大象传媒

Bha mi ann an d霉thaich Fhionnlaidh Dhuibh o chionn ghoirid agus abair gun do ch貌rd e rium. Bha a鈥� mhadainn na f猫ath agus cha robh neul anns an adhar agus, feasgar, ged a dh鈥檉h脿s i sg貌thach, bha i fhathast socair ci霉in, fi霉鈥檚 aig c貌rr is tr矛 mile troigh os cionn na mara. Bidh sibh a鈥� tuigsinn gu bheil beanntan gu le貌r ann an d霉thaich Fhionnlaidh Dhuibh.

Ach tha deagh amharas agam gu bheil sibh a鈥� smaoineachadh an-dr脿sta 鈥渃貌 am Fionnladh Dubh a tha sin air a bheil Ruairidh MacIlleathain a-mach?鈥� Uill, duine a bu ch貌ir a bhith rudeigin ainmeil ann an Alba, chan ann d矛reach am measg nan G脿idheal, ach air feadh Alba gu l猫ir. Innsidh mi dhuibh carson an ceann mionaid neo dh脿.

Chan eil mi ag r脿dh, ge-t脿, gur e duine math a bh鈥檃nn. Leis an fh矛rinn innse, 鈥檚 e murtair a bh鈥檃nn. Chan eil fhios a鈥檓 an e sin is coireach gun d鈥檉huair e am frith-ainm 鈥淔ionnladh Dubh鈥�. 鈥橲 d貌cha gur e d矛reach gu robh falt dubh aige is coireach airson sin.

Bha Fionnladh be貌 aig deireadh an t-siathamh linn deug ann an Gleann Afraig. Bha e ag obair do MhacCoinnich Ghe脿rrloch mar choilltear is geamair. Latha a bha seo, thachair e ri fear D貌mhnallach air mullach nam beann. Chaidh iad a-mach air a鈥� ch猫ile, agus mharbh Fionnladh am fear eile le saighead. 鈥橲 e boghadair math a bh鈥檃nn.

Feumaidh gun do thachair seo faisg air mullach d脿 bheinn air a bheil M脿m Sabhail agus C脿rn Eige. Tha iad le ch猫ile c貌rr is tr矛 m矛le is ochd ceud troigh a dh鈥櫭爄rde. Tha mi ag r脿dh 鈥渇eumaidh鈥� air sg脿th 鈥檚 gu bheil fios againn 鈥� co-dhi霉 bho bheul-aithris 鈥� gun do thilg Fionnladh corp an fhir eile anns an Loch Uaine. Agus tha an loch sin ann an coire cas eadar an d脿 bheinn.

Chaidh beinn faisg air l脿imh ainmeachadh airson Fhionnlaidh, agus 鈥檚 e Beinn Fhionnlaidh a th鈥檕irre fhathast, ged nach eil mi cinnteach co-dhi霉 tha fios aig m貌ran de shreapadairean neo luchd-coiseachd carson a tha an t-ainm sin oirre. Co-dhi霉, th貌isich am muirt cogadh eadar Clann Choinnich agus na D貌mhnallaich 脿 Gleanna Garadh a mhair corr is fichead bliadhna. Agus dh鈥檉heuch na D貌mhnallaich ri Fionnladh a mhuirt grunn tursan.

A-r猫ir beul-aithris, chaidh dusan duine a-mach air a th貌ir, ach rinn bean Fhionnlaidh a鈥� ch霉is air a h-uile duine aca ach aon fhear le puinnsean. Nuair a chuala ceann-cinnidh nan D貌mhnallach an naidheachd, bha an caothach air. Chuir e dusan duine eile a dh鈥檌onnsaigh Fhionnladh, ach rinn Fionnladh a鈥� ch霉is orra le a bhogha. Thachair an aon rud a-rithist agus a-rithist agus, mu dheireadh, chan e saighdear a rinn a鈥� ch霉is air Fionnladh, ach lighiche.

