麻豆社

Anns an t-Sultain 2000, ghluais Robbie is Anne Northway don t-Srathan air a鈥� Pharbh. Cha b鈥� ann leothasan a bha an taigh anns am biodh iad a鈥� fuireach, ge-t脿. Bha e air a chumail an 貌rdugh le Comann Bothain nam Beann 鈥� mar 脿ite-fuirich do luchd-coiseachd. Ach a-steach choisich na Northways, beagan mh矛ltean air frith-rathad thar na m貌intich. Cuide riutha bha dusan c霉 鈥� naoi dhiubh nan cuileanan 鈥� ceathrad g猫adh, meall chearcan is thunnagan, agus gearran.

Choisich iad 脿s an Aisir Mh貌r, beagan mh矛ltean s矛os an rathad a-mach 脿 Ceann Loch Biorbhaidh. Carson fon ghr猫in a thagh iad a dh鈥檉huireach ann an 脿ite a bha cho neo-ghoireasach is cho fad air falbh on a h-uile duine eile?

Anns a鈥� chiad dol a-mach, 鈥檚 ann leis an riaghaltas a bha am fearann. Bha e air a cheannach o th霉s mar thaic do chroitearachd anns an sg矛re. Bha na Northways air f脿s seachd sg矛th de dh鈥檜achdarain phr矛obaideach. Nuair a chaidh am fuadachadh bhon taigh a bh鈥� aca air mh脿l faisg air Baile 脵r an t-Sl猫ibh, rinn iad air an iar-thuath sa mhionaid. Bha Robbie dhen bheachd gun robh e a鈥� leantainn air seann d貌igh nan croitearan nuair a bha iad a鈥� str矛 airson c貌raichean fearainn le bhith a鈥� fuireach air an fhearann gun chead.

Ach, ged a bha mullach is ceithir ballachan aca, cha robh m貌ran ghoireasan aca. Chun an latha an-diugh, agus an taigh a-rithist na bhothan, chan eil uisge an tap a-staigh, chan eil an dealain ann agus chan eil connadh sam bith ann ach m貌ine a dh鈥檉heumas a bhith air a buain as t-earrach.

Bha m貌ran dhen bheachd gun robh e car 猫ibhinn is annasach gun robh daoine air gluasad a-steach don bhothan anns an t-Srathan. Ach cha robh na croitearan aig an robh caoraich an sin cho toilichte. Bha caoraich mh貌ra mhaola aca aig an robh deagh inbhe agus bha iad diombach gun robh coin, agus stoc air nach tugadh s霉il, aig na Northways.

Tha e coltach nach robh fios aig na h-霉ghdarrasan d猫 dh猫anadh iad leis a鈥� chupall sin. Fhuair na Northways fios oifigeil bho bh脿illidh na h-oighreachd gun robh aca ri teicheadh. Ach, air an l脿imh eile, fhuair iad iarrtas bho Chomhairle na G脿idhealtachd airson c矛s-chomhairle! Chan eil fhios a鈥檓 d猫 na seirbheisean a bha iad a鈥� faighinn! Agus rinn cuideigin gearain mu staid an cuid chon. Latha a bha seo, nochd poileas agus dithis bhoireannach bhon SSPCA. Thug iad na cuileanan air fad air falbh, agus dh鈥檉h脿g iad d矛reach aon ch霉 aig an teaghlach.

Chaidh a鈥� ch霉is don ch霉irt ann an D貌rnach anns an Fhaoilleach d脿 mh矛le 鈥檚 a h-aon (2001). