大象传媒

Thar nan seachdainean a dh鈥檉halbh, bha sinn a鈥� toirt s霉il air earrannan de dh鈥檈achdraidh Inbhir Nis, mar a chaidh an aithris le 鈥淣aochadair Chlach na C霉dainn鈥�, Iain MacIlleathain. Bheir mi an sreath gu cr矛ch an-diugh le naidheachd air buidseachd.

Bha d脿 che脿rnaidh ann an Inbhir Nis a bha ainmeil airson buidseachd ri linn seanmhair an naochadair. Bhiodh sin, chanainn, aig toiseach an ochdamh linn deug. B鈥� iad d脿 ghleann 鈥� am fear far a bheil Allt a鈥� Mhuilinn a鈥� sruthadh, faisg air Acadamaidh Allt a鈥� Mhuilinn, agus an ath-ghleann gu sear air sin, far am b鈥� 脿bhaist an t-Allt Muineach a bhith ann. Tha an t-allt sin ann am p矛oban fon talamh an-diugh. Agus chan eil sgeul nas m貌 air na bothain anns an robh na bana-bhuidsich a鈥� fuireach.

L脿 a bha seo bha buidheann de chloinn a鈥� cluich ann an Allt a鈥� Mhuilinn nuair a chunnaic iad corp cr猫adha. 鈥橲 e sin iomhaigh de chuideigin, air a dh猫anamh le cr猫adh, anns am biodh bana-bhuidseach a鈥� cur pr矛nichean. Bhiodh na pr矛nichean a鈥� riochdachadh mhallachdan a rinn a鈥� bhana-bhuidseach air an duine agus, mar a chr矛onadh an corp anns an allt, 鈥檚 ann a dh鈥檉h脿sadh an duine a bha fo gheasaibh lag is tinn. Mu dheireadh gheibheadh e b脿s.

Thug a鈥� chlann an corp, no am bodachan mar a ghabhas Iain MacIlleathain air, a-mach 脿s an allt, agus thuirt t猫 dhiubh gum faca i a seanmhair, Creibh Mh貌r, a鈥� d猫anamh a leithid. Sgaoil an naidheachd sin am measg muinntir a鈥� bhaile, agus cha b鈥� fhada gus an robh na h-霉ghdarrasan a鈥� tadhal air Creibh Mh貌r. Chuir iad an cr脿dh i gus am faigheadh iad aideachadh bhuaipe gu robh i an s脿s ann am buidseachd.

Bha Creibh Mh貌r treun, ge-t脿, agus cha do dh鈥檃idich i an eucoir. Ach fhuair na h-霉ghdarrasan aideachadh bho a piuthar. Dh鈥檃idich ise gu robh an corp a鈥� riochdachadh fear de dh鈥檜aislean a鈥� bhaile 鈥� Mac She貌rsa 脿 C脿isteal St矛ll. Fhuair an dithis pheathraichean binn b脿is.

B鈥� e teine an d貌igh a bh鈥� ann aig an 脿m ud airson bana-bhuidseach a chur gu b脿s. Thog na h-霉ghdarrasan c脿rn m貌r fiodha air Tom nan Ceann 鈥� cnoc faisg air togalach a鈥� BhBC 鈥� dhuibhse a tha e貌lach air Inbhir Nis. Chaidh Creibh air an teine an toiseach agus, a r猫ir beul-aithris, ged nach eil an naochadair ag aithris seo, chaidh cuideigin ga h-ionnsaigh le soitheach uisge. Ach nuair a chaidh a chur ann an cuimhne an duine gur e bana-bhuidseach a bh鈥� ann an Creibh, dh貌irt e an t-uisge a-mach. Rinn Creibh mallachd. 鈥淣an robh mi air balgam dhen uisge sin a ghabhail,鈥� thuirt i, 鈥渂ha mi air boglach a dh猫anamh de dh鈥橧nbhir Nis.鈥�

Ach air ais gu aithris an naochadair. Nuair a chunnaic piuthar Creibh nach robh dol-脿s aice, thuirt i, 鈥淯ill, uill, nan robh fios air a bhith agam gun tigeadh e gu seo, bhiodh m貌ran, a chuireas cle貌cannan sg脿rlaid orra, an seo an-diugh.鈥� Bha i a鈥� ciallachadh gum biodh cuid de mhnathan uasal Inbhir Nis a鈥� c猫ilidh oirre, agus iad a鈥� sireadh deagh fhortan tro bhuidseachd.

