大象传媒

A bheil cuimhn鈥� agaibh air Litir ochdad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (88) air an darna latha dhen Ghearran am-bliadhna, nuair a bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu dheidhinn a鈥� bh脿ird ainmeil, Uilleam Ros, agus mu dheidhinn an 貌rain-ghaoil aige do Mh貌r Ros anns a bheil na faclan, 鈥淐arson nach d鈥檙ugadh dall mi?鈥� Uill, bha mi ann an Ge脿rrloch, ann an Siorrachd Rois, aig toiseach na m矛os airson fosgladh taisbeanaidh anns a bheil b脿ird na sg矛re air an comharrachadh. Agus am measg nam b脿rd, gu dearbh, anns a鈥� phr矛omh 脿ite, chanadh m貌ran, tha Uilleam Ros. Bhuineadh a mh脿thair do Ghe脿rrloch agus chuir Uilleam fh猫in seachad bliadhnaichean a鈥� fuireach ann.

Bha b脿rdachd anns an dualchas aige. Bha a sheanair, air taobh a mh脿thar, cuideachd na bh脿rd, agus tha e fh猫in air a chomharrachadh anns an taisbeanadh. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a bh鈥� air Iain MacAoidh, ged is e am frith-ainm aige as aithne don chuid as motha 鈥� am P矛obaire Dall. 鈥橲 ann air sg脿th a dhoille a tha mi uaireannan a鈥� smaoineachadh gu bheil e rudeigin annasach gun do sgr矛obh Uilleam na faclan sin 鈥� 鈥淐arson nach d鈥檙ugadh dall mi?鈥� mar gu robh doille air stad a chur air bho bhith a鈥� gabhail gaol m貌r air a leannan.

Bha Iain air leth math mar ph矛obaire. Tha diofar bheachdan air a dhoille, ge-t脿. Tha cuid dhen bheachd gun do chaill e fhradharc aig aois seachd bliadhna, agus gur i a鈥� bhreac a chuir 脿s dha. Tha cuid eile, ge-t脿, a鈥� cumail a-mach gun do rugadh e dall.

Ach cha do chuir doille stad air a ph矛obaireachd. Bha e na oileanach aig sgoil ainmeil anns an Eilean Sgitheanach, a bh鈥� air a ruith le cuid de Chloinn 鈥檌c Cruimein. Bha e cho math air a鈥� ph矛ob 鈥檚 gun deach d脿 sheanfhacal a chruthachadh air a sh脿illeabh.

Aon turas bha Iain Dall agus oileanach eile a鈥� seinn na p矛oba, fear ma seach, agus MacCruimein ag 猫isteachd riutha. Bha Iain na b鈥� fhe脿rr, agus dh鈥檉haighnich MacCruimein dhen fhear eile carson nach robh e a鈥� cluich mar Iain Dall. 鈥淒h猫anainn sin,鈥� fhreagair an gille, 鈥渕ura robh mo mhe貌ir as d猫idh na sgait.鈥� Bha e a鈥� ciallachadh gu robh e air a bhith ag ithe sgait, agus gu robh a mhe貌ir, a chorragan, leanailteach, neo 鈥渟tigeach鈥� mar a chanas m貌ran an-diugh. Is cha robh iad a鈥� gluasad gu ceart air an fheadan. Agus bho sin a-mach, chanadh daoine mu dheidhinn droch ph矛obaire gu robh 鈥渁 mhe貌ir as d猫idh na sgait.鈥�

Bha fear de Chloinn 鈥檌c Cruimein, air an robh 鈥淧脿draig Caogach鈥�, a bha e gl猫 ainmeil mar ph矛obaire. Th貌isich e turas air port a chruthachadh ach cha b鈥� urrainn dha cr矛och a chur air. Airson d脿 bhliadhna, dh鈥檉heuch e ri chr矛ochnachadh, ach dh鈥檉hailnich air. Ghabh Iain Dall truas ris, agus chuir e fh猫in cr矛och air.

Uill, cha robh P脿draig toilichte. Ghabh e caothach. Agus a r猫ir beul-aithris, dh鈥檉heuch e fh猫in is caraidean dha cur 脿s do dh鈥橧ain le bhith ga thilgeil far mullach cnuic. Ach mhair Iain be貌, ged a thuit e c貌rr is seachd meatair. O chionn ceud bliadhna, bha muinntir Bhoraraig fhathast ag aithneachadh an 脿ite far an do thachair seo mar 鈥淟eum an Doill鈥�. Chan eil fhios agam co-dhiubh tha iad ga aithneachadh fhathast.

