大象传媒

Saoilidh mi gu bheil barrachd dhaoine mar Ailean M脿rtainn, Ailean Tharmoid, a dh矛th oirnn an-diugh, gu h-脿raidh anns an str矛 airson ar c脿nan a chumail be貌. 鈥橲 e gaisgeach dha-r矛reabh a bh鈥� ann an Ailean. Air an d脿rna l脿 deug dhen Mh脿rt, naoi-deug is naoi-deug (1919), th脿inig mu mh矛le duine cruinn ann an Griais gu tuath air Ste貌rnabhagh ann an Le貌dhas airson 猫isteachd ris a鈥� Mhorair Leverhulme, uachdaran an eilein, aig an robh planaichean airson gn矛omhachas m貌r a chur air chois ann an Ste貌rnabhagh, st猫idhichte air 猫isg na mara.

Ach bha Leverhulme an aghaidh croitearachd. Cha robh e airson 鈥檚 gum biodh muinntir an 脿ite a鈥� briseadh nan tuathanasan, mar fhear Ghriais, ann am p矛osan airson croitean a dh猫anamh. Bha e airson 鈥檚 gum biodh na tuathanasan m貌ra air an gl猫idheadh airson bainne a dh猫anamh don luchd-obrach aige ann an Ste貌rnabhagh. Sheas e air baraille agus dh鈥檌nnis e do mhuinntir an 脿ite na bha fa-near dha. Bha e a鈥� dol gl猫 mhath dha, gus an do thog Ailean M脿rtainn a ghuth. Agus seo, a r猫ir aithris, na thuirt esan, ann an G脿idhlig, ris an luchd-猫isteachd:

鈥淪eo seo, fhearaibh! Cha d猫an seo an gnothach! Bheir am bodach mil-bheulach a tha sin an creidsinn oirbh gu bheil dubh geal is geal dubh. Ciod e dhuinn na bruadaran aige, a thig no nach tig? 鈥橲 e am fearann a tha sinn ag iarraidh. Agus 鈥檚 e a tha mise a鈥� faighneachd 鈥� an toir thu dhuinn am fearann?!鈥� Chaidh sin eadar-theangachadh airson Leverhulme agus fhreagair e nach toireadh e am fearann seachad a-muigh no mach. Thog fear eile, Iain MacLe貌id, a ghuth an uairsin, ann am Beurla, agus thuirt e gu robh Leverhulme air an t-eilean a cheannach, ach nach robh e air na daoine a cheannach. Agus nach robh muinntir Le貌dhais airson a bhith nan tr脿illean do dhuine sam bith.

Tha e car annasach dhomh gu robh a h-uile c脿il st猫idhichte air bainne oir, fi霉 鈥檚 aig an 脿m sin, bha leth-cheud gailean dheth a鈥� tighinn don eilean gach l脿 脿 Obair Dheathain, agus tha e doirbh gun a bhith ag aontachadh ri ball p脿rlamaid nan eilean 鈥� gun gabhadh an d脿 chuid, factaraidhean agus c貌raichean croitearachd, leasachadh c貌mhla.

Bha m矛-thoileachas m貌r ann an Le貌dhas oir bha cion-obrach gu le貌r ann, agus bha cuid dhen bheachd gu robh gaisgich an fhearainn a鈥� cur planaichean Leverhulme ann an cunnart. 鈥橲 d貌cha gu robh, ach tha e coltach gu robh duilgheadasan ionmhais aig Lever Brothers cuideachd, a chuir teagamh air na planaichean. Mu dheireadh, thuirt Leverhulme gu robh e a鈥� f脿gail Le貌dhais. Ann an naoi deug is tr矛 ar fhichead, fhuair e cuidhteas a鈥� chuid mh貌r dhen fhearann. Thabhann e don mh貌r-shluagh e, ach chaidh sin a dhi霉ltadh anns a鈥� chuid mh貌ir de dh鈥櫭爄teachan, co-dh霉nadh a tha fhathast a鈥� togail ceist, agus p脿irtean de Le貌dhas ann an l脿mhan daoine nach eil a鈥� toirt sp猫is do mhuinntir an 脿ite. Chaidh a ghabhail ris ann an Ste貌rnabhagh, ge-t脿, agus tha am fearann sin fhathast air a riaghladh le buidheann-choimhearsnachd, Urras Ste貌rnabhaigh.

