麻豆社

O chionn beagan mh矛osan bha mi ann an Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain ann an Cinn T矛re. Bha mi anns an ionad-choimhearsnachd 霉r anns a鈥� bhaile. Ri taobh an ionaid tha carragh-cuimhne m貌r ann don Ridire Uilleam MacFhionghain. Feumaidh mi aideachadh nach robh m貌ran fios agam mu dheidhinn aig an 脿m sin.

Beagan seachdainean an d猫idh sin, bha mi a鈥� c猫ilidh air caraidean air a鈥� Chomraich. Thug iad a-mach leabhar mu dheidhinn sgoil gu math inntinneach agus rudeigin ainmeil. Sgoil phr矛obhaideach le ceangal l脿idir don Gh脿idhealtachd. Chaidh iomadh G脿idheal 貌g tro a dorsan.

鈥橲 e an t-ainm air an leabhar 鈥淜eil School 鈥� a History鈥� agus chaidh a sgr矛obhadh le Barrach 鈥� fear Ruairidh MacAsgaill a thogadh ann an E貌laigearraidh. Bha esan na sgoilear aig Keil School anns na tritheadan.

Agus d猫 an ceangal a th鈥� ann eadar an leabhar agus an carragh-cuimhne ann an Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain? Uill, mura b鈥� e Uilleam MacFhionghain, cha robh an sgoil air a bhith ann idir. Agus bha an carragh-cuimhne uaireigin ann an 脿rainn na sgoile, ged a bha e roimhe sin ann an Afraga. Airson a鈥� ch霉is a mh矛neachadh, feumaidh mi innse dhuibh an toiseach mu bheatha Uilleim MhicFhionghain. Dh鈥櫭╥rich e gu bhith na dhuine air leth beartach is cli霉iteach.

Rugadh e ann an ochd ceud deug, fichead 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1823) ann an Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain. Bha na sinnsirean aige 脿 Eilean Arainn agus bha athair na gh猫idsear. B鈥� e Uilleam am fear a b鈥� 貌ige ann an teaghlach m貌r. Bha tr矛 duine deug de chloinn ann. Fhuair e tr猫anadh mar ghrosair ach cha robh e riaraichte le bhith ag obair ann am b霉th agus rinn e air Glaschu.

脌s d猫idh greis ag obair ann an oifis anns a鈥� bhaile sin, dh鈥檉halbh e do na h-Innseachan. Bha sin ann an ochd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a seachd (1847) nuair a bha e fichead 鈥檚 a ceithir bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois. Chuir e fh猫in is caraid 脿 Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain companaidh malairt air chois ann an Calcutta. Bha oifisean aca an d脿 chuid ann an Calcutta is Glaschu.

Bha e gu math comasach mar fhear-gnothaich. Fhuair e c霉mhnantan riaghaltais airson am post a ghi霉lain eadar Bengal agus Burma, agus bha na longan aige a鈥� dol cho fada ri Singapore agus Persia. Bha e deimhinne gur e soithichean-sm霉ide an d貌igh air adhart, seach soithichean-se貌laidh, agus bha e ceart. Ann an ochd ceud deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1862), chaidh a鈥� chompanaidh aige ainmeachadh 脿s 霉r mar The British India Steam Navigation Company.

Bha aire Uilleim a鈥� gluasad air falbh bho na h-Innseachan is a dh鈥檌onnsaigh taobh sear Afraga. Fhuair e e貌las air Sultan Zanzibar. Chuir e companaidh 霉r air chois 鈥� The Imperial British East Africa Company. Bha a鈥� chompanaidh a鈥� riaghladh sg矛re mh貌r ann an Afraga an Ear. Tro th矛de cheannaich Riaghaltas Bhreatainn an d霉thaich sin bhuapa agus chruthaich iad British East Africa 脿s.

Cha b鈥� e gnothaichean malairteach a-mh脿in a bha cudromach do dh鈥橴illeam. Bha taobh m貌r aige don Eaglais Shaoir agus thug e taic-airgid don Eaglais nuair a bha iad a鈥� cur miseanaraidhean a dh鈥檌onnsaigh meadhan Afraga. Bha e e貌lach air an luchd-rannsachaidh, Livingstone is Stanley, agus thug e taic mh貌r do Stanley nuair a bha e a鈥� rannsachadh ann an Afraga. Sgr矛obh Stanley ann an iomradh-b脿is do dh鈥橴illeam gun do chuir e seachad a bheatha air fad a鈥� d猫anamh rudan matha. Cha do r脿inig mi Keil School fhathast, ach ruigidh anns an ath Litir.

Abairtean na Litreach: nach biodh fearann na d霉thcha ann an l脿mhan uachdaran m貌ra: that the country鈥檚 land wouldn鈥檛 be in the hands of big landlords; leig sin leotha fearann a cheannach: that allowed them to buy land; tr矛 millean acaire: three millean acres; ceithir tastain is sia sgillinn: four shillings and sixpence; rinn an Riaghaltas prothaid 脿s: the Government mad a profit from it; tuathanaich bheaga 霉ra: new small farmers; cruaidh air na daoine d霉thchasach anns na coloinidhean Breatannach: hard on the indigenous people in the British colonies; cha b鈥� e sin an t-脿m a b鈥� fhe脿rr nar n-eachdraidh: that wasn鈥檛 the best time in our history; ged a chunnaic X le sh霉ilean fh猫in buaidh nam fuadaichean: although X saw with his own eyes the effect of the clearances; tha e doirbh X a chomharrachadh mar neach-poilitigs: it is difficult to categorize X as a politician; dh鈥檉haodadh e a bhith droch-n脿darrach is connsachail: he could be bad-tempered and argumentative; nuair a dh鈥檉h脿sadh e feargach sa ph脿rlamaid, thigeadh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig gu bhilean: when he got angry in [the] parliament, Gaelic would come to his lips; bha X aig sti霉ir na d霉thcha: X was in charge of the country; fhad 鈥檚 a bha e a鈥� dol am feabhas: while he was recovering; bha e a鈥� fulang le aillse: he was suffering from cancer; leig e dheth a dhreuchd: he resigned; coltach ri seann tiodhlacadh nan ceann-cinnidh: like the old funerals of the clan chiefs; le c貌mhlan p矛oba aig a cheann: with a pipe band at its head; thuit e 脿s a ch猫ile: it collapsed; fhad 鈥檚 a sheasas e, cha t猫id X a-mach 脿 cuimhne nan daoine: as long as it stands, X won鈥檛 be forgotten by the people.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: airson a dhol fo lannsa: to get a medical operation. Literally this means 鈥渢o go under a scalpel鈥�. Gaelic learners often ask how to speak about a medical operation. There is a direct borrowing from modern English 鈥� opair猫isean ( 鈥渇huair e opair猫isean鈥�) 鈥� and you鈥檒l find it in the most modern dictionaries. But there is a much older borrowing 鈥� lannsa 鈥� originally a lance but also a lancet (scalpel). Bha mi fo lannsa is a nice idiomatic way of saying 鈥淚 had an operation鈥�. A surgeon is a lannsair ie somebody who uses a scalpel. Lannsaiche is usually used for a 鈥渓ancer鈥�.