Chan eil fhios agam d猫 thachair do Ph脿draig nas motha, ach 鈥檚 e 鈥淟asan Ph脿draig Chaogaich鈥� a chaidh a chur air a鈥� phort mar ainm. Agus air sg脿th na thachair, chaidh an seanfhacal seo a chruthachadh airson Iain Doill 鈥� 鈥淐haidh am foghlam os cionn Mhic Cruimein.鈥� Sin Iain Dall mar ph矛obaire. An ath-sheachdain bheir sinn s霉il air a chuid bh脿rdachd.

Faclan na seachdaine: an Gearran: February; Iain MacAoidh: John Mackay; am P矛obaire Dall: the Blind Piper; dh猫anainn: I would do; leanailteach, stigeach: sticky; P脿draig Caogach: winking Peter or possibly squint-eyed Peter; port: tune; muinntir Bhoraraig: the people of Boreraig (in N. Skye); Leum an Doill: the blind man鈥檚 leap; lasan: wrath, passionate anger.

Abairtean na seachdaine: mu dheidhinn an 貌rain-ghaoil aige do Mh貌r Ros: about his love song to Marion Ross; carson nach d鈥檙ugadh dall mi?: why was I not born blind?; airson fosgladh taisbeanaidh anns a bheil b脿ird na sg矛re air an comharrachadh: for the opening of an exhibition in which the area鈥檚 bards are noted; bhuineadh a mh脿thair do Ghe脿rrloch: his mother belonged to Gairloch; mar gu robh doille air stad a chur air bho bhith a鈥� gabhail gaol m貌r air a leannan: as if blindness would have stopped him from falling in love with his sweetheart; gun do chaill e fhradharc aig aois seachd bliadhna: that he lost his sight at the age of 7 years; gur i a鈥� bhreac a chuir as dha: that it was smallpox that destroyed it (his sight); a bh鈥� air a ruith le cuid de Chloinn 鈥檌c Cruimein: run by some MacCrimmons; a鈥� seinn na p矛oba: playing the bagpipes; fear ma seach: in turns; cha robh iad a鈥� gluasad gu ceart air an fheadan: they weren鈥檛 moving properly on the chanter; ghabh X truas ris: X took pity on him; Ghabh e caothach: he lost his temper; cha b鈥� urrainn dha cr矛och a chur air: he could not finish it; le bhith ga thilgeil far mullach cnuic: by throwing him off the top of a hill; chan eil fhios agam d猫 thachair do Ph脿draig nas motha: neither do I know what happened to Peter.

Puing ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Airson d脿 bhliadhna, dh鈥檉heuch e ri chr矛ochnachadh, ach dh鈥檉hailnich air: for two years, he tried to finish it (masc.), but failed. If you are listening to a Gaelic conversation and you hear a 鈥渄h鈥� (which sounds like a soft 鈥済鈥� in front of a broad vowel and a 鈥測鈥� in front of a narrow vowel) starting a verb, do you sometimes have difficulty working out what the verb is? The 鈥渄h鈥� is a sound device which gets over the problem of a consonant combination at the beginning of a word which produces no sound 鈥� a common example is a lenited 鈥渇鈥� 鈥� ie 鈥渇h鈥�. So there is a good chance your verb will start with an 鈥渇鈥�. For example, we say dh鈥檉hosgail e an doras (he opened the door), dh鈥檉hairich e an spreadhadh (he heard the explosion), dh鈥檉hailnich air (he failed), dh鈥檉heuch e sin (he tried that) and dh鈥檉he貌raich e (he asked). The word 鈥渇脿ilneachadh鈥� (f脿illigeadh in some places) means 鈥渇ailed鈥� and is followed by the preposition 鈥渁ir鈥� eg Dh鈥檉h脿ilnich air Uisdean an obair a chr矛ochnachadh (Hugh

failed to complete the work); dh鈥檉h脿ilnich oirre (she failed); dh鈥檉h脿ilnich oirnn (we failed).

Seanfhaclan na seachdaine: tha a mhe貌ir as d猫idh na sgait: his fingers are after the skate 鈥� a comment made of a bad piper. The reason for this is explained in the text. Chaidh am foghlam os cionn Mhic Cruimein: the education outstripped MacCrimmon 鈥� this is equivalent to saying that the student has surpassed the teacher and can be used as a proverb in that context 鈥� it need have nothing to do with piping. Mhic Cruimein is Mac Cruimein in the genitive case, following the compound preposition, os cionn.