大象传媒

Anns na seasgadan dhen naoidheamh linn deug, bha Te脿rlach MacAoidh ann an New York. Sgr矛obh MacAoidh an leabhar The Gaelic Etymology of the Languages of Western Europe. Ann an New York, bha e ag aithris do ph脿ipear-naidheachd ann an Lunnainn. Bha e ag aithris mun Chogadh Chatharra.

Bhris e naidheachd mh貌r. B鈥� e sin gu robh buidheann de n脿iseantaich 脠ireannach anns na St脿itean agus ann an 脠irinn. Bha na n脿iseantaich seo ag iarraidh ar-a-mach an aghaidh Bhreatainn. Bha na Fianna l脿idir anns na seasgadan. Bha na m矛ltean dhiubh ann.

Dh鈥檉halbh MacAoidh a dh鈥檕bair air a cheann fh猫in. Bha e a鈥� sgr矛obhadh do ph脿ipearan-naidheachd is irisean. Bha 霉idh aige ann an teangaireachd. 鈥橲 e sin an t-e貌las air c脿nanan agus an c脿irdeas eadar c脿nanan.

Bha MacAoidh a鈥� smaoineachadh gu robh freumhan Ceilteach aig m貌ran fhaclan ann an c脿nanan E貌rpach. Bha beachd inntinneach aige air na s猫istean beaga ann an 貌rain ann am Beurla is Fraingis. Tha mi a鈥� ciallachadh le sin rudan mar f脿l, l脿, l脿, fol de rol agus hey, nonnie, nonnie. Tha na rudan sin cumanta ann an 貌rain Gh脿idhlig. Bha e a鈥� smaoineachadh gur e criomagan a bh鈥� annta de sheann 貌rain. Bha na draoidhean a鈥� seinn nan 貌ran sin. Bha iad a鈥� seinn nan 貌ran sin ris a鈥� ghr猫in o chionn d脿 mh矛le bliadhna.

Airson c貌ig bliadhna rinn MacAoidh obair air an leabhar mh貌r, The Gaelic Etymology. Chaidh an leabhar fhoillseachadh ann an Lunnainn ann an ochd ceud deug, seachdad 鈥檚 a seachd (1877). Ach chaill MacAoidh airgead air.

Thug e 貌raid seachad turas aig Comunn G脿idhlig Inbhir Nis. Thuirt e gu robh sinnsearachd Gh脿idhealach aige. Bha e moiteil 脿s an t-sinnsearachd aige. Is thuirt e gu robh n脿ire air nach robh G脿idhlig aige.

An do rinn Te脿rlach MacAoidh f脿bhar don Gh脿idhlig leis an leabhar aige? Chan eil mi cinnteach. Cha do rinn Alasdair MacBheathain iomradh sam bith air anns an fhaclair aige fh猫in, An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language. Nochd faclair MhicBheathain cha mh貌r fichead bliadhna 脿s d猫idh The Gaelic Etymology. Bha 霉idh mh貌r aig MacAoidh anns a鈥� chuspair, ceart gu le貌r. Ach an robh an sgoilearachd aige math gu le貌r? Chaochail e anns an D霉bhlachd ochd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a naoi (1889) ann an Lunnainn.

Faclan is abairtean: anns na seasgadan dhen naoidheamh linn deug: in the sixties of the 19th Century (ie the 1860s); Te脿rlach MacAoidh: Charles Mackay; bha e ag aithris do ph脿ipear-naidheachd ann an Lunnainn: he was reporting for a newspaper in London; mun Chogadh Chatharra: about the Civil War; bhris e naidheachd mh貌r: he broke [a] big news [story]; gu robh buidheann de n脿iseantaich 脠ireannach anns na St脿itean: that there was a group of Irish nationalists in the States; ag iarraidh ar-a-mach an aghaidh Bhreatainn: they wanted a revolution against Britain; bha na m矛ltean dhiubh ann: there were thousands of them; dh鈥檉halbh MacAoidh a dh鈥檕bair air a cheann fh猫in: Mackay left to work for himself [this idiom means literally to work 鈥渙n his own head鈥漖; irisean: periodicals; bha 霉idh aige ann an teangaireachd: he was interested in philology; an t-e貌las air c脿nanan agus an c脿irdeas eadar c脿nanan: the knowledge of [on] languages and the relationship between languages; gu robh freumhan Ceilteach aig m貌ran fhaclan ann an c脿nanan E貌rpach: that many words in European languages had Celtic roots; na s猫istean beaga: the little choruses, vocables; gur e criomagan a bh鈥� annta de sheann 貌rain: that they were fragments of old songs: bha na draoidhean a鈥� seinn nan 貌ran sin: the druids were singing those songs; ris a鈥� ghr猫in o chionn d脿 mh矛le bliadhna: to the sun two thousand years ago; chaidh an leabhar fhoillseachadh ann an Lunnainn: the book was published in London; chaill MacAoidh airgead air: Mackay lost money on it; thug e 貌raid seachad turas: he gave a lecture one time; bha e moiteil 脿s an t-sinnsearachd aige: he was proud of his ancestry; f脿bhar: favour; cha do rinn Alasdair MacBheathain iomradh sam bith air: Alexander Macbain made no reference to it; anns an fhaclair aige fh猫in: in his own dictionary; nochd faclair MhicBheathain cha mh貌r fichead bliadhna 脿s d猫idh: Macbains鈥� dictionary appeared almost twenty years after; sgoilearachd: scholarship; chaochail e anns an D霉bhlachd: he died in December.