大象传媒

Tha ceud bliadhna air a dhol seachad am-bliadhna bho chaidh buidheann Cheilteach a chur air chois ann an California. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a bh鈥� air The Celtic Club of Los Angeles. Chaidh a st猫idheachadh ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1905).

Bha an fheadhainn a chruthaich an cluba a鈥� cumail a-mach gum b鈥� e a鈥� chiad bhuidheann phan-Cheilteach air an t-saoghal. Bha iad a鈥� cur f脿ilte air daoine aig an robh 霉idh ann an cultar nan d霉thchannan Ceilteach gu l猫ir 鈥� Alba, 脠irinn, A鈥� Chuimrigh, A鈥� Ch貌rn, Eilean Mhanainn agus A鈥� Bhreatainn Bheag.

鈥橲 e fear 脿 Alba, Calum MacLe貌id, agus fear 脿 脠irinn, John McGroarty, a st猫idhich an cluba. Am measg nan aoighean a bh鈥� aca aig toiseach gnothaich bha D霉bhghlas Hyde 鈥� sgoilear G脿idhlig 脠ireannach. An ceann greis, bhiodh e na chiad Cheann-suidhe de Phoblachd na h-脠ireann. Chan eil fhios agam a bheil an cluba fhathast a鈥� dol. Tha amharas agam nach eil.

Chuala mi naidheachd 猫ibhinn turas mu fhear 脠ireannach ann an California. Cha b鈥� ann an Los Angeles a bha e ach ann an San Francisco. Bha buidheann de luchd-turais eadar-n脿iseanta a鈥� siubhal ann am bus air feadh st脿itean taobh an iar Ameireagaidh. 鈥橲 e Beurla an c脿nan a bh鈥� aca anns a鈥� chumantas.

鈥橲 e fear 脠ireannach a bha gan sti霉ireadh. L脿 a bha seo, chuir fear dhen luchd-turais ceist air an 脠ireannach: 鈥淎 bheil Gaeilge agaibh?鈥� Gun smaoineachadh cus, fhreagair an t-脠ireannach, 鈥淭ha gu le貌r.鈥� Bha fios aige nach robh G脿idhlig sam bith aig duine air b貌rd a鈥� bhus. Ge-t脿, chan e an fh矛rinn a bh鈥� aige. Bha e air G脿idhlig na h-脠ireann ionnsachadh san sgoil, ach cha robh m貌ran dhith aige tuilleadh. 鈥橲 d貌cha d矛reach 霉rnaigh no dh脿.

Aig a鈥� cheann thall, r脿inig iad San Francisco. Chaidh iad a-steach gu taigh-seinnse faisg air a鈥� phort. Agus fhuair fear dhen luchd-turais a-mach gur ann 脿 脠irinn a bha fear dhen luchd-obrach. 鈥淎 bheil Gaeilge agaibh?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich e dhen 脠ireannach.

鈥淭ha gu le貌r,鈥� fhreagair an t-脠ireannach. Agus 鈥檚 e an fh矛rinn a bh鈥� aigesan. Bha a鈥� Gh脿idhlig aige mar chiad ch脿nan.

鈥淭hig don bh貌rd againn, ma-th脿,鈥� thuirt am fear-turais. 鈥淭ha mi airson c貌mhradh a chluinntinn ann an G脿idhlig na h-脠ireann.鈥�

Chaidh am fear 脠ireannach a-null don bh貌rd, far an robh fear-sti霉iridh an luchd-turais. 鈥淪iuthadaibh!鈥� thuirt am fear-turais. 鈥淏ruidhnibh ri ch猫ile ann an Gaeilge.鈥� Is iongantach mura robh eagal air an fhear bhreugach!

Mus d鈥� fhuair fear an taigh-sheinnse cothrom dad a r脿dh, thuirt fear a鈥� bhus, 鈥淎r n-Athair a tha air n猫amh, gun naomhaichear d' ainm.鈥� Choimhead am fear fileanta air mar gur e

amadan a bh鈥� ann. Ach an uair sin, thuig e pl貌igh an duine eile. 鈥淕un tigeadh do r矛oghachd,鈥� fhreagair e. 鈥淕un d猫anar do thoil air thalamh, mar a nithear air n猫amh.鈥�

鈥淭hoir dhuinn an-diugh ar n-aran l脿itheil,鈥� thuirt a鈥� chiad fhear.

