22/02/2013

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.

Barraigh: Barra; Bhatarsaigh: Vatersay; an Coirneal Iain Gòrdan Chluanaidh: Colonel John Gordon of Cluny; sealbh: ownership; prothaid: profit; bàillidh: factor; Loch Baghasdal: Lochboisdale.

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.

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.

Ach gheibheadh iad bàs fada bho na h-àiteachan sin: but they would die a long way from those places.

 

Tha “Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh” air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA