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Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mun chloich-neirt ann am Bàrr Èibhinn air oighreachd Chaladair. Thathar ag ràdh gu bheil ochd clachan deug de chuideam innte. Tha sin co-ionann ri ceud is ceithir-deug cileagraman. Tha i ugh-chruthach agus doirbh a thogail.

Tha cunntas againn dhen chloich bho ochd ceud deug is ochdad (1880). Bha tuathanach a’ fuireach san sgìre. ʼS e Uilleam Mac an Tòisich an t-ainm a bha air. Bha e seachdad ʼs a seachd bliadhna a dh’aois. Dh’inns Mac an Tòisich don fhear a sgrìobh an cunntas – Uilleam Jolly – gun robh comas aige a’ chlach a thogail nuair a bha e òg.

Cha b’ e sin a-mhàin. Thuirt caraid aig Jolly a bha còmhla ris gun robh a sheanmhair air a’ chlach a thogail. Rinn i sin le bhith a’ cur a h-aparain fòidhpe!

Chaidh cunntas inntinneach a sgrìobhadh mu cheangal eadar a’ chlach agus Uibhist a Tuath. O chionn ceud bliadhna, bha fear às an Eilean Sgitheanach – Dòmhnall MacIllEathain – na thuathanach ann am Bàrr Èibhinn. Cheannaich Dòmhnall crodh bho dhaoine ann an Uibhist a Tuath. Fhuair e eòlas air Uibhistich. 

Thug e obair do fheadhainn aca air an tuathanas aige aig àm an Dàrna Cogaidh. Chùm na h-Uibhistich farpais airson faicinn cò bha comasach air a’ chlach a thogail. Rinn dìreach aon duine an gnothach – fear Pàdraig MacIllEathain. Tha na Leathanaich làidir, feumaidh!

Ann an dà mhìle ʼs a dhà-dheug (2012), thog fear à Eilginn, Martin Jancsics, a’ chlach gu a ghualainn. Tha esan ag ràdh nach eil i cho trom ʼs a tha feadhainn a’ cumail a-mach. Tha dìreach ceud ʼs a còig cileagraman de chuideam innte!

Ceithir bliadhna an dèidh sin, thill e airson bhidio a dhèanamh dheth fhèin, agus e a’ togail na cloiche. Chithear sin air YouTube. Bhon uair sin, tha grunnan dhaoine air bhidiothan a dhèanamh, agus iad a’ togail na cloiche gu h-àrd.

Tha rudeigin laghach mu na clachan-neirt seo. Tha iad rin lorg ann an àiteachan brèagha. Tha iad co-cheangailte ri dualchas nan Gàidheal. Agus tha na clachan gu math eachdraidheil, mar a tha an tè ann am Bàrr Èibhinn.

I was telling you about the lifting stone in Barevan on the Cawdor estate. It’s said that it weighs eighteen stones. That’s equivalent to 114 kilograms. It’s oval and difficult to lift.

We have an account of the stone from 1880. There was a farmer living in the area. His name was William MacIntosh. He was 77 years of age. MacIntosh told the man who wrote the account – William Jolly – that he was able to lift the stone when he was young.

Not only that. A friend of Jolly’s who was with him said that his grandmother had lifted the stone. She did that by putting her apron underneath it!

An interesting account was written of a connection between the stone and North Uist. A hundred years ago, a man from Skye – Donald Maclean – was a farmer in Barevan. Donald bought cattle from people in North Uist. He came to know Uist folk.

He gave work to some of them on his farm at the time of the Second [World] War. The Uist men held a competition to see who was able to lift the stone. Only one man managed it – a certain Peter Maclean. It must be that the Macleans are strong!

In 2012, a man from Elgin, Martin Jancsics, lifted the stone to his shoulder. He says it is not as heavy as some maintain. It only weighs 105 kg!

Four years after that, he returned to make a video of himself lifting the stone. That can be seen on YouTube. Since then, several people have made videos [of them] lifting the stone high.

There is something nice about these lifting stones. They are to be found in beautiful places. They are connected to the heritage of the Gaels. And the stones are very historic, as is the one in Barevan.