Dh鈥檉hulaing eaconomaidh an eilein agus dh鈥檉h脿lbh m貌ran as d猫idh do Leverhulme fh猫in falbh. Ach tha m貌ran dhen bheachd an-diugh, mura b鈥� e gun do ghabh na gaisgich greim air an fhearann ann an 脿iteachan mar Ghriais is Coll, gu robh sluagh Le貌dhais air a bhith m貌ran na bu lugha na tha e, is nach robh na planaichean aig Leverhulme gu bhith cho soirbheachail no cho maireannach 鈥檚 a bha esan a鈥� cumail a-mach.

Faclan na seachdaine: gaisgeach: hero; Griais: Gress; croitearachd: crofting; fhearaibh!: men!; tr脿illean: slaves; ball p脿rlamaid: member of parliament; a鈥� m矛-thoileachas: unhappiness; thabhann e: he offered; Urras Ste貌rnabhaigh: the Stornoway Trust; dh鈥檉hulaing: suffered; soirbheachail: successful; maireannach: long-lasting.

Abairtean na seachdaine: gum biodh na tuathanasan m貌ra air an gl猫idheadh: that the big farms would be preserved; sheas e air baraille agus dh鈥檌nnis e do mhuinntir an 脿ite na bha fa-near dha: he stood on a barrel and told the people of the place what he intended; cha d猫an seo an gnothach: this will not do; bheir am bodach mil-bheulach an creidsinn oirbh: the honey-mouthed old man will have you believe; ciod e dhuinn na bruadaran aige?: what are his dreams to us?; an toir thu dhuinn am fearann?: will you give us the land?; nach toireadh e am fearann seachad a-muigh no mach: that there is no way he would give up the land; gu robh e air an t-eilean a cheannach ach nach robh e air na daoine a cheannach: that he had bought the island but that he had not bought the people; bha leth-cheud gailean dheth a鈥� tighinn gach l脿 脿 Obair Dheathain: there were 50 gallons of it coming every day from Aberdeen; gun gabhadh an d脿 chuid, factaraidhean agus c貌raichean croitearachd, leasachadh c貌mhla: that both factories and crofting rights could be developed together; bha e ag iarraidh cus smachd a ghabhail orra: he wanted to control them too much; fhuair e cuidhteas a鈥� chuid mh貌r dhen fhearann: he got rid of most of the land; chaidh sin a dhi霉ltadh: that was refused; air a bhith m貌ran na bu lugha na tha e: would have been much smaller than it is.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: th脿inig mu mh矛le duine cruinn: about a thousand people gathered. Do you notice that in Gaelic we say literally 鈥渢housand man鈥� ie m矛le duine, not m矛le daoine. This is because m矛le commands a noun in the singular, not the plural. So we would say m矛le saighdear (a thousand soldiers), m矛le b貌rd (a thousand tables). It would be totally unnatural to the ear, and grammatically wrong, to pluralise the noun in such a situation. The same is true for nouns qualified by fichead, ceud and millean. For example, we would say fichead c脿r (twenty cars) not fichead c脿raichean, ceud balach (a hundred boys) not ceud balaich and millean cuileag (a million flies), not millean cuileagan. The same applies to multiples of these numbers 鈥� the nouns are still in their singular forms - eg tr矛 fichead duine, d脿 cheud botal, ochd m矛le saighdear, deich millean cuileag. And I am sure you will be familiar with the expressions ceud taing (a hundred thanks), m矛le taing (a thousand thanks) and, if you are extremely grateful to somebody, ceud m矛le taing (a hundred thousand thanks). Remember them as a variation on tapadh leibh.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: saoilidh mi gu bheil barrachd dhaoine mar Ailean M脿rtainn, Ailean Tharmoid, a dh矛th oirnn an-diugh: I reckon that we need more people like Allan Martin, Allan son of Norman, today. Saoilidh mi: I reckon, consider, think.