大象传媒

Airson tr矛 bliadhna anns na seasgadan dhen naoidheamh linn deug, bha Te脿rlach MacAoidh st猫idhichte ann an New York. Bidh cuimhne agaibh, 鈥檚 d貌cha, gur e MacAoidh a sgr矛obh an leabhar The Gaelic Etymology of the Languages of Western Europe. Ann an New York, bha e ag aithris do Th矛m Lunnainn air a鈥� Chogadh Chatharra. Cha robh sin furasta dha oir bha e aithnichte mar fhear libearalach. A-nise bha e ag obair do ph脿ipear-naidheachd nach robh cho libearalach.

Agus, ged a bha MacAoidh an aghaidh tr脿illeachd, cha robh e dhen bheachd gu robh e ceart do mhuinntir a鈥� Chinn a Tuath a bhith a鈥� cur cath ri muinntir a鈥� Chinn a Deas air a s脿illeabh. Bha m貌ran ann an New York m矛-thoilichte beachd mar sin a chluinntinn bhuaithe.

Ach fhad 鈥檚 a bha e thall, bhris e naidheachd mh貌r a chuir ri a chli霉 mar fhear-naidheachd. B鈥� e sin gu robh buidheann de n脿iseantaich 脠ireannach anns na St脿itean, agus ann an 脠irinn, ag obair ann an co-fheall, feuch ar-a-mach a th貌iseachadh an aghaidh Bhreatainn. Bha na Fianna, mar a ghabh iad orra fh猫in, gu math l脿idir anns na seasgadan, ach cha do shoirbhich leotha ro mhath.

Mu dheireadh dh鈥檉halbh MacAoidh a dh鈥檕bair air a cheann fh猫in. Bhiodh e a鈥� sgr矛obhadh do ghrunn ph脿ipearan-naidheachd is irisean agus, barrachd is barrachd, bha e air a th脿ladh a dh鈥檌onnsaigh teangaireachd 鈥� e貌las air c脿nanan agus an c脿irdeas eadar c脿nanan. Bha e gu m貌r dhen bheachd gu robh na h-e貌laichean E貌rpach air na c脿nanan Ceilteach a chur an d脿rna taobh nuair a bha iad a鈥� coimhead air t霉s fhaclan.

Bha MacAoidh dhen bheachd 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, nach d猫an ciall, a nochdas ann an 貌rain ann am Beurla is Fraingis, leithid f脿l, l脿, l脿, fol de rol agus hey, nonnie, nonnie (rud a tha cumanta ann an 貌rain Gh脿idhlig). Bha e dhen bheachd gur e criomagan a bh鈥� annta de dh鈥櫭瞨ain diadhaidh a bhiodh na draoidhean a鈥� gabhail ris a鈥� ghr猫in d脿 mh矛le bliadhna roimhe.

Airson c貌ig bliadhna rinn e obair air an leabhar mh貌r, The Gaelic Etymology ..., a chaidh fhoillseachadh ann an Lunnainn ann an ochd ceud deug, seachdad 鈥檚 a seachd (1877). Ach chaill e airgead air. Agus dh鈥檉h脿ilnich air foillsichear a lorg airson leabhar eile ann am Fraingis 鈥� 鈥淥rigines Celtiques de l脿 Langue Fran莽aise鈥�.

Thug e 貌raid seachad aig an d脿rna c貌mhdhail bhliadhnail aig Comunn G脿idhlig Inbhir Nis, fhad 鈥檚 a bha e a鈥� d猫anamh rannsachadh air a Gaelic Etymology. Thuirt e gu robh sinnsearachd l脿n-Gh脿idhealach aige 鈥檚 gu robh n脿ire air nach deigheadh aige air G脿idhlig a labhairt.

Ach dh鈥檃idich e rud inntinneach na 貌raid. Fichead bliadhna roimhe bha e air a r脿dh gur ann don Ghalldachd a-mh脿in cha mh貌r a bhuineadh ce貌l is b脿rdachd na h-Alba. Bha cuideigin air sgr矛obhadh do ph脿ipear-naidheachd ann an Inbhir Nis, a鈥� d猫anamh iomradh air sin. Bha e ciontach, dh鈥檃idich e, ach thuirt e gur e aineolas a bu choireach. Bha e a-nise na bu shine is na bu ghlice.

Chan eil mi cinnteach an do rinn Te脿rlach MacAoidh f脿bhar don Gh脿idhlig leis an leabhar aige. Tha e inntinneach nach do rinn Alasdair MacBheathain iomradh sam bith air anns an fhaclair aige fh猫in, An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language. 鈥橲 d貌cha gu robh an 霉idh a bh鈥� aig MacAoidh sa chuspair air cron a dh猫anamh air an sgoilearachd aige. Chaochail e san D霉bhlachd ochd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a naoi (1889) ann an Lunnainn.

Faclan na Litreach: seasgadan: sixties; Te脿rlach MacAoidh: Charles Mackay; st猫idhichte: established (ie living and working); leithid: such as.

Abairtean na Litreach: bha e ag aithris do T矛m Lunnainn air a鈥� Chogadh Chatharra: he was reporting for the Times of London on the Civil War; beachd mar sin a chluinntinn bhuaithe: to hear an opinion like that from him; ag obair ann an co-fheall, feuch ar-a-mach a th貌iseachadh an aghaidh Bhreatainn: working conspiratorially in an attempt to start an insurrection against Britain; mar a ghabh iad orra fh猫in: as they called themselves; cha do shoirbhich leotha ro mhath: they didn鈥檛 succeed too well; dh鈥檉halbh MacAoidh a dh鈥檕bair air a cheann fh猫in: Mackay went to work for himself; bha e air a th脿ladh a dh鈥檌onnsaigh teangaireachd: he was drawn towards philology; t霉s fhaclan: the origin of words; gu robh freumhan Ceilteach aig m貌ran fhaclan: that many words had Celtic roots; nach d猫an ciall: which don鈥檛 mean anything; gur e criomagan a bh鈥� annta de dh鈥櫭瞨ain diadhaidh: that they were fragments of divine songs; a bhiodh na draoidhean a鈥� gabhail ris a鈥� ghr猫in: that the druids would sing to the sun; dh鈥檉h脿ilnich air foillsichear a lorg: he failed to find a publisher; gu robh n脿ire air nach deigheadh aige air G脿idhlig a labhairt: that he was ashamed that he couldn鈥檛 speak in Gaelic; dh鈥檃idich e: he admitted; gur ann don Ghalldachd a-mh脿in cha mh貌r a bhuineadh ce貌l is b脿rdachd na h-Alba: that the music and poetry of Scotland belonged almost entirely to the Lowlands; gur e aineolas a bu choireach: that it was ignorance that was responsible; gu robh an 霉idh a bh鈥� aige sa chuspair air cron a dh猫anamh air an sgoilearachd aige: that his interest in the topic had damaged his scholarship.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: ged a bha MacAoidh an aghaidh tr脿illeachd, cha robh e dhen bheachd gu robh e ceart do mhuinntir a鈥� Chinn a Tuath a bhith a鈥� cur cath ri muinntir a鈥� Chinn a Deas air a s脿illeabh: although Mackay was against slavery, he wasn鈥檛 of the opinion that it was right for the Northerners to go to war against the Southerners because of it. The reason we say air a s脿illeabh here and not air a sh脿illeabh is that it refers back to the word tr脿illeachd, which is feminine (as are most polysyllabic words ending in 鈥揳chd). The a is a possessive particle which, in the case of the feminine third person singular, does not induce lenition in the following noun.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: bha e aithnichte mar fhear libearalach: he was known (recognised) as a liberal (man).