710: An Admiral (1)
Litir sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is mìneachadh. A weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and explanation.
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An Admiral (1)
Dà shoitheach. Na h-aon eileanan. Dà bhliadhna eatarra. Agus dà sgeul eadar-dhealaichte. Tha mi a’ dol a thoirt cunntas dhuibh de dhà luing ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug. An fheadhainn a sheòl air tè dhiubh, bha iad cho eòlach ’s a ghabhadh air Barraigh ’s Bhatarsaigh agus na h-eileanan timcheall orra. Ach gheibheadh iad bàs fada bho na h-àiteachan sin. An fheadhainn a sheòl air an t-soitheach eile, cha robh eòlas sam bith aig a’ mhòr-chuid dhiubh air na h-eileanan. Ach sin far an d’ fhuair cuid mhath dhiubh bàs. Seo cunntas dhen Admiral agus an Annie Jane.
Ged a sheòl an Admiral às na h-Eileanan an Iar ann an ochd ceud deug, caogad ’s a h-aon (1851), tha a sgeul a’ tòiseachadh deichead roimhe sin, nuair a fhuair an Coirneal Iain Gòrdan Chluanaidh sealbh air an eilean. Nam biodh sibh a’ dèanamh liosta de dh’uachdarain air a’ Ghàidhealtachd a bha iochdmhor is carthannach, cha bhiodh an Gòrdanach oirre.
Bhuineadh e do Shiorrachd Obar Dheathain, agus bha fearann mòr anns a’ cheàrnaidh sin de dh’Alba aig a theaghlach. Bhathar ag ràdh mu sheanair gum biodh a h-uile tastan air an d’ fhuair e grèim a’ steigeadh ri chorragan. Bhathar ag ràdh gun robh athair a’ diùltadh, na sheann aois, faighinn a-mach às an leabaidh oir chosgadh e cus dha! Bhathar ag ràdh cuideachd gum biodh an Coirneal fhèin a’ dol a-mach às an rathad aige airson slighe-shiubhail a sheachnadh nam biodh cìs oirre.
Ach bha an Coirneal deònach airgead mòr a chosg nam faiceadh e gun tigeadh prothaid mhath às. Ann an ochd ceud deug, trithead ’s a h-ochd (1838), cheannaich e seann oighreachd Chlann Raghnaill ann an Uibhist. Cheannaich e Barraigh, agus na h-eileanan timcheall air, goirid às dèidh sin.
An toiseach, cha robh e ro dhona mar uachdaran, ged a chuir e às do chuid de chroitean air an taobh an iar, a’ dèanamh tuathanasan dhiubh. Ach, ann an ochd ceud deug, ceathrad ’s a sia (1846), thàinig gaiseadh a’ bhuntàta. Cha b’ fhada gus an robh an riaghaltas a’ càineadh a’ Ghòrdanaich airson a bhith coma mu shluagh, agus iad a’ fulang gu dona le acras.
Dhìon e e fhèin. Bha e a’ call airgid, thuirt e, ann a bhith a’ dèanamh cobhair air na daoine. Bha ‘fuasgladh’ aige. Bhiodh e a’ fuadachadh nan daoine. Eadar na bliadhnaichean ceathrad ’s a h-ochd (1848) agus caogad (1850), chaidh na ceudan a chur a Ghlaschu, Dùn Èideann is Inbhir Nis.
Bha am fuadach a bu mhotha ann sa bhliadhna caogad ’s a h-aon (1851). Chuir an Coirneal Gòrdan còig soithichean air dòigh airson mìle is seachd ceud duine a chur a-null a Quebec. Dh’iarr am bàillidh aige air an fheadhainn a chaidh ainmeachadh à Barraigh, ceithir cheud gu leth duine, a dhol a Loch Baghasdal ann an Uibhist a Deas airson falbh air an Admiral. Mura nochdadh iad, bhiodh càin luach dà nota air gach duine aca.
Sgrìobh am bàillidh ris na h-ùghdarrasan ann an Quebec, ag ràdh gun robh an Gòrdanach air faraidhean nan daoine a phàigheadh. Sgrìobh e gun robh e air aodach is brògan a thoirt dhaibh, agus gun robh e air biadh is uisge a cheannach dhaibh airson na bhòidse. Ach, mar a chì sinn an-ath-sheachdain, cha robh cùisean buileach cho fàbharach sin.
Faclan na Litreach: Barraigh: Barra; Bhatarsaigh: Vatersay; an Coirneal Iain Gòrdan Chluanaidh: Colonel John Gordon of Cluny; sealbh: ownership; prothaid: profit; bàillidh: factor; Loch Baghasdal: Lochboisdale.
Abairtean na Litreach: dà shoitheach: two vessels; na h-aon eileanan: the same islands; dà bhliadhna eatarra: two years between them; dà sgeul eadar-dhealaichte: two different stories; de dhà luing: of two ships; sin far an d’ fhuair cuid mhath dhiubh bàs:that’s where most of them died; deichead roimhe sin: a decade before that; liosta de dh’uachdarain a bha iochdmhor is carthannach: a list of landlords that were compassionate and charitable; bhuineadh e do Shiorrachd Obar Dheathain: he belonged to Aberdeenshire; gum biodh a h-uile tastan air an d’ fhuair e grèim a’ steigeadh ri chorragan: that every shilling he got hold of would stick to his fingers; a’ dol a-mach às an rathad aige airson slighe-shiubhail a sheachnadh nam biodh cìs oirre:going out of his way to avoid a travelling route if there were a tax on it; seann oighreachd Chlann Raghnaill: the old estate of Clanranald; gaiseadh a’ bhuntàta: potato blight; airson a bhith coma mu shluagh, agus iad a’ fulang gu dona le acras: for not caring about his people who were suffering badly from hunger; bhiodh e a’ fuadachadh nan daoine: he would clear the people; càin luach dà nota: a £2 fine; gun robh an Gòrdanach air faraidhean nan daoine a phàigheadh: that Gordon had paid the people’s fares.
Puing-chànain na Litreach: gun robh e air biadh is uisge a cheannach dhaibh airson na bhòidse:that he had bought food and water for them for the voyage. Bhòidse‘voyage’ does not inflect in the standard way. ‘The voyage’ is a’ bhòidse ; it is clearly a feminine noun. Thus one would expect the genitive singular form (following airson, a compound preposition) to be na bòidse. However, it is actually na bhòidse. The reason is simple – it is a borrowing from English (itself a borrowing from French), and the initial ‘bh’ stands for the ‘v’ in voyage. Thus, the ‘bh’ is retained in all the inflected forms. Bhòt ‘vote’ works in a similar way; it retains its lenition in all cases. In Irish Gaelic, because of the irregular inflection, they borrowed the English ‘v’ as well – ‘vote’ is vótáil. We retain the traditional Gaelic representation of ‘v’ as ‘bh’ but we have to remember that we don’t inflect such words in the normal fashion.
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Ach gheibheadh iad bàs fada bho na h-àiteachan sin: but they would die a long way from those places.
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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 406
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