大象传媒

A鈥� chiad turas a chaidh Marsaili Cheanadach-Fhriseal a dh鈥橢irisgeigh, ann an naoi-deug 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1905), bha i a鈥� faireachdainn gu robh i air a she貌ladh air ais ann an t矛m, bhon fhicheadamh linn don t-seachdamh linn deug. Mar a dh鈥檃ithris mi anns na litrichean a dh鈥檉halbh, bha i air a bhith air muir is air t矛r ann am m貌ran d霉thchannan, ach cha do ghabh i tlachd bho ghin aca mar a ghabh i bho a cuairt a dh鈥橢irisgeigh. Bha i a鈥� cumail a-mach gu robh i car s脿mhach, di霉id na n脿dar ach, nan canadh cuideigin am facal 鈥楨irisgeigh鈥� rithe, gum biodh an clab oirre.

Cha b鈥� fhada gus an do thachair Marsaili ris an fhear a b鈥� ainmeil鈥� anns an eilean 鈥� an sagart, an t-Athair Urramach Ailean D貌mhnallach, no 鈥淢aighstir Ailein鈥� mar a chanadh muinntir an 脿ite ris. Bha esan cli霉iteach air feadh an t-saoghail am measg dhaoine aig an robh 霉idh ann am beul-aithris is b脿rdachd is cultar nan Gaidheal. Gu m矛-fhortanach do Mharsaili, agus do na h-uimhir eile a bha e貌lach is measail air, chaochail Maighstir Ailein d矛reach tr矛 seachdainean as d猫idh do Mharsaili dhol dhachaigh 鈥� leis a鈥� flu 鈥� aig aois ceathrad 鈥檚 a tr矛. Ach mhair a dh矛leab fada as a dh猫idh. Gu dearbh, tha i againn fhathast ann an saoghal nan Gaidheal.

鈥橲 iomadh duine air an deach Marsaili a ch猫ilidh, agus th貌isich i air fuinn nan 貌ran a sgr矛obhadh air p脿ipear. Bha i cho deidheil orra is gun deach i fi霉 鈥檚 a-mach gu eathar a bha aig acair airson iarraidh air fear de na h-iasgairean na l矛n a bha e a鈥� c脿radh a chur an d脿rna taobh, agus 貌ran a ghabhail dhi. Agus mhothaich i do dh鈥檃on rud gu h-脿raidh mu dheidhinn seinn nan eileanach 鈥� bha na guthan aig m貌ran aca uabhasach domhain.

Nuair a dh鈥檉halbh i, thug i leatha fuinn air p脿ipear ach cha robh i comasach air na faclan a sgr矛obhadh 鈥� cha robh m貌ran G脿idhlig aice. Bha Maighstir Ailein air aontachadh taic a thoirt dhi, le bhith a鈥� cur na faclan ga h-ionnsaigh. Ach chaochail e mus robh cothrom aige.

Ann an naoi-deug 鈥檚 a seachd (1907), thill Marsaili a dh鈥橢irisgeigh agus thug i leatha inneal-cl脿raidh-fuaim air an robh graphophone 鈥� an seorsa inneil a bhiodh a鈥� cleachdadh siolandair-c猫ire. Cha robh e idir cho math ris an fheadhainn a th鈥� againn an l脿 an-diugh, agus shaoileadh neach-猫isteachd gu robh an t霉chadh air an t-seinneadair. Air sailleamh sin, chanadh gillean 貌ga Eirisgeigh 鈥榓m bodach鈥� ris. Aig 脿mannan, leis gu robh an aimsir gu tric fliuch, chan obraicheadh an graphophone gu math.

An turas seo, chaidh Marsaili gu ruige Uibhist a Deas cuideachd, oir bha cuid de na daoine air an robh i e貌lach ann an Eirisgeigh air a dhol a dh鈥檉huireach ann, leis nach robh fearann gu le貌r dhaibh ann an Eirisgeigh fh猫in. Agus chaidh i cuideachd a Bharraigh, an toiseach gu ceann a tuath an eilein. 鈥淐han fhaigh sibh dad ann am B脿gh a鈥� Chaisteil,鈥� thuirt cuideigin rithe anns an 脪ban. 鈥淭ha e ro 鈥榮ophisticated鈥� a-nise鈥︹�� Ach bha sin fada ce脿rr.

Bha b霉th aig fear M矛cheal MacN矛ll air a鈥� chidhe ann am B脿gh a鈥� Chaisteil, agus chuir e fios a-mach do ghrunn seinneadairean thighinn cruinn c貌mhla anns a鈥� bh霉th. B鈥� e sin, sgr矛obh Marsaili, fear de na c猫ilidhean a b鈥� fhe脿rr a bh鈥� aice a-riamh, far an do chruinnich i 貌rain. Bheir sinn s霉il air agus air an obair a rinn Marsaili an co-bhuinn ris an Urramach Coinneach MacLe貌id anns an Litir mu dheireadh mu a deidhinn, an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na seachdaine: sagart: priest; an t-Athair Urramach Ailean D貌mhnallach: the Rev. Father Allan Macdonald; Maighstir Ailein: Father Allan (the local pronunciation is reflected in the spelling, ie Ailein rather than Ailean, in that the 鈥渓鈥� and the final vowel are slenderised as would only be the case in the genitive case in most other places); domhain: deep; inneal-cl脿raidh-fuaim: voice recording device; siolandair-c猫ire: wax cylinder; M矛cheal MacN矛ll: Micheal MacNeil (in other parts of the country, it is MacN猫ill, but in Barra it is MacN矛ll).

Abairtean na seachdaine: gu robh i air a she貌ladh air ais ann an t矛m: that she had sailed back in time; don t-seachdamh linn deug: to the 17th Century; cha do ghabh i tlachd bho ghin aca: she didn鈥檛 derive pleasure from any of them; gu robh i car s脿mhach agus di霉id na n脿dar: that she was somewhat quiet and shy in her nature; gum biodh an clab oirre: that she would be a blabbermouth; do na h-uimhir eile: to many others; as d猫idh do Mharsaili dhol dhachaigh: after Marjory had gone home; aig aois ceathrad 鈥檚 a tr矛: at the age of 43; mhair a dh矛leab fada as a dh猫idh: his legacy survived long after him; 鈥檚 iomadh duine air an deach X a ch猫ilidh: X visited many people; na l矛n a bha e a鈥� c脿radh a chur an d脿rna taobh: to put aside the nets he was mending; thug i leatha fuinn air p脿ipear: she took with her tunes on paper; chaochail e mus robh cothrom aige: he died before he had an opportunity; ann am meadhan 貌rain: in the middle of a song; an co-bhuinn ris an Urramach Coinneach MacLe貌id: in co-operation with the Rev. Kenneth MacLeod.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: 鈥淐han fhaigh sibh dad ann am B脿gh a鈥� Chaisteil,鈥� thuirt cuideigin rithe anns an 脪ban: 鈥測ou won鈥檛 get anything in Castlebay,鈥� somebody said to her in Oban. Can you explain, from a grammatical point of view, why we say ann am B脿gh a鈥� Chaisteil but anns an 脪ban? It is all to do with the use of the article (of course there is only a definite article in Gaelic 鈥� the equivalent of 鈥渢he鈥� in English, but no indefinite article equivalent to 鈥渁鈥�). In the case of Oban, there is an article in its Gaelic name 鈥� an t-脪ban 鈥� which means we must say anns an 脪ban, with the article. In a phrase name form such as B脿gh a鈥� Chaisteil, we never put an article in front of the phrase, because it exists between the words as 鈥渁鈥欌�� (ie of the castle). This is the same as saying 鈥渂ha mi ann an dorchadas na coille鈥�, although we would say 鈥渂ha mi anns an dorchadas鈥�. Another example is 鈥渋n Fort William鈥� (the Gaelic for the town is an Gearasdan). It is either anns a鈥� Ghearasdan or, if you want to be specific about which gearasdan (garrison), you might say ann an Gearasdan Loch Abair (literally 鈥渋n the Lochaber garrison鈥� 鈥� there is also Gearasdan De貌rsa, Fort George, near Inverness). In the second example, the article is lost (ann an is an indefinite preposition) because of the genitive Loch Abair (of Lochaber).

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: gu robh an t霉chadh air an t-seinneadair: that the singer was hoarse or wheezy. Th脿inig an t霉chadh orm: I grew hoarse (as with a throat infection or with too much singing or shouting).