大象传媒

Bliadhna Mhath 脵r dhuibh! Do fheadhainn agaibh, bidh mi rudeigin fadalach ann a bhith ag r脿dh sin, ach cuimhnichibh gur e an d脿rna l脿 deug dhen Fhaoilleach l脿 na seann Bhliadhn鈥� 脵ire, agus gu bheil feadhainn fhathast a鈥� comharrachadh na h-oidhche roimhe sin mar Oidhche Challainn.

Co-dhi霉, chuir mi ceist oirbh an t-seachdain sa chaidh mu dheidhinn nan litreachan 鈥淩A鈥� anns an t-seantans 鈥� 鈥渁s d猫idh [1707] bha p脿irt chudromach aig Alba ann am P脿rlamaid na RA ann am Westminster.鈥� Tha e a鈥� seasamh airson 鈥淩矛oghachd Aonaichte鈥�.

Aig an 脿m seo dhen bhliadhna, air an t-siathamh l脿 dhen Fhaoilleach, o chionn da cheud is fichead bliadhna, bha batail ann anns an robh saighdearan Gaidhealach an s脿s, nuair a dh矛on iad eilean. Air s脿illeamh an cuid gaisgeachd, chaidh an t-eilean, agus na h-eileanan eile timcheall air, a sh脿bhaladh fo chr霉n Bhreatainn. B鈥� e an t-eilean 鈥� Jersey, agus na h-eileanan gu l猫ir an fheadhainn ris a chanas sinn Eileanan Chaolas Shasainn.

Canaidh na Frangaich riutha 鈥淟es 卯les Anglo-normandes鈥� agus bha iad fh猫in gan iarraidh airson 霉ine mh貌ir. Is beag an t-iongnadh, leis cho faisg 鈥檚 a tha iad air costa na Frainge. Ann an seachd deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1781), dh鈥檉heuch iad rin gabhail thairis. Bha r猫iseamaid Gh脿idhealach, na 78th Highlanders mar a chanadh iad riutha, ann an St Helier, agus rinn iad fh猫in is saighdearan eile an gnothach air an fheachd Fhrangaich.

Fhad 鈥檚 as fiosrach leam, b鈥� e sin a鈥� chiad turas a bha na 78th an s脿s ann an cogadh, oir bha an r猫iseamaid gl猫 貌g aig an 脿m sin. Bha i air a cur ri cheile d矛reach tr矛 bliadhna roimhe le Coinneach MacCoinnich, siathamh Iarla Sh矛ophort, agus bha a鈥� chuid mh貌r aca 脿s na h-oighreachdan aige anns an iar-thuath, le feadhainn 脿 oighreachdan eile a bha le buill eile de Chloinn 鈥檌c Coinnich. A bharrachd air Cloinn 鈥檌c Coinnich fh猫in, bhuineadh m貌ran de bhuill na r猫iseamaid, anns an robh m矛le is ceud duine, do Chloinn 鈥檌c Rath.

Uill, chaidh gnothaichean gl猫 mhath anns a鈥� chiad dol a-mach. Bha na saighdearan dhen bheachd gu robh aonta ann nach biodh aca ri dhol a-null thairis a dh鈥櫭爄te sam bith. Ach chaidh an cur gu L矛te, faisg air D霉n Eideann, agus chaidh iarraidh orra d猫anamh deiseil airson dhol do na h-Innsean! Uill, chuir sin an ce貌l air feadh na f矛dhle.

Dhi霉lt na saighdearan dhol air b貌rd agus thug iad an casan leotha, na p矛oban aca gan seinn, a-mach 脿 L矛te. As d猫idh greis, bha c貌mhraidhean ann eadar iad fh猫in is an ceannardan is dh鈥檃ontaich iad tilleadh gu cala L矛te anns an dearbh dh貌igh san do dh鈥檉halbh iad, a鈥� me脿rrsadh s矛os an rathad lem p矛obairean air thoiseach orra. An 脿ite dhol a dh鈥檌onnsaigh nan Innsean, 鈥檚 ann a dh鈥檉halbh iad a Chaolas Shasainn, airson Jersey a dh矛on an aghaidh nam Frangach.

