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Thairis air a’ cheala-deug a dh’fhalbh, bha mi a’ bruidhinn mu Uilleam Elphinstone, Easbaig Obar Dheathain. Bu mhath leam aon rud eile a ràdh mu dheidhinn. Thug an Rìgh, Seumas IV, cead do dhithis ann an Dùn Èideann uidheam clò-bhualaidh a bhith aca. B’ iadsan Bhaltair Chepman agus Anndra Myllar. Dh’iarr an Rìgh orra laghan na h-Alba is achdan na pàrlamaid fhoillseachadh agus aon rud cudromach eile – cunntas de ‘na h-uirsgeulan co-cheangailte ri naoimh na h-Alba’.

            ʼS ann air Uilleam Elphinstone a bha an t-uallach airson am fiosrachadh a chur ri chèile mu na naoimh. ʼS e obair mhòr a bh’ ann. Chan ann a-mhàin air na h-uirsgeulan a bha aire an easbaig, ach air fiosrachadh eile air na naoimh – an làithean fèille, ùrnaighean is laoidhean dhaibh is mar sin air adhart. ʼS e na dh’èirich às a’ phròiseact leabhar uabhasach prìseil. Bha e air fhoillseachadh ann an Dùn Èideann. Ach, leis gur e Easbaig Obar Dheathain a chuir ri chèile e, ʼs e Breviarium Aberdonense – The Aberdeen Breviary – a th’ air an leabhar mar thiotal. Tha e sgrìobhte ann an Laideann nam meadhan-aoisean.

            Tha na cunntasan mu na naoimh anns a’ Bhreviarium gu math inntinneach. Bu mhath leam criomagan dhiubh a thoirt dhuibh. Mar eisimpleir, tha Fèill Chentigearna, naomh boireann a tha co-cheangailte ri Loch Laomainn, air an t-seachdamh latha dhen Fhaoilleach. Bha mac aig Centigearna a tha cuideachd ainmeil mar naomh – Faolan.

            Bha Faolan air a bhreith le clach na bheul. Air sgàth sin, dh’òrdaich athair, fear Fearadach, gum biodh a mhac air a thilgeil do loch airson a bhàthadh. Nuair a chuala Centigearna an naidheachd, rinn i ùrnaigh do Dhia airson Faolan a shàbhaladh.

Airson bliadhna, bha Faolan fo chùram ainglean Dhè. An uair sin, bha easbaig, fear Ibar, air an rathad a thadhal air Centigearna. Chunnaic e Faolan beò fon uisge. Cha robh a’ chlach na bheul tuilleadh. Thug e Faolan do a mhàthair agus chaidh an gille a bhaisteadh mar Chrìosdaidh.

            Tha an cunntas cuideachd ag innse dhuinn mu Innis Cailleach air Loch Laomainn. Tha an t-eilean co-cheangailte, ann am beul-aithris, ri cailleachan dubha a bhuineadh do Chentigearna, agus a bha a’ fuireach air an eilean còmhla rithe. Ach ʼs dòcha nach robh na ³¾²Ô²¹³Ù³ó²¹²Ô-³¦°ùà²ú³ó²¹¾±»å³ó ann aig an aon àm ri Centigearna. Tha an cunntas ag innse dhuinn gun robh ise a’ fuireach ann an Innis Cailleach leatha fhèin mar aonaran. Chaochail i agus chaidh i gu Nèamh air an t-seachdamh latha dhen Fhaoilleach.

            Tha dà sgeul iongantach mu mhìorbhailean a rinn Faolan anns a’ Bhreviarium. Bha e a’ fuireach ann am manachainn agus ag obair ann an cealla a thog e fhèin. Chunnaic sgalag e tro bhriseadh beag anns a’ bhalla. Bha Faolan a’ sgrìobhadh anns an dorchadas. Bha solas a’ tighinn bho a làimh chlì fhad ʼs a bha e a’ sgrìobhadh le a làimh dheis. Dh’aithris an sgalag an rud iongantach seo do na manaich.

            Bha Faolan feargach nach robh a’ chùis dìomhair tuilleadh. Dh’iarr e air corra-mhonaidh a bha na peata aig na manaich sùilean a’ bhalaich a chur às. Ach ghabh e aithreachas agus chuir e sùilean a’ bhalaich air ais mar a bha iad aig an toiseach. Tha a’ mhìorbhail eile a rinn Faolan nas iongantaiche buileach. Innsidh mi dhuibh mu dheidhinn an-ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: Easbaig Obar Dheathain: The Bishop of Aberdeen; Loch Laomainn: Loch Lomond; Innis Cailleach: Inchcailloch; aonaran: hermit.

Abairtean na Litreach: Thairis air a’ cheala-deug a dh’fhalbh: over the last fortnight; thug an Rìgh cead do dhithis ann an Dùn Èideann uidheam clò-bhualaidh a bhith aca: The King gave two people in Edinburgh permission to have a printing press; dh’iarr an Rìgh orra achdan na pàrlamaid fhoillseachadh: the King asked them publish acts of parliament; na h-uirsgeulan co-cheangailte ri naoimh na h-Alba: the legends connected to the Scottish saints; ʼs ann air X a bha an t-uallach: the responsibility was X’s; an làithean fèille, ùrnaighean is laoidhean dhaibh: their feast days, prayers and hymns to them; ʼs e na dh’èirich às a’ phròiseact leabhar uabhasach prìseil: what came from the project was an extremely valuable book; sgrìobhte ann an Laideann nam meadhan-aoisean: written in medieval Latin; air an t-seachdamh latha dhen Fhaoilleach: on the 7th of January; bha Faolan air a bhreith le clach na bheul: Fillan was born with a stone in his mouth; air a thilgeil do loch airson a bhàthadh: thrown into a loch to drown him; rinn i ùrnaigh do Dhia airson Faolan a shàbhaladh: she prayed to God to save Fillan; fo chùram ainglean Dhè: under the care of angels of God; chaidh an gille a bhaisteadh mar Chrìosdaidh: the boy was baptised a Christian; dà sgeul iongantach mu mhìorbhailean: two amazing stories about miracles; chunnaic sgalag e tro bhriseadh beag anns a’ bhalla: a servant saw him through a crack in the wall; bha solas a’ tighinn bho a làimh chlì: there was a light coming from his left hand; dh’iarr e air corra-mhonaidh a bha na peata aig na manaich sùilean a’ bhalaich a chur às: he asked a crane who was a pet of the monks to put the boy’s eyes out; ghabh e aithreachas: he regretted it.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: ʼs dòcha nach robh na ³¾²Ô²¹³Ù³ó²¹²Ô-³¦°ùà²ú³ó²¹¾±»å³ó ann aig an aon àm ri Centigearna: perhaps the nuns weren’t there at the same time as Kentigerna. The old expression for ‘nun’ – cailleach-dhubh ‘black cowled one’– which gives the name of the island on Loch Lomond where a nunnery reputedly existed (Innis Cailleach, the old Gaelic for ‘Island of Nuns’). But in modern Gaelic it is seen as more appropriate to use the term ‘²ú±ð²¹²Ô-³¦³ó°ùà²ú³ó²¹¾±»å³ó’ meaning ‘devout woman’, as cailleach might be considered mildly pejorative or inappropriate for a religious woman. 

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: is mar sin air adhart: and so on [and so forth].