大象传媒

Tha am feasgar ann. Tha Fionnghal Nic Dh貌mhnaill agus Fear Chinnseburg shuas air mullach a鈥� mhonaidh os cionn Phort Righ. Tha iad nan seasamh air tom fraoich, agus tha iad a鈥� coimhead s矛os air Caolas Ratharsair. Tha iad a鈥� feuchainn, o 脿m gu 脿m, ri sealladh fhaotainn air an eathar anns a bheil am Prionnsa.

Tha Cinnseburg ag r脿dh: 鈥淭ha sibh sg矛th. Nach d猫an sibh suidhe? Chan eil an t-eathar fhathast anns an t-sealladh.鈥�

Tha Fionnghal a鈥� freagairt: 鈥淭ha 鈥� tha mi gl猫 sg矛th, ach chan eil saorsa fhathast ann. Tha sinn ann an cunnart an seo; d猫anaibh suidhe sibh fh猫in, air neo chithear sinn gu ro fhurasta le c脿irdean nan saighdearan sh矛os anns a鈥� bhaile.鈥�

Bidh sibh e貌lach air an eachdraidh. Tha i mu dheidhinn mar a fhuair Te脿rlach Og Sti霉bhart air falbh bho na saighdearan dearga anns an Eilean Sgitheanach an d猫idh Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair. Tharraing mi 脿 dealbh-chluich G脿idhlig i, air a bheil 鈥淔ionnghal Nic Dh貌mhnaill鈥�, a chaidh a sgr矛obhadh le fear, I. M. Moffatt-Pender, agus a chaidh fhoillseachadh ann an leabhar ann an naoi ceud deug, leth-cheud 鈥檚 a ceithir (1954).

Cha robh mi air c脿il a chluinntinn mu Mhoffatt-Pender mus do cheannaich mi an leabhar agus 鈥檚 e a ghlac m鈥� aire gu robh na dealbhan-cluich d脿-ch脿nanach. Chan e gu bheil G脿idhlig is Beurla ann, ge-t脿, ach d脿 Gh脿idhlig - G脿idhlig na h-Alba is G脿idhlig na h-Eireann. Thug an t-霉ghdar d脿 mh矛le dhen leabhar seachad an-asgaidh 鈥� m矛le do chloinn ann an Eirinn, agus m矛le do chloinn ann an Alba, gus am faiceadh an d脿 chuid cho faisg 鈥榮 a tha na c脿nanan.

Bha Moffatt-Pender anns na S矛ophortaich anns a鈥� chiad chogadh, agus 鈥檚 ann le taic bho shaighdearan anns an r猫isimeid sin a th貌isich e air G脿idhlig ionnsachadh. Ph貌s e t猫 脿 Melbourne agus, an d猫idh a鈥� chogaidh, thug e seachad m貌ran t矛de ann an Astr脿ilia. Ach bha e tric a-bhos ann an Alba agus sheas e mar thagraiche-p脿rlamaid airson nan Eilean Siar ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 naoi ar fhichead (1929). Ged nach d鈥檉huair e a-steach, choisinn e cli霉 dha fh猫in airson nan 貌raidean G脿idhlig aige aig 脿m an taghaidh!

Bha e an s脿s gu m貌r ann am p矛obaireachd is dannsa Gaidhealach, sgr矛obh e grunn leabhraichean ann an G脿idhlig is Gaeilge agus bha e cli霉iteach cuideachd anns a鈥� Bhreatainn Bhig, far an robh e na 鈥淒hraoidh鈥� anns a鈥� Ghorsedd. Ann an Astr脿ilia bha e na cheannard air Comunn G脿idhlig Bhictoria airson 霉ine mh貌ir.

Bha e cuideachd uabhasach d猫idheil air sp貌rs. Chluich e rugbaidh airson Alba na 貌ige, bha e math air curling, agus choisich e iomadach m矛le air frith-rathaidean na Gaidhealtachd. Ann an Astr脿ilia, choisich e turas gun stad bho bhaile ris an canar Bendigo gu ruig鈥� a dhachaigh ann am Melbourne, barrachd na ceud m矛le, ann an deich uairean fichead. Bha e c貌rr is leth-cheud bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois aig an 脿m.

