大象传媒

F脿ilte oirbh, a ch脿irdean, gu Litir tr矛 deug ar fhichead neo, anns an t-siostam 霉r, trichead 鈥檚 a tr矛 (33). Tha mi鈥檔 d貌chas gu bheil sibh uile gu d貌igheil, sunndach. Chan eil fhios a鈥檓 d猫 cho math 鈥檚 a tha ur cuimhne ach, anns an Litir mu dheireadh agam, latha ron Nollaig, chuir mi ceist oirbh. C貌 e an seann ghaisgeach Gaidhealach a bha leis a鈥� chearrag neo, mar a chanas iad anns an sg矛re aige fh猫in, a bha ciotach? Agus a th鈥檃ir a chuimhneachadh airson sin.

Uill, 鈥檚 i an fhreagairt Colla Ciotach neo, ann am Beurla, Colkitto. Rugadh Colla Ciotach ann an Aontrom, ann an ceann a tuath na h-Eireann, anns a鈥� bhliadhna coig ceud deug, tri fichead 鈥檚 a deich, neo c貌ig ceud deug is seachdad (1570). Bha e na bhall de Chlann D貌mhnaill agus thugadh e, na 貌ige, a dh鈥橢ilean Cholasa ann an Earra-Ghaidheal. Agus thogadh e ann an Colasa.

Anns an leabhar 鈥淐olkitto!鈥�, tha an t-霉ghdar, Kevin Byrne, a tha a鈥� fuireach ann an Colasa, a鈥� deanamh dheth gur d貌cha nach ann ciotach a bha Colla ma tha sinn a鈥� smaoineachadh gu bheil am facal a鈥� ciallachadh d矛reach left-handed, ach gu robh e comasach air claidheamh a thogail le a dh脿 l脿imh. Bha e a cheart cho math le a l脿imh chl矛 鈥檚 a bha e le a l脿imh dheis. Ambidextrous mar a chanas iad ann am Beurla.

Co-dhi霉, cha robh c霉isean s矛theil air Gh脿idhealtachd aig toiseach an t-seachdamh linn deug nuair a bha Seumas a-Sia (VI) na R矛gh agus, an d猫idh str矛 mh貌r, thug an R矛gh Colasa do Ghilleasbaig Caimbeul, seachdamh Iarla Earra-Ghaidheal. Cha b鈥檈 sin deireadh na str矛, ge-t脿, agus ann an sia ceud deug 鈥榮 a c貌ig-deug (1615), thug na Caimbeulaich ionnsaigh air na D貌mhnallaich ann an caisteal ann an 脤le. Bha Colla Ciotach am broinn a鈥� chaisteil.

Chaill na D貌mhnallaich am batail, ach fhuair Colla air falbh air an oidhche ann an b脿ta beag cuide ri fichead duin鈥� eile. Bha am b脿ta, ge-t脿, ag ao-dion agus b鈥檉heudar dhaibh stad airson greis air t矛r. Fhuair na Caimbeulaich greim air sianar dhen sgioba ann a sin, ach fhuair Colla air falbh a-rithist.

Airson greis chum Colla a dol air feadh nan eilean, a鈥� togail chreach, agus a鈥� toirt ionnsaigh air na Caimbeulaich. A-r猫ir a鈥� chiad Phroifeasair de Cheilteis ann an Oilthigh Dhun Eideann, D貌mhnall MacFhiongain, a bhuineadh do Cholasa, 鈥渂ha e cho te貌ma leis a鈥� ghunna is a bha leis a鈥� chlaidheamh.鈥� Mu dheireadh, ge-t脿, chaidh c霉isean na aghaidh, agus th脿inig e gu r猫ite leis an riaghaltas nach d猫anadh e an tuilleadh aimhreit, nan leigeadh iad leis dhol dhachaigh a Cholasa.

Chaidh e dhachaigh ach bha n脿mhaid aige anns an eilean 鈥� fear Calum Mac a鈥� Ph矛, ceann-cinnidh Clann Ic a鈥� Ph矛 ann an Colasa. A-r猫ir beul-aithris, chaidh Colla agus feadhainn eile a bhuineadh do Chlann D貌mhnaill an t貌ir air Mac a鈥� Ph矛 agus b鈥檉heudar dha dhol am falach mar a b鈥檉he脿rr a b鈥檜rrainn dha. Tha cuimhn鈥� aig muinntir Cholasa fhathast air cuid de na h-脿iteachan far an deach e am falach am measg nan creag. Tha an t-aon ainm orra uile 鈥� Leab鈥� Fhalaich Mhic a鈥� Ph矛, sin Leabaidh Fhalaich Mhic a鈥� Ph矛, an Leabaidh far an deach Mac a鈥� Ph矛 am falach.

