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Tha mi airson eachdraidh thiamhaidh innse dhuibh an t-seachdain seo. Tha i à Eilean Leòdhais, à sgìre na Pàirce.

            Timcheall na bliadhna ochd ceud deug is seachdad (1870), bha dithis bhràithrean a-muigh sa mhonadh tuath air baile Leumrabhaigh. ’S e toiseach an t-samhraidh a bha ann. B’ iad na gillean Ruairidh Mhurchaidh Ruairidh à Leumrabhagh agus a bhràthair, Aonghas. Bha Ruairidh trì bliadhn’ deug a dh’aois.

            Bha iad a’ coimhead airson caoraich. Lorg iad sa mhonadh iad aig na Lochan Beaga. Tha sin mu dhà mhìle bho Leumrabhagh. Thug Aonghas a bhrògan mòra dheth airson a bhith na bu luaithe. Dh’iarr e air Ruairidh fuireach far an robh e. Bha Aonghas a’ dol a dh’iomain nan caorach seachad air Ruairidh. Dh’fhàg e a bhrògan aig Ruairidh.

            Dh’iomain Aonghas na caoraich chun an àite far an do dh’fhàg e Ruairidh agus a bhrògan. Ach cha robh sgeul air Ruairidh no na brògan. Lean Aonghas air gu Leumrabhagh. Ach cha robh sgeul air Ruairidh ann an Leumrabhagh. Chaidh Aonghas dhachaigh. Cha robh Ruairidh ann.

Dh’fhalbh feadhainn a choimhead airson Ruairidh sa mhonadh. Ach cha do lorg iad e, no brògan Aonghais. Bha iad dhen bheachd gun robh Ruairidh air tuiteam a-steach a bhoglach faisg air na Lochan Beaga.

            Chaidh trì no ceithir mìosan seachad. Fhuair boireannach san sgìre aisling. Anns an aisling, thàinig coigreach thuice. Dh’iarr e oirre a dhol a-steach air bothan-àirigh far an robh caora ag ionaltradh aig an doras. Bhiodh an gille caillte na bhroinn.

            Dh’fhalbh sguad a choimhead air na h-àirighean. Lorg iad bothan le caora ag ionaltradh aig an doras. Chaidh iad a-steach agus lorg iad corp Ruairidh ann. Bha e na laighe air an làr, agus brògan Aonghais fo a cheann.

            Tha an sgeulachd a’ nochdadh ann an leabhar grinn a chaidh fhoillseachadh am-bliadhna. ʼS e an tiotal a tha air ‘The Historic Shielings of Pàirc’. Tha an t-ùghdar, John Randall, a’ fuireach ann an Leumrabhagh. Tha e a’ toirt cunntas air leth inntinneach air na h-àirighean air feadh sgìre na Pàirce. Ma tha ùidh agaibh anns a’ chuspair, mholainn an leabhar gu mòr dhuibh. Mar sin leibh an-dràsta.

I want to tell you a poignant story this week. It’s from the Isle of Lewis, from the area of Pàirc.

        Around the year 1870, two brothers were out on the hill north of the village of Lemreway. It was the beginning of summer. The lads were Ruairidh Mhurchaidh Ruairidh from Lemreway and his brother, Angus. Ruairidh was thirteen years old.

        They were looking for sheep. They found them on the hill at the Lochan Beaga. That’s about two miles from Lemreway. Angus took his boots off in order to be swifter. He asked Ruairidh to stay where he was. Angus was going to drive the sheep past Ruairidh. He left his boots with Ruairidh.

        Angus drove the sheep to the place where he [had] left Ruairidh and his boots. But there was no sign of Ruairidh or the boots. Angus continued to Lemreway. But there was no sign of Ruairidh in Lemreway. Angus went home. Ruairidh wasn’t there.

        Some people went to look for Ruairidh on the hill. But they didn’t find him, or Angus’s boots. They thought that Ruairidh had fallen into a bog near the Lochan Beaga.

        Three or four months went past. A woman in the area had a dream. In the dream, a stranger came to her. He asked her to go into a shieling bothy where a sheep was grazing at the door. The lost lad would be inside it.

        A squad left to look at the shielings. They found a bothy with a sheep grazing at the door. They went in and they discovered Ruairidh’s body there. He was lying on the floor, with Angus’s boots under his head.

        The story appears in a nice book published this year. Its title is ‘The Historic Shielings of Pàirc’. The author, John Randall, lives in Lemreway. He gives a very interesting account of the shielings throughout Pàirc. If you are interested in the subject, I’d strongly recommend the book to you. Cheerio just now.