大象传媒

Faisg air C霉il Lodair, tha baile-fearainn air na mapaichean air a bheil 鈥楤lacktown鈥�. Tha sin na eadar-theangachadh dhen Gh脿idhlig 鈥楢m Baile Dubh鈥�. Faisg air a鈥� Bhaile Dhubh bha tobar ainmeil. Bha e air na seann mhapaichean mar 鈥楩uaran Mac Bhreac鈥�.聽

Tha cunntas anns a鈥� Cheltic Magazine ann an ochd ceud deug, seachdad 始s a sia (1876) a鈥� m矛neachadh an ainm. Bha fear ann uaireigin air an robh 鈥楳ac Bhriachd鈥� no 鈥楳ac Bhreac鈥� mar ainm.

Bha am fear seo a鈥� fuireach ann am B脿rr 脠ibhinn. Tha sin air oighreachd Chaladair, beagan mh矛ltean sear air C霉il Lodair. Bha an taigh aige faisg air tobar anns an robh uisge f矛orghlan.

Chaidh Mac Bhreac a chur 脿s an taigh aige. Lorg e 脿ite-c貌mhnaidh 霉r faisg air C霉il Lodair far nach robh duine a鈥� fuireach. Bha l脿rach an taigh aige fada os cionn Uisge Narann. Cha robh allt no tobar ann. Bhiodh Mac Bhreac a鈥� falbh s矛os don abhainn airson uisge. 始S e obair throm a bha ann.

Latha a bha seo, dh鈥檉halbh e s矛os a dh鈥檌arraidh uisge. Bha tuil san abhainn. Bha an t-uisge salach. Bha Mac Bhreac air a sh脿rachadh leis a鈥� ghnothach. Dh鈥櫭╥gh e, 鈥極! 鈥橲 e baile dubh dh貌mhsa am baile seo!鈥� Cha robh e toilichte. 始S ann 脿s a sin a fhuair am baile-fearainn aige an t-ainm 鈥楢m Baile Dubh鈥�.

Lean Mac Bhreac air, 鈥楪e-t脿, bhithinn toilichte a bhith a鈥� fuireach an seo nam biodh an tobar agam a bha agam roimhe ann am B脿rr 脠ibhinn.鈥� Uill, nuair a bha e a鈥� d矛readh a鈥� bhruthaich a dh鈥檌onnsaigh an taigh aige, chunnaic e fuaran 霉r faisg air an taigh. Bha an t-uisge ann f矛orghlan.

Bha muinntir an 脿ite a鈥� gabhail 鈥楩uaran Mac Bhreac鈥� air. Nuair a chaidh Mac Bhreac a thadhal air an t-seann dachaigh aige ann am B脿rr 脠ibhinn, bha an seann tobar aige air a dhol tioram!

O chionn ghoirid, chaidh mi a Bh脿rr 脠ibhinn. Cha d鈥� fhuair mi lorg air an 脿ite far an robh Mac Bhreac a鈥� fuireach. Ach lorg mi d脿 rud a bha iongantach 鈥� seann eaglais agus clach ainmeil. Innsidh mi dhuibh mun deidhinn anns an ath Litir.

Near Culloden, there is a farm on the maps called 鈥楤lacktown鈥�. That鈥檚 a translation of the Gaelic 鈥楢m Baile Dubh鈥�. Near Blacktown there was a famous well. It was on the old maps as 鈥楩uaran Mac Bhreac鈥�.

There is an account in the Celtic Magazine in 1876, explaining the name. There was once a man called 鈥楳ac Briachd鈥� or 鈥楳ac Bhreac鈥�.

This man was living in Barevan. That鈥檚 on the Cawdor estate, a few miles east of Culloden. His house was near a well in which there was pure water.

Mac Bhreac was expelled from his house. He found a new dwelling place near Culloden where nobody was living. The site of his house was far above the River Nairn. There was no burn or well there. Mac Bhreac was going down to the river for water. It was heavy work.

One day, he went down to fetch water. The river was in flood. The water was dirty. Mac Bhreac was vexed by the matter. He shouted, 鈥極h! This 鈥渢own鈥� is a black 鈥渢own鈥� to me!鈥� He wasn鈥檛 pleased. It鈥檚 from that that his farm took the name 鈥楤lacktown鈥�.

Mac Bhreac continued, 鈥楬owever I鈥檇 be happy living here if I had my old well that I had before at Barevan.鈥� Well, when he was ascending the slope towards his house, he saw a new spring near the house. The water in it was pure.

The people of the place were calling it 鈥楳ac Bhreac鈥檚 spring鈥�. When Mac Bhreac went to visit his old home in Barevan, his old well had gone dry!

Recently, I went to Barevan. I didn鈥檛 find the place where Mac Bhreac was [had been] living. But I found two remarkable things 鈥� an old church and a famous stone. I鈥檒l tell you about them in the next Litir.