麻豆社

Tha mi an d霉il gun cuala sibh uile mun Pholitician, an long a chaidh fodha faisg air Eirisgeigh t矛de a鈥� chogaidh, anns an robh uiread de dh鈥檜isge-beatha. Ach an cuala sibh mu thachartas ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug ann an 脤le nuair a chaidh long, le deoch l脿idir air b貌rd, fodha far costa siar an eilein? Bha aimhreit is b脿s na l霉ib, agus seo mar a thachair.

Anns a鈥� Ch猫itean ochd ceud deug, caogad 鈥檚 a naoi (1859), chaidh am Mary Ann, a bha a鈥� se貌ladh a-mach 脿 Grianaig, air sgeir faisg air baile beag ris an canar Cille Chomainn. Th貌isich bogsaichean l脿n branndaidh, uisge-beatha, sine agus f矛on air dhol air t矛r agus chuir sin muinntir na sg矛re air bhoil!

Chaidh na ceudan ann, a r猫ir aithris ann am p脿ipear-naidheachd aig an 脿m. Nam measg bha a h-uile h-iasgair 脿 Port na h-Abhainne. Ach, eucoltach ri muinntir Eirisgeigh anns an fhicheadamh linn, cha do chuir iad an deoch am falach. Uill, 鈥檚 docha nach eil sin buileach f矛or. Chaidh m貌ran dhith am falach, ceart gu le貌r, ach am broinn nan daoine. An ceann greis bha na ceudan air mhisg. Bha feadhainn cho truagh 鈥檚 nach b鈥� urrainn dhaibh gluasad, is th貌isich feadhainn eile air sabaid nam measg fh猫in. Bha obair dhoirbh ron dithis phoileas a chaidh ann 鈥� an Sairdseant Ceanadach agus an Constabal Siosalach.

Tron l脿 chaidh aig na poilis air smachd a chumail air an t-suidheachadh ach, nuair a th脿inig dorchadas na h-oidhche, th貌isich cuid dhen fheadhainn a bha an l脿thair air d猫anamh follaiseach nach robh iad toilichte gu robh 霉ghdarrasan na st脿ite ann. Dh鈥檉heuch aon duine ri baraille de dh鈥檜isge-beatha fhosgladh, agus chuir na poilis stad air. An uair sin th貌isich 霉praid. Bha sabaid ann, a r猫ir a鈥� ph脿ipeir-naidheachd, eadar an dithis phoileas agus c貌rr is deich duine fichead de mhuinntir an eilein. Mhair sin leth-uair a th矛de, agus b鈥� fheudar do na poilis teicheadh lem beatha gu baile-fearainn m矛le air falbh.

Leig bean an tuathanaich, a鈥� Bhean-ph貌sta Simpson, a-steach iad, agus ghlas i an doras m貌r an aghaidh an luchd-aimhreit. Thug i gunnaichean do na h-oifigearan airson an d矛on fh猫in. Nuair a chuala an sluagh gu robh gunnaichean aig na poilis, thill iad don chladach.

Air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach, bha c霉isean air a dhol bhuaithe buileach. Bha iasgair m貌r tapaidh 脿 Port na h-Abhainne na sh矛neadh marbh air a鈥� chladach. Bha cli霉 aig D貌mhnall MacPh脿idein mar an fhear a bu l脿idire ann an 脤le ach, mar a sgr矛obh am fear-naidheachd anns a鈥� ph脿ipear, bha am branndaidh na bu l脿idire eadhon na esan. Dh鈥檉h脿g e bean is teaghlach 脿s a dh猫idh.

Bha feadhainn eile faisg air b脿s leis na bha iad air 貌l de dheoch l脿idir, agus chaidh an toirt gu taighean anns an sg矛re airson cobhair a dh猫anamh orra. Ach cha robh dotair anns an sg矛re sin ann. Bha am fear a b鈥� fhaisg鈥� orra c貌ig m矛le deug air falbh. Agus, as aonais cobhair mhedigeach, chaochail dithis eile. 鈥橲 e gnothach t脿mailteach a bh鈥� ann gun teagamh.