Tha c貌ig dealbhan-cluich anns an leabhar a cheannaich mi, agus bhuannaich Moffatt-Pender duaisean le tr矛 aca aig M貌dan N脿iseanta. Bhuannaich 鈥淔ionnghal Nic Dh貌mhnaill鈥� aig M貌d a鈥� Ghearasdain ann an naoi ceud deug, is dh脿-dheug ar fhichead (1932).

Tha na dealbhan uile a鈥� cr矛ochnachadh leis na faclan (貌rdughan airson luchd-sti霉iridh an ard-霉rlair) 鈥� 鈥渢hig am brat a-nis鈥� a-nuas鈥�. Uill, th脿inig am brat a-nuas mu dheireadh air Moffatt-Pender fh猫in, mar a thig air gach fear is t猫 againn aig a鈥� cheann thall. Tha an duine fh猫in fon fh貌id, ach tha ceist agam mu dheidhinn na d矛leib a dh鈥檉h脿g e dhuinn - a dhealbhan-cluich. Saoil am faic sinn air an 脿rd-霉rlar a-rithist iad 鈥� 鈥檚 d貌cha anns an d脿 Gh脿idhlig 鈥� uair neo uaireigin?

Fionnghal Nic Dh貌mhnaill: Flora MacDonald; Fear Chinnseburg:Alexander MacDonald of Kingsburgh who assisted Flora and the Prince; Caolas Ratharsair: TheSound of Raasay; an-asgaidh: free of charge; Na S矛ophortaich: The Seaforth Highlanders;r猫isimeid: regiment; Draoidh: Druid; Gorsedd: meeting of bards and druids (Welsh/Breton);d矛leab (genitive d矛leib): legacy.

tha iad nan seasamh air tom fraoich: they are standing on a heatherknoll; nach d猫an sibh suidhe?: won鈥檛 you sit down?; chithear sinn gu ro fhurasta le X: we will beseen too easily by X; tharraing mi 脿 dealbh-chluich G脿idhlig i: I extracted it (eachdraidh is afeminine word) from a Gaelic play; gus am faiceadh an d脿 chuid cho faisg 鈥檚 a tha na c脿nanan: so聽that both (groups of children) would see how close the languages are; thug e seachad m貌ran t矛de聽ann an Astr脿ilia: he spent much time in Australia; bha e tric a-bhos ann an Alba: he was often聽over here in Scotland; sheas e mar thagraiche-p脿rlamaid airson nan Eilean Siar: he stood as a聽parliamentary candidate for the Western Isles; choisinn e cli霉 dha fh猫in: he won himself areputation; 貌rdughan airson luchd-sti霉iridh an 脿rd-霉rlair: instructions for the stage managers;thig am brat a-nis a-nuas: the curtain will now descend; uair neo uaireigin: sometime or other.

Tha iad a鈥� feuchainn鈥�ri sealladh fhaotainn air an eathar anns abheil am Prionnsa: they are trying to get a view of the boat containing the Prince. Are youfamiliar with the word 鈥渆athar鈥�, which means a small to medium-sized boat? In some parts of the聽country eg Wester Ross it is more common than b脿ta. People will normally talk of 鈥渆athraichean-iasgaich鈥澛爎ather than 鈥渂脿taichean-iasgaich鈥�. In fact, although your dictionary might list 鈥渂脿ta鈥� as聽the Gaelic equivalent of 鈥渂oat鈥�, there are many different words for different types of vessel, and聽this would make a good topic of conversation with your Gaelic teacher. Here are some other聽examples of boat types still in use today (although be aware that the Gaelic terms may vary from聽place to place): sgoth: a skiff or sailing craft, pointed at both stern and bow; ge貌la: a small聽dinghy or rowing boat; culaidh: the Sutherland equivalent of eathar; coit: a small dinghy for use聽on rivers or freshwater lochs (the Gaelic for Boat of Garten, an old crossing on the River Spey, is聽Coit a鈥� Ghartain). A 鈥測acht鈥� (despite what the dictionaries might say) is generally referred to as聽a 鈥測aht鈥�, usually written ghe脿t (the word is derived from the English and the orthography is still聽a matter of contention).

mar a thig air gach fear is t猫 againn aig a鈥� cheann thall: as comes聽on every man and woman of us in the end. Aig (or air) a鈥� cheann thall is a good Gaelic idiom for聽鈥渋n the end, in the final instance鈥�. The increasingly common 鈥渁ig deireadh an latha鈥� is an English聽idiom.