大象传媒

Bha sinn ann an Heisgeir an t-seachdain sa chaidh 鈥� eileanan beaga gu siar air Uibhist a Tuath. Tha na h-eileanan sin ainmeil an-diugh airson fiadh-bheathaichean 鈥� gu seachd 脿raidh r貌in. Bidh timcheall air deich m矛le r貌n a鈥� dol air t矛r ann an Heisgeir gach bliadhna airson breith an cuileanan. Ach do dhaoine, chan e 脿ite furasta a th鈥� ann faighinn air t矛r, gu h-脿raidh ann an droch sh矛de.

A dh鈥檃indeoin sin, ge-t脿, bha sluagh ann uaireigin. Tha na h-eileanan machaireach agus torrach. Tha iad ceangailte ri ch猫ile le fadhlaichean. Agus, a r猫ir beul-aithris, bha fadhail gan ceangal ri t矛r-m貌r Uibhist a Tuath. Ach, anns an t-siathamh linn deug, bha stoirm mh貌r ann a sguabaich a鈥� ghainmheach air falbh.

Ma choimheadas sibh air a鈥� mhap, ch矛 sibh gu bheil d脿 ainm air na h-eileanan seo 鈥� Heisker or Monach Islands. 鈥橲 ann bho na Lochlannaich a th脿inig an t-ainm Heisgeir. Tha Monach a鈥� tighinn bhon Gh脿idhlig Manach oir bha manaich a鈥� fuireach ann. Bha manachainn air an eilean as fhaide siar dhiubh 鈥� Siolaigh.

Bha mnathan-cr脿bhaidh ann uaireigin cuideachd. Sin nuns 鈥� mnathan-cr脿bhaidh. 鈥橲 e cailleach-dhubh a chanadh daoine ri nun anns an t-seann aimsir. Cailleach-dhubh 鈥� air sgath an cuid aodaich. Bha iadsan a鈥� fuireach air an eilean as fhaide sear 鈥� ris an canar an Ceann an Ear an-diugh. Anns an t-seann aimsir, 鈥檚 e Heisgeir nan Cailleach a chanadh daoine ris an eilean sin. 鈥橲 e sin an t-ainm a thug D貌mhnall Rothach, Deadhan nan Eilean, air ann am meadhan an t-siathamh linn deug 鈥� Heisgeir nan Cailleach.

Mun 脿m sin, thathar ag r脿dh gum b鈥� urrainn do na h-eileanan sin fichead duine a thoirt seachad airson seirbheis anns an arm. Thathar a鈥� smaoineachadh, airson sin, gun robh mu cheud duine a鈥� fuireach ann. Tr脿th san naoidheamh linn deug, dh鈥檉halbh a鈥� chuid a bu mhotha de na daoine. Tha feadhainn dhen bheachd gun robh cus bheathaichean ag ionaltradh ann, agus gun do rinn stoirm milleadh m貌r. Ach, mean air mhean, thill sluagh agus aig deireadh an naoidheamh linn deug, bha c貌rr is ceud is trithead (130) duine ann.

Am measg sin bha an fheadhainn a bha ag obair anns an taigh-sholais. Chaidh an taigh-solais a thogail ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug. Bha dragh ann mu cho cunnartach 鈥檚 a bha a鈥� mhuir gu siar air Uibhist. Tha t貌rr sgeirean is oitirean ann.

Bha an taigh-solais air a thogail ann am meadhan Siolaigh. Bha e ceud, trithead 鈥檚 a tr矛 (133) troighean a dh鈥櫭爄rde. Bha e air a thogail leis na br脿ithrean ainmeil Stevenson 鈥� Daibhidh agus T貌mas. Ged a tha solas anns an eilean an-diugh, 鈥檚 e fear beag a th鈥� ann. Chan eil an taigh-solais m貌r ag obair tuilleadh, ged a tha an togalach ann. Chaidh a dh霉nadh anns an D脿rna Cogadh.

Beagan bhliadhnaichean mus do dh霉in e, thachair tubaist ann. Chan e call b脿ta a bh鈥� ann, ach call dithis dhen tri霉ir a bha ag obair ann. Air a鈥� ch貌igeamh latha deug (15mh) dhen t-Samhain, naoi ceud deug, trithead 鈥檚 a sia (1936), dh鈥檉halbh an dithis don Cheann an Ear airson bathair fhaighinn. Dh鈥櫭╥rich a鈥� ghaoth, agus b鈥� fheudar dhaibh iomradh air ais a Shiolaigh ann an droch mhuir.

Anns an taigh-sholais, chunnaic an t-oifigear eile iad. Bha an eathar aca bun-os-cionn sa mhuir. Bha an dithis air a dhol air sgeir. Sguabaich tonn m貌r far na sgeire iad. Chaidh na cuirp aca a lorg anns an D霉bhlachd air cladach Heisgeir fh猫in.

Faclan na Litreach: Heisgeir: Heisker, Monach Islands; fiadh-bheathaichean: wildlife; Lochlannaich: Norsemen; troighean: feet (measurement only); An t-Samhain: November; bathair: supplies.

Abairtean na Litreach: gu siar air Uibhist a Tuath: west of North Uist; gu seachd 脿raidh r貌in: especially seals; airson breith an cuileanan: for the birth of their pups; machaireach agus torrach: flat [and covered with machair] and fertile; ceangailte ri ch猫ile le fadhlaichean: connected to each other with sandy fords that can be crossed at low tide; air an eilean as fhaide siar dhiubh 鈥� Siolaigh: on the westernmost island [of them] 鈥� Shillay; air sgath an cuid aodaich: because of their clothes; as fhaide sear: easternmost; a chanadh daoine ris an eilean: that people called the island, D貌mhnall Rothach, Deadhan nan Eilean: Donald Munro, Dean of the Isles; meadhan an t-siathamh linn deug: the middle of the 16th Century; thathar ag r脿dh gum b鈥� urrainn do X fichead duine a thoirt seachad: it is said that X could supply twenty men; dh鈥檉halbh a鈥� chuid a bu mhotha: most left; gun robh cus bheathaichean ag ionaltradh ann: that too many animals were grazing there; mean air mhean thill sluagh: gradually a population returned; chaidh an taigh-solais a thogail: the lighthouse was built; t貌rr sgeirean is oitirean: many rocks and shoals; chan eil X ag obair tuilleadh: X no longer works; call dithis dhen tri霉ir a bha ag obair ann: loss of 2 of the 3 people that worked there; b鈥� fheudar dhaibh iomradh ann an droch mhuir: they had to row in a bad sea; sguabaich tonn m貌r far na sgeire iad: a big wave swept them from the rock; chaidh na cuirp aca a lorg anns an D霉bhlachd: their bodies were found in December.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: Did you notice that the two Gaelic phrases for 鈥渘un鈥� are compound nouns viz. mnathan-cr脿bhaidh and cailleach-dhubh? Can you explain why they are hyphenated in the written form? The reason is that the compound creates a new concept different from the words as simple noun and adjective. For example bean-chr脿bhaidh is a nun whereas bean chr脿bhaidh (unhyphenated) would mean literally a 鈥渨oman of religion鈥�. Cailleach dhubh (unhyphenated) would mean a black-skinned old woman or possibly a black-haired old woman (lucky her!), whereas the hyphen indicates that she is in fact a nun. If you are referring individually to a living person, bean-chr脿bhaidh is more appropriate than cailleach-dhubh which is more old-fashioned and might be considered mildly disrespectful.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: Bha an eathar aca bun-os-cionn sa mhuir: their boat was upside down in the sea.