大象传媒

脠irich agus tiugainn O,

脠irich agus tiugainn O,

脠irich agus tiugainn O,

Mo shoraidh sl脿n le Fionnairigh

Tha mi an d霉il gu bheil a鈥� chuid mh貌r agaibh e貌lach air na faclan sin, agus air an 貌ran 脿s an t脿inig iad. Seo a鈥� chiad rann dheth:

Tha an latha math, 鈥檚 an soirbheas ci霉in,

Tha an 霉ine a鈥� ruith, 鈥檚 an t-脿m dhuinn dl霉th,

Tha am b脿t鈥� gam fheitheamh fo a si霉il,

Gam thoirt a-null 脿 Fionnairigh.

鈥橲 e tiotal an 貌rain 鈥淪oraidh Sl脿n le Fionnairigh鈥� agus tha e mu dheidhinn 脿ite ann Morbhairne, mu choinneamh Eilein Mhuile. Ach c貌 sgr矛obh e? Dh鈥檉haodainn a r脿dh gun deach a sgr矛obhadh leis an Ollamh Urramach Tormod MacLe貌id, air an robh am frith-ainm, 鈥淐araid nan Gaidheal鈥�, agus a bha uaireigin gu math ainmeil ann an saoghal na G脿idhlig, ach cha bhiodh sin buileach ceart. Feumaidh mi m矛neachadh.

Bha Tormod MacLe貌id be貌 eadar na bliadhnaichean seachd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1783) agus ochd ceud deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1862). 鈥橲 e gille a鈥� mhans鈥� a bh鈥� ann. Rugadh e agus thogadh e ann am Fionnairigh far an robh athair na mhinistear.

Chaidh Tormod a-steach don mhinistrealachd e fh猫in, agus bha e an toiseach ann am Muile, agus an uairsin ann an 脿iteachan eile air t矛r-m貌r Earra-Ghaidheal. Ghluais e don Ghalldachd as d猫idh sin agus bha e greis ann an Siorrachd Shruighlea agus ann an Glaschu, far an do ghabh e ceum-ollaimh ann an Diadhaireachd. Bha e na Mhodar脿tor do dh鈥橢aglais na h-Alba ann an ochd ceud deug, trithead 鈥檚 a sia (1836).

Bha e math math mar shearmonaiche, gu h-脿raidh ann an G脿idhlig, agus choisinn e cli霉 dha fh猫in ann an Eirinn, far an d鈥檙achadh e bho 脿m gu 脿m. Bha G脿idhlig na h-Eireann aige gu fileanta, agus chruthaich e fh猫in is fear Eireannach, eatarra, leabhar de shailm ann an Gaeilge airson Eaglais na h-Eireann.

Ach tha e air a chuimhneachadh an-diugh gu seachd 脿raidh airson d脿 rud 鈥� an obair a rinn e airson na G脿idhlig ann an Alba, agus na rinn e as leth nan daoine bochd鈥� air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd. 鈥橲 ann air sg脿th sin a chuireadh am frith-ainm air 鈥淐araid nan Gaidheal鈥�. Tha an teacs airson 貌raid a thug e seachad turas ann an Lunnainn fhathast againn, agus tha e a鈥� togail dealbh dhuinn dhen d貌rainn a bha a鈥� bualadh air an t-sluagh aig an 脿m. Sluagh gun obair, gun airgead is, ann an cuid de dh鈥櫭爄teachan, gun bhiadh. Bha Tormod MacLe貌id ag iarraidh an cuideachadh.

Agus bha e na sh脿r-Ghaidheal. Th貌isich e iris Gh脿idhlig, an Teachdaire Gaelach, ann an ochd ceud deug is naoi ar fhichead (1829). Bha i l脿n artaigilean mu dheidhinn cuspairean cho farsaing ri eachdraidh, poileataics an latha, cruinn-e貌las, saidheans is creideamh. Gu m矛-fhortanach, ge-t脿, cha do mhair an Teachdaire ach d脿 bhliadhna.

