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‘Rian is riaghailt! Rian is riaghailt!’ Cuin a bhiodh sibh an dùil na faclan sin a chluinntinn? Uill, chan eil fhios agam an robh iad riamh air an cur an sàs, ach ’s e sin a chanadh Oifigear Riaghlaidh Pàrlamaid na h-Alba nam biodh e no i a’ bruidhinn Gàidhlig anns an t-seòmar. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘Order, order!’ Rian is riaghailt. Saoil an cluinn sinn na faclan sin uaireigin ann an deasbad sa phàrlamaid?

            Lorg mi an abairt air làrach-lìn na pàrlamaid. Seo abairt no dhà eile air an làraich – Gearan! ‘o²úÂá±ð³¦³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô’, Chan eil mi a’ dol leibh idir ‘I strongly disagree’ agus Fàilte gu Taigh an Ròid ‘welcome to Holyrood’. Agus seo abairt inntinneach: Na togaibh mi gus an tuit mi. Na togaibh mi gus an tuit mi. Gu litreachail, tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘don’t lift me until I fall’. Ach tha e a’ seasamh airson ‘please don’t interrupt me’. Na togaibh mi gus an tuit mi.

            Rinn mi beagan a bharrachd rannsachaidh air ‘Gàidhlig’ agus ‘pàrlamaid’ air an eadar-lìon. Lorg mi iomradh air fear air an robh mi car ‘eòlach’ – agus chan ann an Alba a bha e. Bha Sir Iain MacCoinnich ainmeil mar neach-poilitigs ann an New Zealand aig deireadh an naoidheamh linn deug. Bha e na mhinistear airson an fhearainn agus na Leas Phrìomh Mhinistear.

            Rinn mi iomradh air MacCoinnich ann an Litrichean ceithir cheud, ochdad ’s a trì (483) gu ceithir cheud, ochdad ’s a còig (485). Bhuineadh e do Ros an Ear, bha Gàidhlig aige mar chiad chànan, agus bha e ainmeil ann an New Zealand airson a bhith a’ cleachdadh Gàidhlig sa phàrlamaid. Dh’fhàs mi, mar gum biodh, ‘eòlach’ air nuair a rinn mi prògram telebhisein mu dheidhinn. ’S e caractar a bh’ ann, gun teagamh.

            Nochd ainm MhicCoinnich ann am Pàrlamaid New Zealand – no Paremata Aotearoa airson a h-ainm Maori a thoirt dhi – o chionn beagan bhliadhnaichean. Bhathar a’ deasbad còraichean an t-sluaigh ann a bhith a’ coiseachd air a’ bhlàr a-muigh. Thog ball pàrlamaid bhon Eilean mu Dheas – Eric Roy – ainm is dìleab MhicCoinnich anns an deasbad. Thuirt Mgr Roy nach robh Beurla aig MacCoinnich nuair a nochd e anns an dùthaich thall. Cha chreid mi gu bheil sin ceart, ach tha e math gun d’ fhuair a’ Ghàidhlig aithne anns an deasbad.

            Bha am ball pàrlamaid ag ràdh nach robh piseach air tighinn air an t-suidheachadh ann an New Zealand – a thaobh cead a bhith aig luchd-coiseachd a dhol air fearann prìobhaideach – bho linn MhicCoinnich fhèin, còrr math is ceud bliadhna air ais. Bhris MacCoinnich na h-oighreachdan mòra às a chèile. Bha e air droch bhuaidh nan uachdaran fhaicinn ann an Alba. Bha e airson ’s gum biodh New Zealand saor bho a leithid.

            Co-dhiù, stèidhich New Zealand Coimisean a chumas rian air inntrigeadh do luchd-coiseachd – ged a tha e a’ coimhead coltach nach eil na cothroman aig luchd-coiseachd cho farsaing ’s a tha iad ann an Alba. Mar eisimpleir, ’s iomadh àite prìobhaideach far nach bi cead aig daoine coiseachd ann. Agus, anns an fharsaingeachd, chan eil cead aig a’ mhòr-shluagh a dhol a choiseachd air fearann a bhuineas – gu dùthchasach – do na Maori.

            Gabhaibh mo leisgeul airson tilleadh gu Iain MacCoinnich anns an Litir. Ach, mar a chanas an seanfhacal, cha mhiste sgeul math aithris dà uair.

Faclan na Litreach: Oifigear Riaghlaidh: Presiding Officer; abairt: phrase; ±ð²¹»å²¹°ù-±ôì´Ç²Ô: internet; Iain MacCoinnich: John McKenzie; Ros an Ear: Easter Ross; aithne: recognition; linn MhicCoinnich: McKenzie’s day [time].

Abairtean na Litreach: Rian is riaghailt!: Order, order!; cuin a bhiodh sibh an dùil na faclan sin a chluinntinn?: when would you expect to hear those words?; saoil an cluinn sinn na faclan sin uaireigin: I wonder if we’ll hear those words sometime; lorg mi iomradh air fear air an robh mi car ‘eòlach’: I found an account of a man with whom I was ‘familiar’; bha e na mhinistear airson an fhearainn agus na Leas Phrìomh Mhinistear: he was a minister for lands and a Deputy Prime Minister; ’s e caractar a bh’ ann, gun teagamh: he was a character, for sure; bhathar a’ deasbad còraichean an t-sluaigh ann a bhith a’ coiseachd air a’ bhlàr a-muigh: public access for walking in the outdoors was being debated; thog ball pàrlamaid bhon Eilean mu Dheas ainm is dìleab MhicCoinnich: a member of parliament from the South Island raised Mackenzie’s name and legacy; anns an dùthaich thall: in that country [over there]; cha chreid mi gu bheil sin ceart: I don’t think that’s right; a dhol air fearann prìobhaideach: to go on private land; bhris X na h-oighreachdan mòra às a chèile: X broke up the large estates; droch bhuaidh nan uachdaran: the bad influence of the landlords; saor bho a leithid: free from the like; a chumas rian air inntrigeadh do luchd-coiseachd: which regulates access for walkers; fearann a bhuineas gu dùthchasach: land that belongs traditionally; gabhaibh mo leisgeul: excuse me.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: Taigh an Ròid: why is this the ‘correct’ Gaelic for Holyrood (when Gaelic-speakers often use the English name in preference)? It means, literally, ‘the house of the rood, or cross’. ¸éò»å is the Gaelic form adopted as a loan-word  from Scots. In Scots ‘Holy Rood’ is ‘Haly Rude’ and is first recorded in this location in 1387 as Halyrudehouse, referring to a monastery named in veneration of the cross or perhaps connected to the Black Rood which was reputed to be a fragment of the cross of the crucifixion and held by the Kings of Scotland until being captured by the English in 1346. The Gaelic is likely to have originally referred to that monastery and has been transferred to the modern parliament which is roughly on the same site.

Seanfhacal na Litreach: cha mhiste sgeul math aithris dà uair: it doesn’t harm to tell a good story twice.