大象传媒

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh an t-seachdain sa chaidh mu Lochan nan Arm faisg air Taigh an Droma a tha co-cheangailte ri Raibeart Brus, R矛gh na h-Alba. Ach tha 脿ite faisg air l脿imh aig a bheil dl霉th-cheangal do dh鈥檉hear eile a tha ainmeil, agus a bha be貌 faisg air sia ceud bliadhna ron Bhrusach. B鈥� esan Naomh Faolan.

鈥橲 e Saint Fillan a chanas daoine ris ann am Beurla, ach tha ainm ann an G脿idhlig fada nas br矛ghmhoire. Tha 鈥渇aolan鈥� a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渕adadh-allaidh beag鈥�, is tha am facal 鈥渇aol鈥� air a chuimhneachadh fhathast anns an ainm a th鈥� againn airson January 鈥� am Faoilleach, an t-脿m dhen bhliadhna nuair a bhiodh acras m貌r air na madaidhean.

A r猫ir beul-aithris, bha an naomh airidh air an ainm. L脿 a bha seo, nuair a bha e a鈥� treabhadh na talmhainn, thug madadh-allaidh ionnsaigh air fear de na daimh aige a bha a鈥� tarraing a chrainn. Mharbh am madadh an damh. Ach nuair a thog Faolan a ghuth, is nuair a dh鈥檌arr e air Dia taic a thoirt dha, dh鈥檉halbh aigne fhiadhaich a鈥� mhadaidh agus th脿inig am beathach a dh鈥檌onnsaigh an duine gu macanta. Cheangail Faolan am madadh-allaidh ris a鈥� chrann, ghabh am madadh 脿ite an daimh mhairbh, agus lean an duine naomh air le bhith a鈥� treabhadh na talmhainn.

Eadar a鈥� Chr矛on L脿raich agus Taigh an Droma, chithear fhathast an tobhta aig seapail Naoimh Fhaolain. Chan eil m貌ran air fh脿gail dheth ach tha e br猫agha, agus mholainn gun t猫id sibh ann as t-earrach nuair a tha an lus beag ris an canar an t-searragaich, no lesser celandine, fo bhl脿th. 鈥橲 e n脿dar de bhuidheag, no Ranunculus, a tha anns an lus seo, agus tha fl霉raichean br猫agha buidhe a鈥� nochdadh air as t-earrach. Tha e uabhasach p脿ilt timcheall na tobhta.

Bha Faolan be貌 anns an ochdamh linn. Bhuineadh e do theaghlach uasal ann an Ulaidh agus bha a mh脿thair na Bana-phrionnsa agus cuideachd na naomh le ceangal do dh鈥橧nnis nan Cailleach ann an Loch Laomainn, far an robh cailleachan dubha a鈥� fuireach o shean. Bha Faolan fh猫in na dhuine urramach a dh鈥檉h脿g d矛leab mh貌r Chr矛osdail as a dh猫idh. Tha d脿 rud pr矛seil co-cheangailte ris ann an Taigh-tasgaidh na h-Alba ann an D霉n Eideann 鈥� ceann a bhachaill agus clag bho sheapail. Is innsidh mi tuilleadh mu dheidhinn an d脿 chuid sin an ath-sheachdain.

Ach dh鈥檉h脿g e rudan eile as a dh猫idh cuideachd, nam measg cn脿mhan bho gh脿irdean cl矛, a bh鈥� air an cumail ann an ciste bheag. Agus tha sin gam thoirt air ais gu far an do th貌isich mi an Litir, le Raibeart Brus. Ochd bliadhna as d猫idh dha a chlaidheamh a thilgeil ann an Lochan nan Arm, agus e a鈥� teicheadh bho fheachd n脿imhdeil faisg air Seapail Fhaolain, bha am Brusach air ais ann am meadhan na h-Alba air ceann an airm n脿iseanta. Bha sin anns a鈥� bhliadhna tr矛-deug is a ceithir-deug (1314).