Dh鈥檉heuch e a-rithist le iris eile, Cuairtear nan Gleann, ann an ochd ceud deug is ceathrad (1840) ach mhair sin d矛reach tr矛 bliadhna. Anns an eadar-ama, ge-t脿, rinn e obair air faclair agus air grunn leabhraichean eile. Agus bha e an s脿s ann a bhith a鈥� brosnachadh Eaglais na h-Alba gus barrachd a dheanamh airson foghlam nan Gaidheal.

Ach d猫 mu dheidhinn 鈥淪oraidh Sl脿n le Fionnairigh鈥�? Carson a thuirt mi nach b 鈥檈 Tormod MacLe貌id fhein a bha buileach air a sgr矛obhadh? Bha mi a鈥� ciallachadh gun do sgr矛obh e ann am Beurla e, mar 鈥淔arewell to Fiunary鈥� agus gur e Gilleasbaig Mac na Ce脿rdaich a dh鈥檈adar-theangaich gu G脿idhlig e. Ach chanainn gum biodh Tormod MacLe貌id toilichte gu bheil an t-貌ran nas ainmeile an-diugh anns a鈥� ch脿nan aige fh猫in dhan do rinn e uiread o chionn c貌rr is ceud gu leth bliadhna.

Faclan na seachdaine: 猫irich: arise; tiugainn (or thugainn or chugainn): come, let鈥檚 go; soraidh sl脿n: farewell; an t-Ollamh Urramach: The Reverend Doctor; ceum-ollaimh: doctorate; Diadhaireachd: divinity; Modar脿tor: Moderator: searmonaiche: preacher; sailm: psalms; Eaglais na h-Eireann: Church of Ireland; frith-ainm: nickname; teacs: text; iris: periodical; teachdaire: messenger; cruinn-e貌las: geography; cuairtear: visitor, sojourner; brosnachadh: encourage; Gilleasbaig Mac na Ce脿rdaich: Archibald Sinclair.

tha an latha math, 鈥檚 an soirbheas ci霉in: the day is good and thewind gentle; tha an 霉ine a鈥� ruith, 鈥檚 an t-脿m dhuinn dl霉th: time is moving on and the moment(of departure) approaches; tha am b脿t鈥� gam fheitheamh fo a si霉il: the boat awaits me underher sails; gam thoirt a-null 脿 Fionnairigh: to take me over from Fiunary; Caraid nanGaidheal: Friend of the Gaels; cha bhiodh sin buileach ceart: that wouldn鈥檛 be completelycorrect; far an d鈥檙achadh e bho 脿m gu 脿m: where he would go from time to time; tha e air achuimhneachadh gu seachd 脿raidh airson d脿 rud: he is remembered particularly for twothings; tha e a鈥� togail dealbh dhuinn dhen d貌rainn a bha a鈥� bualadh air an t-sluagh aig an脿m: it gives us a picture of the hardship that was afflicting the people at the time; cha domhair e ach d脿 bhliadhna: it only lasted two years; dhan do rinn e uiread o chionn c貌rr isceud gu leth bliadhna: for which he did so much over 150 years ago.

Puing ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Bha Tormod MacLe貌id ag iarraidh an cuideachadh: Norman MacLeod wanted to help them. The grammatical point I want to make here concerns the fact that, despite verbal nouns normally governing a following noun in the genitive (eg tha mi ag iarraidh na h-obrach), we do not say bha X ag iarraidh an cuideachaidh, but bha X ag iarraidh an cuideachadh (Note the important point that 鈥渃uideachadh鈥� is also a verbal noun). The reason concerns the 鈥渁n鈥� before 鈥渃uideachadh鈥� being a possessive pronoun (鈥渢heir鈥�), and is given succinctly by Calder in his Gaelic Grammar (p 166), which I repeat here: 鈥淎 Possessive Pronoun accompanying a verbal noun, and following a word that governs the genitive, prevents the verbal noun from being thrown into the genitive.鈥� He gives the example, 鈥渂ha aon

neo dh脿 ag iarraidh mo ph貌sadh鈥� (one or two were seeking to marry me). It is mo ph貌sadh, NOT mo ph貌saidh. The same applies to other causes of genitivisation eg complex prepositions: bha e airson mo bhreabadh (he wanted to kick me); bha sin as d猫idh a naomhachadh (that was after sanctifying him).

鈥橲 e gille a鈥� mhansa a bh鈥� ann. He was a son of the manse聽(ie his father was a minister).