News Naidheachdan

[Karen Elder - Preseantair] Thill seann sgoth-iasgaich - an Santa Maria a Trì - a dh'Èirisgeigh air an deireadh-seachdain agus, gu dearbha, bha fàilte mhòr roimhpe. 'S e an Jasper an t-ainm a bh' oirre nuair a chaidh a togail an toiseach do theaghlach iasgairean à Sgalpaigh. Chaidh i an uair sin a dh’ Èirisgeigh - agus tha i air a bhith ann an iomadh àite on uair sin. Ach tha Dòmhnall Eàirdsidh MacFhionghain - a bhuineas do dh'Èirisgeidh - air a càradh agus air a cur air ais gu mar a bha i agus sheòl e fhèin san luchd-dàimh dhachaigh orra à Malaig. Tha an aithris seo aig Ruaraidh Rothach.

[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-aithris] Santa Maria a Trì a’ tilleadh dhachaigh dhan Acarsaid an Èirisgeigh às dèidh deich air fhichead bliadhna. Ged a chaidh i a thogail dha Na Dòmhnallaich ann an Sgalpaigh o thùs, bha i mar phàirt dhan chabhlach de naoi de bhataichean a bha ag iasgach an sgadan ann an Èirisgeigh fad bhliadhnaichean.

[Angela Nicfhionghain] ’S ann aig Clann MhicFhionghain, na bràithrean MhicFhionghain a bha na bataichean agus ’s ann aig Calum a bha Santa Maria a Trì, gu mì-fhortanach, chan eil Calum, chan eil air fhàgail ach aon dha na bràithrean an-diugh. Ach dh’fhalbh i agus ’s e cuideigin eile a ghabh thairis i bho chionn sia bliadhna air ais, balach le bràthair Chaluim, ’s e sin agaibh DA no Dòmhnall Eàirdsidh MacFhionghain. Fhuair esan a-mach gun robh i, gun robh e a’ dol ga creic agus rinn e deal air choireigin, ’s fhuair e i agus nuair a fhuair e i agus chaidh e a choimhead oirre anns na dockaichean, tha mi smaointinn ann an Rosyth, ann an shin a bha i on uair sin. Ghabh e eagal a bheatha nuair a chunnaic e i agus ag ràdh “an e bàta ceart a cheannaich mi?”. An e gu cinnteach Santa Maria a Trì a bh’ ann? ’S cha robh e uabhasach cinnteach mu dheidhinn. Co-dhiù, chaidh e sìos agus nuair a chaidh e sìos gu Folkestone, bha fhios aige gu cinnteach gur e i a bh’ ann, agus thoisich e on uair sin am pròiseact a bha sin ga dèanamh suas, a’ cosg airgead oirre, rinn e tòrr mòr dhe dh’obair leasachaidh oirre, cha b’ urrainn dhòmhsa a h-uile rud innse dhut, ach bha cuid de na rudan a bha innte, fhuair e bòrd a bha innte, bòrd far an robh na fireannaich ag ithe aig a’ bhòrd, rudan mar sin. Tha an einsinn a bh’ innte mar-thà, tha ise fhathast innte ach tha i a’ dèanamh suas a-rithist.

[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-aithris] Tha Santa Maria a Trì a’ nise a’ dèanamh a slighe gu a’ chiad dachaigh, Sgalpaigh às dèidh sia bliadhna de shaothair agus cosgais de sgeadachadh as ùr, dè cùrsa a th’ air thoiseach an eathar eachdraidheil a-nis?

[Angela Nicfhionghain] Chan eil e uabhasach cinnteach, tha dhà no trì de bheachdan aige air rudan a dh’fhaodadh e a dhèanamh, ach tha mi a’ smaointinn an rud a bu chudromaiche, bha e ag iarraidh a toirt dhachaigh. Gu sònraichte ’s a h-athair fhèin beò fhathast is gu faiceadh e is gu faiceadh muinntir an Eilein i, fiù an teaghlach, a’ chlann-nighinn aig Calum, bha iad fhèin ag ràdh cho moiteil ’s a bhiodh an athair a’ faicinn Santa Maria a Trì neo an Jasper a’ seòladh air ais a-staigh dhan Acarsaid ann an Èirisgeigh agus bha toileachas an Èirisgeigh an-dè. Nochd còrr air trì fichead na barrachd a-mach a choimhead oirre a’ tighinn a-staigh dhan Acarsaid, a’ seòladh air ais a-staigh, agus bha sealladh àlainn an sin.

[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-aithris] Ruaraidh Rothach, BBC An Là.

[Karen Elder - Presenter] An old boat, Santa Maria III returned home to Eriskay at the weekend and, indeed, she received a warm welcome. The Jasper was her name when she was first built for a fishing family from Scalpay. She then went to Eriskay and she has been to many places since then. But Donald Archie MacKinnon - whose people are from Eriskay – has fixed her and put her as she was and he sailed himself and relations home from Mallaig. This report is with Roddy Munro.

[Roddy Munro - Reporter] Santa Maria III returning home to Anchorage in Eriskay after thirty years. Although she was originally built by the MacDonalds in Scalpay, she was part of a fleet of nine boats who were fishing herring in Eriskay for years.

[Angela MacKinnon] It was Calum MacKinnon’s, the MacKinnon brothers, who had the boats and the Santa Maria III belonged to Calum, unfortunately Calum is not, there is only one brother left today. But she left and someone else took her over six years ago, a son of Calum’s brother, that’s DA or Donald Archie MacKinnon. He found out that she was going to be sold and he did a deal of sorts and he got her and when he got her, he went to see her in the docks, I think in Rosyth, she was there then. He got the fright of his life when he saw her and he said “have I bought the correct boat?” Was that really the Santa Maria III? And he wasn’t awfully sure about it. Anyway, he went down and when he went down to Folkestone, he was sure it was her, and he then began the project to do her up, spending money on her, he did a lot of development work on her, I couldn’t tell you everything, but lots of things were in her, he got a table that was in her, a table where the men ate at the table, things like that. The engine was in her already, she is still in her but she is going again.

[Roddy Munro – Reporter] Santa Maria III is now making her way to her first home, Scalpay, after six years of carpentry and the costs of redecoration, what course is ahead of this historical boat now?

[Angela MacKinnon] He’s not awfully sure, he’s got two or three ideas about things he could do, but I think the most important thing, he wanted to take her home. Especially as his own father is still alive and he would see her and the people of the island would see her, even the family, Calum’s daughters, they were saying how proud their father would be seeing Santa Maria III the Jasper going into Anchorage in Eriskay, and there was joy in Eriskay. More than sixty people or more appeared to watch her coming into Anchorage, sailing in, and that was a beautiful sight.

[Roddy Munro – Reporter] Roddy Munro, BBC An Là.