An oidhche ro Bhl脿r Allt a鈥� Bhonnaich, tha luchd-eachdraidh ag innse dhuinn gun do rinn an r矛gh 霉rnaigh mu choinneamh ciste bheag anns an robh e an d霉il gu robh cn脿mhan Fhaolain. Ge-t脿, bha an sagart a thug a鈥� chiste leis air na cn脿mhan fh脿gail ann an Srath Fhaolain gus nach biodh iad air an call. Ach nuair a bha am Brusach ag 霉rnaigh, d猫 thachair ach gun do dh鈥檉hosgail a鈥� chiste leatha fh猫in 鈥� agus bha na cn脿mhan na broinn!

Anns a鈥� mhadainn ron bhatail, chaidh a鈥� chiste a thoirt seachad air sreathan de shaighdearan Albannach, agus iad air an gl霉inean. Agus, a thaobh a鈥� ch貌rr dhen l脿, uill, tha fios agaibh d猫 thachair.

Faclan na seachdaine: Taigh an Droma: Tyndrum; Raibeart Brus: Robert Bruce; Naomh Faolan: Saint Fillan; nas brighmhoire: more meaningful; madadh-allaidh: wolf; gu macanta: meekly; seapail: chapel; fo bhl脿th: in bloom; pailt: plentiful; Innis nan Cailleach: Inchcailloch; cailleachan dubha: nuns.

Abairtean na seachdaine: aig a bheil dl霉th-cheangal do dh鈥檉hear eile: which is closely linked to another man; an t-脿m dhen bhliadhna: the time of the year; nuair a bhiodh acras m貌r air na madaidhean: when the wolves would be hungry; nuair a bha e a鈥� treabhadh na talmhainn: when he was ploughing the ground; thug X ionnsaigh air Y: X attacked Y; dh鈥檉halbh aigne fhiadhaich a鈥� mhadaidh: the wolf鈥檚 wild disposition disappeared; chithear fhathast an tobhta: the ruin can still be seen; mholainn gun t猫id sibh ann as t-earrach: I would recommend that you go there in spring; bhuineadh e do theaghlach uasal ann an Ulaidh: he belonged to a noble family in Ulster; bha Faolan na dhuine urramach: Fillan was a revered man; ceann a bhachaill agus clag bho sheapail: the head of his crozier and a bell from his chapel; nam measg cn脿mhan bho gh脿irdean cl矛: among which [were] bones from his left arm; a鈥� teicheadh bho fheachd n脿imhdeil: fleeing from a hostile force; an oidhche ro Bhl脿r Allt a鈥� Bhonnaich: the night before the Battle of Bannockburn; gun do rinn an r矛gh 霉rnaigh mu choinneamh ciste bheag: that the king prayed in front of a small kist; gus nach biodh iad air an call: so they wouldn鈥檛 be lost; gun do dh鈥檉hosgail a鈥� chiste leatha fh猫in: that the kist opened of its own accord; tha fios agaibh d猫 thachair: you know what happened.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: ghabh am madadh 脿ite an daimh mhairbh: the wolf took the place of the dead ox. Are you comfortable with the lenition and slenderisation of the adjective here? 鈥淭he dead ox鈥� (nominative) is an damh marbh (damh is a masculine noun). In the instance above, damh is in the genitive case (鈥渙f the ox鈥�) so it is slenderised to daimh. The initial 鈥渄鈥� is not lenited following the terminal 鈥渘鈥� of 鈥渁n鈥� but the adjective follows the rule and is both slenderised and lenited 鈥� so it changes from marbh to mhairbh, with attendant pronunciation change. Another genitive worth looking at is crann in fear de na daimh aige a bha a鈥� tarraing a chrainn (one of his oxen which was pulling the plough). Following the verbal noun a鈥� tarraing, crann goes into the genitive case. With the article present, it is both lenited and slenderised.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: A r猫ir beul-aithris, bha an naomh airidh air an ainm: according to oral tradition, the saint merited his name. Tha X airidh air Y: X deserves Y (remember that it is a short 鈥渁鈥� 鈥� 脿irigh, with a long 鈥渁鈥� means 鈥渟hieling鈥�).