Thuirt i nach cuireadh Mac She貌rsa sam bith a ch矛r tro fhalt liath ann an Dreigidh tuilleadh. Agus, a r猫ir beul-aithris, thuit Se貌ras Mac She貌rsa 脿 Caisteal St矛ll far eich ann an seachd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1748) aig ceann an iar gleann an Uillt Mhuinich, sg矛re nam bana-bhuidseach. B鈥� e Mac She貌rsa Iar-shiorram Siorrachd Inbhir Nis, agus bha e ainmeil airson a bhith ag iomairt an aghaidh buidseachd. Chaochail e far an do thuit e, ged nach eilear ag aithris co-dhi霉 bha falt liath air a cheann gus nach robh.

Faclan na seachdaine: buidseachd: witchcraft; Acadamaidh Allt a鈥� Mhuilinn: Millburn Academy; chanainn: I would say; corp cr猫adha: clay body; eucoir: crime; binn b脿is: death sentence; dh貌irt e: he poured; mallachd: curse; balgam: mouthful; cle貌cannan sg脿rlaid: scarlet cloaks (favoured at the time by the gentlewomen of Inverness).

Abairtean na seachdaine: mar a chaidh an aithris le Naochadair Chlach na C霉dainn: as they were reported by the Clachnacuddin Nonagenarian; bheir mi an sreath gu cr矛ch an-diugh: I will end the series today; ri linn seanmhair X: at the time of X鈥檚 grandmother; far am b鈥� 脿bhaist X a bhith ann: where X used to be; chan eil sgeul nas m貌 air na bothain: the bothies are no longer to be seen either; bhiodh na pr矛nichean a鈥� riochdachadh mhallachdan: the pins would represent curses; mar a chr矛onadh an corp ... 鈥檚 ann a dh鈥檉h脿sadh X lag: as the [clay] body faded away .. so X would grow weak; gheibheadh e b脿s: he would die; chuir iad an cr脿dh i: they tortured her; gus am faigheadh iad aideachadh bhuaipe: until they got [would get] a confession from her; fear de dh鈥檜aislean a鈥� bhaile: one of the town鈥檚 gentry; Mac She貌rsa 脿 Caisteal St矛ll: Cuthbert of Castlehill; chaidh cuideigin ga h-ionnsaigh le soitheach uisge: someone went towards her with a vessel of water; bha mi air boglach a dh猫anamh de X: I would have turned X into a bog; nach cuireadh Mac She貌rsa sam bith a ch矛r tro fhalt liath ann an Dreigidh tuilleadh: that no Cuthbert would ever again put his comb through grey hair at Drakies (part of Inverness); thuit X far eich: X fell from his horse.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: aig ceann an iar gleann an Uillt Mhuinich: at the western end of the glen of the Allt Muineach (the thorny burn). I have written before in this column of the grammatical riches, as well as the cultural treasures, to be found in our place name heritage. Allt is a masculine noun which in the genitive singular case slenderises to uillt (it obviously cannot lenite as it starts with a vowel). The adjective which accompanies it, however, is both lenited (if that is possible) and slenderised. Thus muineach changes to mhuinich. Here are some other similar examples from maps of the Highlands (see if you can translate them for yourself and work out the name of the burn for which the feature is named): Loch an Uillt Ghiuthais (Strathconon); Maol an Uillt Mh貌ir (Applecross); Loch an Uillt Bheithe (Torridon); Meall an Uillt Chaoil (Morar).

骋苍脿迟丑蝉-肠补颈苍苍迟 na seachdaine: Thar nan seachdainean a dh鈥檉halbh: over the past [few] weeks. Thar takes the genitive case, which is the reason for the genitive plural article, nan, appearing before seachdainean.