Agus tha cuimhn鈥� aig muinntir an eilein cuideachd air an 脿ite far an do chuireadh Mac a鈥� Ph矛 gu b脿s, le Colla Ciotach agus a ch脿irdean. Anns an ath litir, bheir sinn s霉il a-rithist air Colla, agus air a mhac, a tha cuideachd gu math ainmeil ann an eachdraidh na G脿idhealtachd, Alasdair Mac Cholla. Chun an uairsin, sl脿n leibh.

gu d貌igheil, sunndach: in good temper and good spirits; leis a'chearrag: left-handed; ciotach: left-handed,ambidextrous; Aontrom: Antrim; Colasa:Colonsay (traditionally, the spelling was Colbhasa, but the people of the island today preferColasa); Earra-Ghaidheal: Argyll; 霉ghdar: author; claidheamh: sword; Iarla: Earl; Caimbeul:Campbell; batail: battle; ag ao-dion: leaking; sianar: six people; sgioba: crew, party; te貌ma:skilful,adept; n脿mhaid: enemy; Calum Mac a' Ph矛: Malcolm MacFie (or MacDuffie); amfalach: hidden; sl脿n leibh: cheerio, farewell.

agus a th'air a chuimhneachadh airson sin: and is rememberedfor that; bha e na bhall de Chlann D貌mhnaill: he was a member of Clan Donald; na 貌ige: inhis youth; bha e a cheart cho math le a l脿imh chl矛 's a bha e le a l脿imh dheis: he was just asgood with his left hand as he was with his right hand; thug X ionnsaigh air Y: X attacked Y;b'fheudar dhaibh stad: they had to stop; a' togail chreach: plundering; Proifeasair de Cheilteis:Professor of Celtic; a bhuineadh do Cholasa: who belonged to Colonsay; bha e cho te貌maleis a' ghunna is a bha e leis a' chlaidheamh: he was as adept with a (the) gun as he was witha (the) sword; th脿inig e gu r猫ite nach deanadh e an tuilleadh aimhreit, nan leigeadh iad leisdhol dhachaigh: he came to an agreement that he would cause no further trouble if they lethim go home; mar a bfhe脿rr a burrainn dha: as best he could; Leab Fhalaich Mhic a' Ph矛:(lit.) MacFies (or MacDuffies) Hiding Bed.

Thogadh e ann an Colasa: he was raised (brought up) inColonsay. Do you remember Litir 19 (Sept 24) in which we looked at using chaidh with theverbal noun to make past passives? Here is another way, and it's a bit neater. Take the rootof the verb, lenite it and add -adh or -eadh (according to the spelling rule). So tog becomesthogadh. Thogadh mi ann an Glaschu (I was raised in Glasgow). Breab becomes bhreabadh.Bhreabadh mi da thuras (I was kicked twice). Similarly, cur (a' cur) becomes chuireadh egfar an do chuireadh Mac a' Ph矛 gu b脿s (where MacFie was put to death). With the regularverbs, finding the root is straightforward, but it can be more complicated with irregularverbs. Beir (a' breith) becomes rugadh eg rugadh Colla Ciotach ann an Aontrom (Colkittowas born in Antrim); thoir (a' toirt) becomes thugadh eg thugadh e a Cholasa (he was takento Colonsay). Dont worry you will learn most of these irregular cases simply by exposureto the language, although a Gaelic grammar book is a useful item on every learner's bookshelves.

Bha Colla Ciotach am broinn a chaisteil: Colkitto was inthe castle. Broinn is the dative of br霉, a belly, and am broinn literally means in the bellyof (with the following noun in the genitive). This phrase is commonly heard, but it isimportant only to use it where you mean that something is physically inside something else.It cannot be used for something which is conceptually inside something else. eg Bha miam broinn an taighe; bha i am broinn a charbaid. But if you want to say, for example,inside a week from now you should not say am broinn seachdain bhon a seo; you wouldhave to say taobh a-staigh seachdain bhon a seo.