鈥淎gus math dhuinn ar fiachan,鈥� fhreagair am fear eile. Agus lean an c貌mhradh mar sin. Bha an luchd-turais s脿saichte gu robh G脿idhlig mhath aig an dithis.

鈥淎gus a鈥� ghl貌ir, gu s矛orraidh,鈥� thuirt fear a鈥� bh脿ir mu dheireadh mus do leig e soraidh sl脿n leotha. Agus chun an l脿 an-diugh tha e coltach nach eil fios aig an luchd-turais gur ann ag aithris 脵rnaigh an Tighearna a bha an dithis, 鈥檚 nach b鈥� e c貌mhradh ceart a bh鈥� ann idir!

Faclan na seachdaine: A鈥� Chuimrigh: Wales; A鈥� Ch貌rn: Cornwall; Eilean Mhanainn: The Isle of Man; A鈥� Bhreatainn Bheag: Brittany; 霉rnaigh: prayer; taigh-seinnse: pub; amadan: idiot; s脿saichte: satisfied.

Abairtean na seachdaine: bho chaidh buidheann Cheilteach a chur air chois: since a Celtic group was established; a鈥� cumail a-mach gum b鈥� e a鈥� chiad bhuidheann phan-Cheilteach air an t-saoghal: maintaining that it was the first pan-Celtic group in the world; am measg nan aoighean a bh鈥� aca aig toiseach gnothaich: among the guests they had at the beginning; bhiodh e na chiad Cheann-suidhe de Phoblachd na h-脠ireann: he would be the first president of the Republic of Ireland; tha amharas agam nach eil: I suspect it is not; a bha gan sti霉ireadh: who was leading them; gun smaoineachadh cus: without thinking too much; ge-t脿, chan e an fh矛rinn a bh鈥� aige: however, he was not telling the truth; 鈥檚 e an fh矛rinn a bh鈥� aigesan: he was telling the truth; bruidhnibh ri ch猫ile: speak to each other; is iongantach mura robh eagal air an fhear bhreugach: it wouldn鈥檛 be a surprise if the lying fellow was scared; ar n-Athair a tha air n猫amh: our Father who art in Heaven; gun naomhaichear d' ainm: hallowed be Thy name; thuig e pl貌igh an duine eile: he understood what the other man was up to; gun tigeadh do r矛oghachd: Thy kingdom come; gun d猫anar do thoil: Thy will be done; agus a鈥� ghl貌ir, gu s矛orraidh: and the glory, forever; mus do leig e soraidh sl脿n leotha: before he bade them farewell; 脵rnaigh an Tighearna: The Lord鈥檚 Prayer; 鈥檚 nach b鈥� e c貌mhradh ceart a bh鈥� ann: it wasn鈥檛 a proper conversation.

Puing-ch脿nain na seachdaine: Bha buidheann a鈥� siubhal ann am bus: a group was travelling in a bus. Please note the pronunciation of bus 鈥� it is like the English and not, as one might expect from the orthography 鈥渂ooss鈥�. But there is a Gaelic word bus, still in common usage, pronounced 鈥渂ooss鈥� which means 鈥渕outh鈥� or 鈥渢he area around the mouth鈥�. Usually it is obvious which is meant. For example, in the written form, bha bus air might mean 鈥渉e was pouting鈥� or 鈥渁 bus was on him鈥� 鈥� but it is unlikely to be the latter! And the inflections give it away: bus (mouth) is buis in the genitive singular and busan in the nominative plural. The equivalent examples for bus (vehicle) are bus and busaichean.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: 鈥淪iuthadaibh!鈥� thuirt am fear-turais: 鈥淕o on!鈥� said the tourist. The singular/informal form is siuthad.