大象传媒

Bha feadhainn 脿 Barraigh ann an Alba Nuadh ann an Canada o chionn ghoirid. Nuair a bha iad thall, ch霉m iad seirbheis cuimhneachaidh don fheadhainn a chaill am beatha ann an spreadhadh m貌r Halifax ann an naoi ceud deug is seachd-deug (1917). Am measg nam marbh bha c貌ignear Bharrach a bh鈥� air b貌rd soitheach ann an cala Halifax.

Bha mi air cluinntinn mu dheidhinn spreadhadh m貌r Halifax, ceart gu le貌r, ach mus do th貌isich mi air a鈥� ch霉is a rannsachadh, cha robh fios agam idir gun robh e cho m貌r. Thathar ag r脿dh gum b鈥� e an spreadhadh a bu mhotha a rinn mac an duine riamh, mus do chruthaich e bomaichean ni霉clasach.

Ann an naoi ceud deug is seachd-deug (1917), bha an Cogadh M貌r a鈥� dol agus bha port Halifax trang. Bha e l脿n soithichean cogaidh agus longan a bheireadh bathar thar a鈥� chuain. 鈥橲 ann 脿 Halifax a dh鈥檉halbhadh m貌ran de na longan a Bhreatainn. Bha soitheach nam Barrach a鈥� dol a thoirt gr脿n is eich a Bhreatainn.

Bha madainn ghrianach ann air an t-siathamh latha dhen D霉bhlachd. Ach mus tigeadh dorchadas na h-oidhche bhiodh c貌rr is m矛le gu leth duine marbh. Bhiodh na ceudan eile a鈥� faighinn b脿s mus biodh an gnothach seachad.

Chuir an soitheach Frangach, am Mont Blanc, seachad an oidhche taobh a-muigh a鈥� phuirt. Bha i ro anmoch airson faighinn a-steach tro na l矛n a bha a鈥� d矛on a鈥� phuirt an aghaidh bh脿taichean-aiginn Gearmailteach. Bha am Mont Blanc l脿n stuth-spreadhaidh 鈥� searbhag picric, TNT, cotan-gunna is benzol. 鈥橲 e luchd cunnartach a bh鈥� ann.

Bha soitheach eile a鈥� f脿gail a鈥� phuirt air a鈥� mhadainn sin. B鈥� ise t猫 脿 Nirribhidh, an Imo. Bha i air an t-slighe a New York airson bathar a chur air b貌rd a dh猫anadh cobhair air muinntir na Beilge. Bhuail an d脿 shoitheach na ch猫ile. Th貌isich teine air b貌rd a鈥� Mhont Blanc. Theich an criutha, agus iad a鈥� smaoineachadh gum biodh i a鈥� spreadhadh cha mh貌r sa bhad. Dh鈥檉halbh iad ann am b脿taichean gu ruige Dartmouth, baile air taobh thall a鈥� chaolais bho Halifax.

Gu m矛-fhortanach, ge-t脿, cha do dh鈥檉h脿g iad an soitheach air acair. Bha i a鈥� falbh leis an t-sruth. Agus stad i ri taobh a鈥� chidhe ann an Halifax. Cha robh fios aig a鈥� phoball gun robh an suidheachadh cho cunnartach, agus th脿inig na m矛ltean dhiubh a-mach airson an gnothach fhaicinn. Goirid ro ch貌ig mionaidean an d猫idh naoi spreadh an stuth air b貌rd a鈥� Mhont Blanc.

Bha an spreadhadh cho m貌r 鈥檚 gun do sgrios e taighean, eaglaisean, sgoiltean is factaraidhean. Chaidh clann a mharbhadh air an rathad gu sgoil. Chaidh, agus na ceudan a bha a鈥� coimhead a鈥� ghnothaich. Bha m貌ran a鈥� coimhead bho air c霉l uinneagan, agus chaill feadhainn dhiubh sin am fradharc. Bha tuinn ann coltach ri tsunami a rinn milleadh m貌r. Agus chaidh soitheach, leis a鈥� ch貌ignear Bharrach air b貌rd, a chur fodha.

Chaidh feadhainn a ghlasadh ann an togalaichean a thuit gu l脿r air am muin. Chaochail cuid dhiubh sin leis an fhuachd air an oidhche sin oir 鈥檚 e an geamhradh a bh鈥� ann. Thug an sgrios buaidh mh貌r air a鈥� choimhearsnachd.

Agus, leis gu robh an spreadhadh cho millteach, thug an sgioba Ameireaganach a bha a鈥� cruthachadh boma ni霉clasach anns an D脿rna Cogadh s霉il air na thachair. Bha iad a鈥� tomhas d猫 cho m貌r 鈥檚 a bhiodh na bomaichean a dh猫anadh sgrios air Hiroshima is Nagasaki.

Faclan na Litreach: Barraigh: Barra; Alba Nuadh: Nova Scotia; spreadhadh: explosion; l矛n: nets; searbhag: acid; cotan-gunna: gun cotton; luchd: cargo; Nirribhidh: Norway; gr脿n: gr脿in; millteach: damaging.

Abairtean na Litreach: am measg nam marbh bha c貌ignear Bharrach: among the dead were five Barra men; bha mi air cluinntinn mu dheidhinn: I had heard about it; an spreadhadh a bu mhotha a rinn mac an duine riamh: the biggest ever man-made explosion; mus do chruthaich e bomaichean ni霉clasach: before he created nuclear bombs; soithichean cogaidh: warships; a bheireadh bathar thar a鈥� chuain: that would take goods across the ocean; bhiodh na ceudan eile a鈥� faighinn b脿s: hundreds of others would die; taobh a-muigh a鈥� phuirt: outside the port; an aghaidh bh脿taichean-aiginn Gearmailteach: against German submarines; a dh猫anadh cobhair air muinntir na Beilge: which would provide relief for the people of Belgium; bhuail iad na ch猫ile: they hit each other; cha mh貌r sa bhad: almost immediately; taobh thall a鈥� chaolais: the other side of the narrows; a鈥� falbh leis an t-sruth: drifting on the current; chaill feadhainn dhiubh sin am fradharc: some of them lost their sight; chaidh X a chur fodha: X was sunk; chaidh feadhainn a ghlasadh: some people were trapped; thug an sgrios buaidh mh貌r air a鈥� choimhearsnachd: the disaster had a big effect on the community; thug X s霉il air na thachair ann: X examined what happened there; bha iad a鈥� tomhas d猫 cho m貌r 鈥檚 a bhiodh na bomaichean: they were estimating how big the bombs would be; a dh猫anadh sgrios air: which would destroy.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: mus do th貌isich mi air a鈥� ch霉is a rannsachadh: before I started to research the matter. In different places the ways in which the verb t貌isich, t貌iseachadh is tied to other verbs varies. Mark鈥檚 dictionary gives three equivalent examples for 鈥渉e started to sing鈥� 鈥� th貌isich e air seinn, th貌isich e ri seinn and th貌isich e a鈥� seinn. Some people might say, for the example in the Litir, mus do th貌isich mi a鈥� rannsachadh na c霉ise. Neither one is more 鈥渃orrect鈥漷han the other. But note that in the first example, the noun c霉is is in the nominative case whereas in the second example, following the verbal noun a鈥� rannsachadh, it should be in the genitive.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: a thuit gu l脿r air am muin: which fell to the ground on top of them.