麻豆社

Dh鈥檉h脿s Sir Uilleam MacFhionghain beartach bhon obair mhalairt a rinn e anns na h-Innseachan agus Afraga an Ear. Bhuineadh e do Cheann Loch Chille Chiarain agus cheannaich e oighreachd ann an Cinn T矛re. Cheannaich e cuideachd oighreachd Srath na h-脌irde ann an ceann a deas an Eilein Sgitheanaich 鈥� sg矛re le buinteanas eachdraidheil do Chloinn 鈥檌c Fhionghain.

Ann an Cinn T矛re thog e baile beag ris an canar An Clachan. Agus thog e eaglais ann. 鈥橲 ann leis an Eaglais Shaoir a bha i. Bha taigh m貌r aige a tha a-nise na thaigh-貌sta. Agus bha gheat aige. Bhiodh daoine ainmeil a鈥� c猫ilidh air. Gu dearbh, bha a鈥� Bhanrigh Bhictoria a鈥� d猫anamh deiseil airson tadhal air nuair a chaochail e 鈥� ann an Lunnainn, ann an ochd ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1893).

Thug Uilleam t貌rr airgid seachad nuair a bha e be貌. A dh鈥檃indeoin sin, bha ceudan mh矛ltean notaichean aige fhathast na sporan nuair a chaochail e. Fortan m貌r san linn sin! Am measg na fhuair airgead bhuaithe bha an iomairt airson cathair Cheilteis a st猫idheachadh ann an Oilthigh Dh霉n 脠ideann. Thuirt am Proifeasair Blackie gun robh 霉idh mh貌r aig Uilleam ann an G脿idhlig, ged nach urrainn dhomh a bhith cinnteach an robh an c脿nan aige fh猫in.

Ged a ph貌s e, cha robh clann aige. Chaidh m貌ran dhen airgead aige a-steach do dh鈥檜rras leis an amas cothroman foghlaim a thoirt do dh鈥檉hir 貌ga 脿s a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd. Chuir mac a pheathar, Donnchadh MacN猫ill, airgead ris an urras cuideachd.

Cheannaich an t-urras 脿ite air a bheil A鈥� Chill anns a鈥� Cheann mu Dheas de Chinn T矛re. Bha togalach m貌r ann, agus c貌rr is ceud acaire fearainn. Bha na h-urrasairean ag iarraidh sgoil bheag a st猫idheachadh anns am biodh gillean a鈥� faighinn oideachadh ann an 脌iteachas agus Einnseanaireachd. Bha i gu bhith do bhalaich 脿 siorrachdan Earra-Gh脿idheal is Inbhir Nis, Eileanan Bh貌id is Arainn, agus cuideachd bho nas fhaide air falbh air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd 鈥檚 na h-Eileanan. Ann an naoi ceud deug is c貌ig-deug (1915), dh鈥檉hosgail an Kintyre Technical School airson ochd balaich dheug. Bha a鈥� chiad fheadhainn sin 脿 Cinn T矛re, Di霉ra, 脤le, Arainn agus Giogha. Bidh sibh a鈥� mothachadh nach e Sgoil na Cille no Keil School a bh鈥� oirre aig an toiseach. Ch矛 sinn fhathast d猫 as coireach ri atharrachadh a h-ainm.

B鈥� e a鈥� chiad mhaighstir-sgoile aca Seumas Mason, a bha a鈥� teagasg ann an sgoil theicnigeach ann an Goillspidh roimhe sin. Bha e na cheannard eadar naoi ceud deug is c貌ig-deug (1915) agus naoi ceud deug is caogad (1950). Thug e buaidh mh貌r air an sgoil. Seo na prionnsabalan a bh鈥� aige: Bha creideamh a鈥� gabhail 脿ite m貌r ann. Bha cothrom aig a h-uile gille deuchainn a dh猫anamh airson faighinn a-steach don oilthigh. Bha na gillean an 矛re

mhath gan smachdachadh fh猫in. Bha iad air am brosnachadh uallach a ghabhail airson gach rud a rinn iad. Agus rinn iad fh猫in an obair-taighe air fad, ach a-mh脿in a鈥� ch貌caireachd.

Rinn iad a鈥� gh脿irnealaireachd cuideachd 鈥� a鈥� cur is a鈥� buain bhunt脿ta, coirce is eile. Agus bha sp貌rs gu le貌r air a鈥� chl脿r-ama 鈥� ball-coise, criogaid, l霉th-chleasachd agus sn脿mh sa mhuir.

Ach th脿inig atharrachadh m貌r air an sgoil anns an D霉bhlachd naoi ceud deug, fichead 鈥檚 a ceithir (1924). Chaidh i na sm脿l agus chaidh an togalach a sgrios. Bha an sgoil air f脿s gu c貌rr is leth-cheud sgoilear agus ceathrar thidsearan 鈥� no maighstirean mar a bh鈥� aca orra.

Dh鈥檉h脿g an sgoil A鈥� Chill ach 鈥檚 ann an uair sin, mar a ch矛 sinn, a ghabh i an t-ainm Keil School.

Abairtean na Litreach: buinteanas eachdraidheil do Chloinn 鈥檌c Fhionghain: historical connections to the MacKinnons; 鈥檚 ann leis an Eaglais Shaoir a bha i: it belonged to the Free Church; bha ceudan mh矛ltean notaichean aige fhathast na sporan: he still had hundreds of thousands of pounds [lit. 鈥渋n his purse鈥漖; am measg na fhuair airgead bhuaithe: among [those] who received money from him; leis an amas cothroman foghlaim a thoirt do dh鈥檉hir 貌ga: with the aim of giving young men opportunities; c貌rr is ceud acaire fearainn: more than a hundred acres of land; oideachadh ann an 脌iteachas agus Einnseanaireachd: instruction in Agriculture and Engineering; Eileanan Bh貌id is Arainn: the isles of Bute and Arran; ch矛 sinn fhathast d猫 as coireach ri atharrachadh a h-ainm: we shall see yet what was responsible for the change of her name; sgoil theicnigeach ann an Goillspidh: a technical school in Golspie; thug e buaidh mh貌r air an sgoil: he had an enormous influence on the school; an 矛re mhath gan smachdachadh fh猫in: pretty much disciplined themselves; air am brosnachadh uallach a ghabhail: encouraged to take responsibility; an obair-taighe air fad, ach a-mh脿in a鈥� ch貌caireachd: all the domestic duties except cooking; a鈥� cur is a鈥� buain: planting and harvesting; chaidh i na sm脿l agus chaidh an togalach a sgrios: it caught fire and the building was destroyed; c貌rr is leth-cheud sgoilear agus ceathrar thidsearan: more than fifty students and four teachers.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: Chuir mac a pheathar, Donnchadh MacN猫ill, airgead ris an urras: his nephew (鈥渢he son of his sister鈥�), Duncan MacNeill, put money into the trust. English has borrowed words from other languages much more promiscuously than Gaelic. A quarter of its vocabulary derives from French origins, and this includes the words nephew, niece, uncle and aunt. In Gaelic we have 鈥渙fficially鈥� adopted just two of them from English 鈥� uncail and antaidh 鈥� and they are only used sparingly. We normally specify the exact relationship eg nighean mo bhr脿thar or nighean mo pheathar for 鈥渕y niece鈥�. You will hear people use the words 鈥渘ephew鈥� and 鈥渘iece鈥� in Gaelic conversation but they鈥檙e not in the dictionaries. Is it time to accept them as part of our language? If so, how would we write them? Nefiu? Nios? The latter is also a dialectal variant of neas, a weasel!.