Is chun an l脿 an-diugh, thathar a鈥� comharrachadh sin air balla ann an St Helier 鈥� seann bhalla a bhuineadh do dh鈥檕spadal aig an 脿m sin, far an robh saighdearan an 78th a鈥� fuireach fhad 鈥檚 a bha iad ann an Jersey. Agus an robh an riaghaltas riaraichte leotha? Bha 鈥� cho riaraichte 鈥檚 gun do chuir iad, mar dhuais, tr矛 miosan as d猫idh sin, gu muir a-rithist iad 鈥� chun nan Innsean. Bha iad aig muir fad mh矛osan, agus chaochail da cheud gu leth duine aca air b貌rd. Abair duais airson an cuid gaisgeachd.

Faclan na seachdaine: Oidhche Challainn: Hogmanay (or night before old style New Year); an R矛oghachd Aonaichte: the United Kingdom; Eileanan Chaolas Shasainn: The Channel Isles; Coinneach MacCoinnich, siathamh Iarla Sh矛ophort: Kenneth Mackenzie, the sixth Earl of Seaforth; na h-Innsean/Innseachan: India (the Indies); Cala L矛te: Leith Harbour.

Abairtean na seachdaine: bidh mi rudeigin fadalach ann a bhith ag r脿dh sin: I鈥檓 a bit slow in saying that; an d脿rna l脿 deug dhen Fhaoilleach: 12 January; airson cha mh貌r ceud bliadhna as d猫idh sin: for almost 100 years after that; chaidh an t-eilean a sh脿bhaladh fo chr霉n Bhreatainn: the island was saved under (for) the British crown; bha iad fh猫in gan iarraidh airson 霉ine mh貌ir: they themselves wanted them for a long time; leis cho faisg 鈥檚 a tha iad air costa na Frainge: as they are so close to the coast of France; rinn iad an gnothach air an fheachd Fhrangaich: they defeated the French force; bha i air a cur ri ch猫ile d矛reach tr矛 bliadhna roimhe: it was set up only three years before; le feadhainn 脿 oighreachdan eile a bha le buill eile de Chloinn 鈥檌c Coinnich: with some from other estates that belonged to other members of the Clan Mackenzie; bhuineadh m貌ran do Chloinn 鈥檌c Rath: many belonged to the MacRae clan; nach biodh aca ri dhol a-null thairis: that they wouldn鈥檛 have to go overseas; a鈥� me脿rrsadh s矛os an rathad lem p矛obairean air thoiseach orra: marching down the road with their pipers in front of them; an robh an riaghaltas riaraichte leotha?: was the government satisfied with them?; abair duais airson an cuid gaisgeachd: what a reward for their bravery.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: chuir sin an ce貌l air feadh na f矛dhle: that put the cat among the pigeons/sent everything haywire. This is a commonly used, and very colourful, Gaelic expression which literally means 鈥渢hat put the music throughout the fiddle鈥�. You might commonly hear it as 鈥渃haidh an ce貌l air feadh na f矛dhle鈥�. I have heard differing explanations as to its origin, including the smashing of a fiddle over a knee but, as well as being a good idiom, it also reminds us of a couple of grammatical points (as all good old proverbs do). The first is that air feadh is a compound preposition and places the following noun in the genitive case. The second is that the Gaelic for fiddle, fidheall, is a feminine word and carries the diagnostic genitive singular article 鈥渘a鈥�. Note that the short 鈥渋鈥� in fidheall lengthens to 鈥溍�鈥� in the genitive f矛dhle, as it does in the plural nominative f矛dhlean. Given all the above, you should be able to work out how to say 鈥渙n the fiddle鈥� (talking musically!). It is 鈥渁ir an fhidhill鈥�, not 鈥渁ir an fhidheall鈥�. Feminine nouns traditionally slenderise in the dative singular, following a simple preposition like 鈥渁ir鈥�. Again, a proverb bears this inflexion out: cha bhi teud r猫idh san fhidhill (there won鈥檛 be a tuned string in the fiddle).

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: air s脿illeamh an cuid gaisgeachd: because of their bravery.