大象传媒

D猫 an ceangal a th鈥檃nn eadar Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair agus an ni霉clas a th鈥檃nns gach cealla (cha mh貌r) anns gach rud fon ghr猫in a tha be貌? Chan eil e follaiseach 鈥檚 a mhionaid gu bheil ceangal sam bith ann, a bheil? Ach tha, agus seo e: Raibeart MacIlleDhuinn. 鈥淐貌?鈥� tha sibh a鈥� faighneachd. Raibeart MacIlleDhuinn 鈥� neo Robert Brown ann am Beurla 鈥� Albannach a bu ch貌ir a bhith fada nas ainmeile na tha e ann an d霉thaich a bhreith.

Rugadh e ann am Montr貌s air Machair Aonghais anns a鈥� bhliadhna seachd ceud deug, tri fichead 鈥檚 a tr矛-deug (1773). Bha athair na mhinistear anns an Eaglais Easbaigich agus 鈥檚 e Seumasach a bh鈥檃nn. 鈥橲 e Seumas a bh鈥檃ir mar ainm cuideachd.

Nuair a chaochail Te脿rlach 脪g Sti霉bhart, cheadaich an Eaglais 霉rnaighean airson R矛gh Hanoibh猫irianach na h-Alba airson a鈥� chiad turais. Ach dhi霉lt dithis phearsaichean na h-Eaglais gabhail ri sin agus b鈥檈 Seumas MacIlleDhuinn, athair Raibeirt, fear dhiubh.

Co-dhi霉, cha do ghabh Raibeart m貌ran ghnothaich ri poileataigs. Bha 霉idh mh貌r aige ann an n脿dar. Ghluais a theaghlach a Dhun Eideann agus chaidh e don oilthigh anns a鈥� bhaile sin a dh鈥檌onnsachadh dhotaireachd. Ach, ged is e oileanach mediceach a bh鈥檃nn, 鈥檚 ann tric a rachadh e a dh鈥櫭瞨aidean le Proif猫asair E貌lais-n脿dair an Oilthigh, an t-Ollamh Urramach Iain Walker. An ceann greis, bha Raibeart a-muigh a鈥� cruinneachadh lusan dha. Agus aig aois ochd bliadhn鈥� deug sgr矛obh e a chiad ph脿ipear saidheansail, air lusan Siorrachd Aonghais, do Chomann E貌lais-n脿dair Dhun Eideann.

Chuir e seachad c貌ig bliadhna leis an arm ann an Eirinn, agus an uairsin fhuair e cuireadh a bha a鈥� dol a dh鈥檃tharrachadh a bheatha gu tur. Th脿inig e gu aire ceann-suidhe a鈥� Chomainn R矛oghail ann an Lunnainn, Sir Ioseph Banks, a bh鈥檃ir a bhith cuide ris a鈥� Chaiptean Seumas Cook ann an Astr脿ilia bliadhnaichean roimhe sin. Bha Banks a鈥� coimhead airson lus-e貌laiche a rachadh a dh鈥橝str脿ilia air an t-soitheach an Investigator a bha a鈥� dol a dheanamh rannsachadh m貌r air cladach na d霉thcha. Thug Banks cuireadh do Raibeart agus cha b鈥檈 ruith ach leum dha gabhail ris.

Bha an Investigator air falbh airson ceithir bliadhna agus chuir Raibeart seachad m貌ran 霉ine a鈥� cruinneachadh lusan is beathaichean, is a鈥� rannsachadh n脿dar ann an Astr脿ilia. Tha e air a chuimhneachadh fhathast ann an abhainn 鈥� Brown鈥檚 River 鈥� ann an Tasmania, agus 鈥檚 e e fh猫in a chuir ainmean Laideann air m貌ran lusan

Astr脿ilianach, ainmean a th鈥檕rra fhathast. Nuair a thill e a Bhreatainn chuir e leabhar m貌r ri ch猫ile mu dheidhinn lusan Astr脿ilia.

Chuir e seachad a鈥� chuid mh貌r dhen ch貌rr de a bheatha ann an Lunnainn. Tro th矛de, choisinn e cli霉 dha fh猫in mar an lus-e貌laiche a b鈥檉he脿rr, ri a linn, air an t-saoghal, gu h-脿raidh leis a鈥� mhiocroscop. B鈥檈san a鈥� chiad duine a dh鈥檃ithnich gu bheil an ni霉clas anns a h-uile cealla ann an lusan. B鈥檈san a鈥� chiad duine a rinn tuairisgeul dhen ghluasad am broinn chealla ris an canar 鈥渟ruthadh saighteoplasmach鈥� neo cytoplasmic streaming. Agus tha e air a chuimhneachadh an-diugh anns an d貌igh 鈥檚 a bheil rudan beaga b矛odach a鈥� gluasad ann an uisge, neo lionn sam bith, ged a tha an lionn fh猫in aig fois. 鈥橲 e sin 鈥淕luasad MhicIlleDhuinn鈥� neo Brownian Motion. Duine ainmeil dha-r矛ridh, ri a linn, agus tha e duilich nach eil barrachd Albannach e貌lach air ainm an-diugh.

