri Cumbria ann an Sasainn. Anns a h-uile 脿ite a tha a鈥� gi霉lain ainm mar sin, bha luchd-labhairt na Cuimris, no Seann Bhreatannais, a鈥� fuireach ann uaireigin.

听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥橲 e Kumreyjar a chanadh na Lochlannaich ris na Cumaraidhean ann an Linne Chluaidh. Th脿inig na Lochlannaich aig deireadh an ochdamh linn. Feumaidh gun do mhothaich iad gun robh muinntir Chumaraidh fhathast a鈥� bruidhinn Seann Bhreatannais, agus nach robh sin na 脿bhaist tuilleadh anns an sg矛re sin. Tha e coltach gun robh G脿idhlig aig muinntir 叠丑貌颈诲 is Arainn.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Chaidh mi fh矛n 鈥檚 mo mh脿thair air an rathad gu 脿ite-seallaidh faisg air mullach a鈥� chnuic as 脿irde anns an eilean. Abair sealladh. T矛r-m貌r anns an 脿ird an ear, agus 叠貌诲, Arainn agus Cinn T矛re anns an 脿ird an iar. Bha 叠貌诲 a鈥� coimhead br猫agha. Cha robh e a鈥� coimhead coltach idir ri 脿ite anns an robh olc!

cha bhiodh na 叠貌诲aich no Cumaraich toilichte: the people of Bute and Cumbrae wouldn鈥檛 be pleased; tha fhios nach eil sin f矛or an-diugh, ma bha riamh: of course, that鈥檚 not true today, if it ever was; mu choinneimh na Leargaidh Ghallta: opposite Largs; thug mi mo mh脿thair, agus i c貌rr is ochdad bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois: I took my mother when she was more than eighty years of age; gu ruige Port a鈥� Mhuilinn: to Millport; mu l脿ithean-saora samhraidh an sin na h-貌ige: about summer holidays there in her youth; bha e math uiread de dhaoine fhaicinn, agus iad air baidhsagalan: it was great to see so many people on bicycles; seach ann an carbadan-ola: rather than in motor vehicles; baile-fearainn air an robh Creag nan Gobhar: a farm called Craigengour; chan urrainn dhomh a r脿dh le cinnt nach eil ainmean Lochlannach ann: I can鈥檛 say with certainty that there aren鈥檛 Scandinavian names there; a鈥� coiseachd na slighe sin, uaireannan a鈥� gi霉lain m脿ileid mh貌r agus poca l脿n b矛dh: walking that route, sometimes carrying a large case and and a bag full of food; an t-ainm ann an Cuimris airson na d霉thcha sin: the name in Welsh for that country; feumaidh gun do mhothaich iad: they must have noticed; gun robh muinntir Chumaraidh fhathast a鈥� bruidhinn Seann Bhreatannais: that the people of Cumbrae were still speaking the Old British language; nach robh sin na 脿bhaist tuilleadh: that was no longer the norm; 脿ite-seallaidh faisg air mullach a鈥� chnuic as 脿irde: a viewpoint close to the top of the highest hill; an 脿ird an iar: the west.

Chan ann am 叠貌颈诲 uile a tha an t-olc: It鈥檚 not in Bute that all the evil is. I鈥檓 intrigued by a linguistic point here. Although we generally give 叠貌诲 as the Gaelic for Bute, it appears here as 叠貌颈诲 in the dative case. Is this an inflection (slenderisation) of 叠貌诲 because it is being treated as a feminine word or did the slenderised form 叠貌颈诲 become an alternative nominative form, influenced by the genitive inflection 叠丑貌颈诲 (as in Eilean 叠丑貌颈诲)? If you have any thoughts on that, I鈥檇 be pleased to hear from you. We鈥檒l look at the possible meanings of 叠貌诲/Bute, and at some terrific recent scholarship on the island鈥檚 place-names, in next week鈥檚 Litir.

sa Chumaradh Bheag l脿imh ris: in Little Cumbrae nearby.

听

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