Latha a bha seo bha Fionnladh tinn agus th脿inig an dotair airson leigheas a dh猫anamh air. Ach an trustar! Thug an dotair, a bha na Dh貌mhnallach, sn脿thad mh貌r fhada a-mach agus sh脿th e tro chluas Fhionnlaidh i agus a-steach do eanchainn. Fhad 鈥檚 a bha e a鈥� b脿sachadh,

chaidh fuil a-steach a bheul Fhionnlaidh agus b鈥檌ad na faclan mu dheireadh aige 鈥� 鈥淚s meilis an deoch a thug thu dhomh.鈥�

Air sg脿th na h-eachdraidh sin, tha deagh adhbhar ann airson Fionnladh Dubh a bhith air a chuimhneachadh le G脿idheil. Ach carson a bhiodh Goill an latha an-diugh a鈥� toirt sp猫is dha cuideachd? Uill 鈥� airson an adhbhair seo: b鈥檈san a鈥� chiad duine ann an Alba, a th鈥檃ir a chuimhneachadh le cinnt, a chaidh gu mullaichean 脿rda a bhuineas do na beanntan Rothach 鈥� na Munros 鈥� an fheadhainn nas 脿irde na tr矛 m矛le troigh. Ach, feumaidh mi r脿dh nach iad na Rothaich a bha air aire Fhionnlaidh fh猫in aig an 脿m ach na D貌mhnallaich!

neul: cloud; sg貌thach: cloudy; socair ci霉in: mild and windless; murtair: murderer;frith-ainm (or far-ainm): nickname; Gleann Afraig: Glen Affric; coilltear is geamair: forester and gamekeeper:聽saighead: arrow; boghadair: archer, bowman; beul-aithris: oral tradition; coire cas: a steep corrie;聽sreapadairean: climbers; tinn: ill; lighiche: doctor, physician; sn脿thad: needle; sh脿th e: he stabbed; eanchainn:聽brain; sp猫is: respect; Rothach: Munro.

Fionnladh Dubh, d霉thaich Fhionnlaidh Dhuibh: Black Finlay,Black Finlay's country (in some mainland dialects the terminal dh is not pronounced,and the name may be written Fionnla; in the islands it commonly is, and the name isoften written Fionnlagh); bha a' mhadainn na f猫ath: the morning was calm; bu ch貌ir doX a bhith rudeigin ainmeil: X should be somewhat well-known; gur e X is coireach airsonsin: that X is responsible for that; chaidh iad a-mach air a ch猫ile: they fell out with eachother; feumaidh gun do thachair seo: this must have happened; tha iad le ch猫ile: they areboth; air a th貌ir: to look for him, in pursuit of him; airson leigheas a dh猫anamh air: to curehim; ach an trustar!: but the horrid man!; is meilis (or milis) an deoch a thug thu dhomh:sweet is the drink you gave me; a bhuineas do: which belong to; chan iad na Rothaich a bhaair aire Fhionnlaidh ach na D貌mhnallaich: it was not the Munros, but the MacDonalds,which were subject to Finlays attention.

Am measg nan G脿idheal: among the Gaels. Here is an example of a noun inthe genitive case following a compound preposition, in this case am measg. Note that the genitive plural, as聽is common in Gaelic, is identical to the nominative singular form of the noun. So, although the nominative聽plural of G脿idheal is G脿idheil, the genitive plural, with the article, is nan G脿idheal. In a similar way, we get聽am measg nam Frangach (among the French), NOT am measg na Frangaich, and am measg nam bodach (among the old men), NOT am measg na bodaich. It works the same way with other compound prepositions聽(including airson) eg airson nan Albannach (for the Scots), ri taobh nan Gearmailteach (beside the Germans).Note the difference in terminal ls in G脿idheal and G脿idheil. With G脿idheal (after broad vowel) it is a聽broad l; in G脿idheil (following a slender vowel) it is a slender l. The different ls are very important聽in spoken Gaelic and I suggest you ask your Gaelic teacher for help if you are unsure about them.

Bha an caothach air: he was angry. Caothach (or cuthach)means extreme anger or insanity. It is stronger than fearg and it can be made even strongerby associating it with the colour red (note the lenition). Bha an dearg chaothach air (he wasincandescent with rage). Bha e air chaothach (he was insane or he was mad with rage; theemployment of the English word mad for both anger and insanity is similar to the use ofcaothach).