Ach cha mh貌r nach do dh矛ochuimhnich mi innse dhuibh gu d猫 an ceangal a bh鈥檃ige ri Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair. Uill, bha a sheanair, Iain MacIlleDhuinn, na Sheumasach agus lean e am Prionnsa don deireadh nuair a chaill e a bheatha, cuide ri m貌ran eile, air an latha dh貌rainneach sin a thug Cogadh nan Seumasach gu cr矛ch.

ceangal: connection; Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair: the Battle ofCulloden; ni霉clas: nucleus; cealla: cell: cha mh貌r: almost; Montr貌s: Montrose;Machair Aonghais: the plain of Angus (as opposed to the glens of Angus);Te脿rlach 脪g Sti霉bhart: Bonnie Prince Charlie (lit. young Charles Stuart);dotaireachd: medicine; a鈥� cruinneachadh: collecting; Siorrachd Aonghais: thecounty of Angus; E貌las-n脿dair: Natural History; cuireadh: invitation; cuide ris:along with; lus-e貌laiche: botanist; soitheach: vessel, ship; miocroscop:microscope; gluasad: movement; beag b矛odach: tiny; lionn: liquid.

gach rud fon ghr猫in a tha be貌: everything under thesun which is alive; chan eil e follaiseach 鈥檚 a mhionaid: it鈥檚 not immediatelyobvious; d霉thaich a bhreith: the land of his birth; cheadaich an Eaglais霉rnaighean airson R矛gh Hanoibh猫irianach na h-Alba: the Church gavepermission for prayers (to be said) for the Hanoverian King of Scotland; dhi霉ltdithis phearsaichean na h-Eaglais gabhail ri sin: two Church figures refused toaccept that; cha do ghabh X m貌ran ghnothaich ri poileataigs: X had little to dowith politics; bha 霉idh mh貌r aige ann an n脿dar: he was greatly interested innature; 鈥檚 ann tric a rachadh e: he would often go; chuir e seachad c貌ig bliadhna:he spent five years; a bha a鈥� dol a dh鈥檃tharrachadh a bheatha gu tur: that wasgoing to change his life completely; th脿inig e gu aire ceann-suidhe a鈥� ChomainnR矛oghail: he came to the attention of the president of the Royal Society; a鈥� chuidmh貌r dhen ch貌rr de a bheatha: the greater part of the rest of his life; ri a linn: inhis time, in his day; b鈥檈san a鈥� chiad duine a rinn tuairisgeul de: he was the firstperson to describe; aig fois: at rest, motionless; cha mh貌r nach dodh矛ochuimhnich mi: I almost forgot; air an latha dh貌rainneach sin a thugCogadh nan Seumasach gu cr矛ch: on that painful day which brought the JacobiteWar to an end.

Bha athair na mhinistear anns an EaglaisEasbaigich agus 鈥檚 e Seumasach a bh鈥檃nn. His father was a minister in theEpiscopalian Church and he was a Jacobite. This sentence shows the two waysof describing a person鈥檚 character, identity or profession 鈥� by using theAssertive Verb (鈥檚 e Seumasach a bh鈥檃nn) and using the Verb to Be combinedwith ann an (bha athair na mhinistear), a form often neglected by learners. Annan is combined in the second example with a possessive pronoun and is thusdisguised eg ann an + mo = nam. Tha mi nam thidsear (lit. I am in my teacher; Iam a teacher). A bheil thu nad thidsear? (are you a teacher?). Tha e na thidsear(he is a teacher); tha i na tidsear (she is a teacher); tha sinn nar tidsearan (weare teachers); 鈥檈il sibh nur tidsearan? (are you teachers?); tha iad nan tidsearan(they are teachers). Work out how to describe yourself in this manner and use itin your next Gaelic conversation with a stranger (don鈥檛 be shy now!)

Cha b鈥檈 ruith ach leum dha gabhail ris. He didn鈥檛delay an instant in accepting (lit. it wasn鈥檛 running but jumping). This is acommon expression and sometimes it just exists as the simple statement 鈥� chab鈥檈 ruith ach leum 鈥� eg Thabhann e dhomh ticead-phleana a New York saor 鈥檚an asgaidh (he offered me a free plane ticket to NY). An do ghabh thu i? (did youaccept?) Cha b鈥檈 ruith ach leum! (too right I did and I didn鈥檛 think twice!)