Agus cha b鈥� e sin an deireadh dheth oir th脿inig l脿 tiodhlacadh Dh貌mhnaill MhicPh脿idein. Bha aimhreit ann eadhon aig an tiodhlacadh oir bha cuid m矛-thoilichte nach robh deoch l脿idir ann airson 鈥渟oraidh cheart a leigeil leis an duine鈥�. Chan eil am p脿ipear-naidheachd ga mh矛neachadh, ach saoilidh mi gun deach casg a chur air deoch ann, leis mar a bha m貌ran anns an eilean air an dubh-mhaslachadh mun ch霉is, agus leis gur ann air s脿illeamh na dighe a fhuair D貌mhnall bochd b脿s.

Faclan na seachdaine: Eirisgeigh: Eriskay; 脤le: Islay; an C猫itean: May; Grianaig: Greenock; Cille Chomainn: Kilchoman;eucoltach (ri): unlike; 霉ghdarrasan: authorities; 霉praid: uproar; teicheadh: fleeing; baile-fearainn: farm; D貌mhnall MacPh脿idein: Donald MacFadyen; chaochail: died; t脿mailteach: disgraceful.

Abairtean na seachdaine: tha mi an d霉il gun cuala sibh: I expect you鈥檝e heard; t矛de a鈥� chogaidh: during the war; nuair a chaidh long fodha: when a ship went down; bha aimhreit is b脿s na l霉ib: there was disorder and death involved in it; bogsaichean l脿n branndaidh, uisge-beatha, sine agus f矛on: boxes full of brandy, whisky, gin and wine; chuir sin X air bhoil: that drove X into a frenzy; a h-uile h-iasgair 脿 Port na h-Abhainne: every fisherman from Portnahaven; chaidh m貌ran dhith am falach: much of it was hidden; bha na ceudan air mhisg: hundreds were intoxicated; an Sairdseant Ceanadach agus an Constabal Siosalach: Sergeant Kennedy and Constable Chisholm; chaidh aig na poilis air smachd a chumail air X: the police managed to control X; deich duine fichead: thirty people (in the old counting system which still holds sway in traditional Gaelic-speaking communities); mhair sin leth-uair a th矛de: that lasted half an hour; an aghaidh an luchd-aimhreit: against the rioters; air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach: on the next day; bha c霉isean air a dhol bhuaithe: things had deteriorated; na sh矛neadh marbh: lying dead; airson cobhair a dh猫anamh orra: to give them assistance; gu robh m貌ran air an dubh-mhaslachadh: that many were utterly ashamed.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: gur ann air s脿illeamh na dighe a fhuair D貌mhnall bochd b脿s: that it was because of the drink that poor Donald met his death. The point this week is an orthographic one. Sometimes the consonantal sound represented by 鈥渧鈥� in English, which is usually given as 鈥渂h鈥� in Gaelic, is given as 鈥済h鈥�. This is not a whimsical decision by heartless orthographers who want to be hard on learners, but because of dialectal differences. In some cases the 鈥済h鈥� is pronounced like a 鈥測鈥�. In today鈥檚 most strongly Gaelic-speaking areas, dighe (the genitive of deoch, drink) is generally pronounced as 鈥渄ibhe鈥� and, indeed, it is sometimes written that way, although not as a standard in the dictionaries. Another good example is 猫igheachd (shouting) which is alternatively pronounced (to momentarily give a semi-anglicised orthography) 鈥溍╥yachd鈥� or 鈥溍╥vachd鈥�.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: nach robh deoch l脿idir ann airson 鈥渟oraidh cheart a leigeil leis an duine鈥�: that there wasn鈥檛 alcoholic drink there to 鈥渇arewell the man properly鈥�. Tha X a鈥� leigeil soraidh (sl脿n) le Y: X is bidding farewell to Y.