709: Gillaroo / Gille-ruadh
Litir sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is mìneachadh. A weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and explanation.
Tha an litir ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.
Gillaroo / Gille-ruadh
Dè th’ ann an gille-ruadh? ’S dòcha gum bi sibh a’ smaoineachadh air balach aig a bheil falt ruadh. Ceart gu leòr, ach tha mise a’ smaoineachadh air rudeigin eile, agus tàthan ann eadar ‘gille’ agus ‘ruadh’. Tha Dwelly ag innse dhuinn gu bheil e a’ ciallachadh salmon parr; ’s e sin bradan aig ìre òg mus fhàg e abhainn airson a dhol gu muir.
Ach tha ciall eile air gille-ruadh. Thàinig mi tarsainn air anns a’ chruinneachadh de dh’fhaclan a rinn Maighstir Ailein ann an Eirisgeigh agus Uibhist a Deas. Seo na sgrìobh e: Gille-ruadh: a freshwater fish not unlike a codling though not so red, biggish in belly. Found in Loch Morar. An uair sin, ann an camagan le comharra-ceist aig an deireadh, tha e a’ cur ‘a gillaroo, kind of trout?’
Nise, cha robh mi riamh ag iasgach ann an Loch Mhòrair. Tha an loch sin air leth domhainn agus tha cuid a’ cumail a-mach gu bheil uilebheist dom b’ ainm Mòrag beò ann! Ach chan eil mi cinnteach mu ghillean-ruadha.
Nuair a rinn mi beagan rannsachaidh air an fhacal gillaroo, fhuair mi a-mach gu bheil e a’ nochdadh ann an Èirinn cuideachd. Tha cuid ga cheangal do loch air a’ chrìch eadar Contae Fhear Manach agus Liatroim. ’S e Loch Meilbhe an t-ainm air an loch. ’S e a th’ anns a’ ghille-ruadh ach breac a tha ag ithe, anns a’ mhòr-chuid, seilcheagan-uisge aig bonn an locha. ’S e am biadh sin a tha ga dhèanamh ruadh. ’S ann dìreach aig deireadh an t-samhraidh a thig iad gu uachdar an locha airson biadh a lorg. An uair sin bidh iasgairean gan glacadh air a’ mhaghar.
An e gnè èisg eadar-dhealaichte bhon bhreac a th’ anns a’ ghille-ruadh? Tha cuid dhen bheachd gur e dìreach Salmo trutta a th’ ann – am breac àbhaisteach – ach gu bheil a bhiadh ga dhèanamh eadar-dhealaichte. Tha cuid eile ag ràdh gum bu chòir a bhith air a thomhas mar ghnè fa leth. Tha iad air ainm saidheansail a thoirt dha – Salmo stomachius.
Chan e Loch Meilbhe, ge-tà, an aon loch ann an Èirinn anns a bheil a leithid de dh’iasg a’ tighinn beò. Agus tha loch ann an Alba ainmeil air a shon cuideachd. Ach chan e Loch Mhòrair a th’ ann. Ann an Innis nan Damh, ann an Asainte, tha loch beag ann air a bheil, air a’ mhapa, Loch Mhaolach-coire. Chan eil an t-ainm a’ dèanamh ciall dhomh. A rèir choltais, tha e mearachdach. ’S e Loch Maol a’ Choire an t-ainm ceart. Tha muinntir an àite cuideachd ga aithneachadh mar The Gillaroo Loch.
Cumaibh seo agaibh fhèin, ach tha e coltach gu bheil an t-iasgach uabhasach math ann. ’S e as coireach ri sin gu bheil clach-aoil timcheall an locha. Agus tha meanbh-chreutairean – leithid chloitheagan – ann, ann am pailteas. Bidh na bric ann an Loch Maol a’ Choire ag ithe nan cloitheagan agus bidh iad a’ dol ruadh. Mar sin, ’s dòcha nach e Salmo stomachius a th’ anns na bric sin idir. Gu dearbh, ’s e sin a tha seann leabhar mu Asainte ag ràdh – ‘the loch is supposed (but wrongly) to contain the true gillaroo trout’.
Co-dhiù no co-dheth, ’s dòcha gu bheil feadhainn agaibh air facal ùr ionnsachadh an-diugh – gillaroo. Agus facal Beurla eile a thàinig bhon Ghàidhlig.
Faclan na Litreach: gille-ruadh: gillaroo; Loch Mhòrair: Loch Morar; Loch Meilbhe: Lough Melvin; breac: trout; Innis nan Damh: Inchnadamph; Asainte: Assynt; mearachdach: mistaken; clach-aoil: limestone.
Abairtean na Litreach: bradan aig ìre òg: a salmon at a young stage; mus fhàg e abhainn airson a dhol gu muir: before it leaves a river to go to sea; thàinig mi tarsainn air: I came across it; anns a’ chruinneachadh de dh’fhaclan: in the collection of words; a rinn Maighstir Ailein ann an Eirisgeigh agus Uibhist a Deas: that Father Allan made in Eriskay and South Uist; ann an camagan le comharra-ceist aig an deireadh: in brackets with a question mark at the end; air leth domhainn: extremely deep; tha cuid a’ cumail a-mach gu bheil uilebheist dom b’ ainm Mòrag beò ann: some people maintain there is a monster called Morag living there; air a’ chrìch eadar Contae Fhear Manach agus Liatroim: on the border between Fermanagh and Leitrim; seilcheagan-uisge aig bonn an locha: water-snails at the bottom of the loch; ’s ann dìreach aig deireadh an t-samhraidh: it’s only at the end of the summer; gnè èisg eadar-dhealaichte: a different species of fish; tha cuid eile ag ràdh gum bu chòir a bhith air a thomhas mar ghnè fa leth: some others say that it should be counted as a separate species; anns a bheil a leithid de dh’iasg a’ tighinn beò: in which that type of fish lives; a’ dèanamh ciall dhomh: making sense to me; tha muinntir an àite cuideachd ga aithneachadh mar: the local people also know it as; cumaibh seo agaibh fhèin: keep this to yourself; tha meanbh-chreutairean – leithid chloitheagan – ann, ann am pailteas: small creatures – such as shrimps – are present in large numbers; co-dhiù no co-dheth: anyhow.
Puing-chànain na Litreach: Have you come across the word gillaroo (or gille-ruadh) associated with any other water body in Scotland? Sometimes trout can be referred to as breac ruadh because of local effects on their colouration. There is, for example, Loch nam Breac Ruadh in South Uist. But whereas the breac-dearg ‘Arctic charr’ is a completely different species, the breac-ruadh might only be a variety or subspecies of the brown trout, notwithstanding the notional Salmo stomachius as a specific name for it. An interesting difference between the gille-ruadh and normal trout is that the former has developed a strong gizzard-like stomach to digest the molluscs and crustaceans which form a large part of its diet – hence the specific name stomachius.
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: bidh iasgairean gan glacadh air a’ mhaghar: fishermen catch them on the [artificial] fly.
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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 405
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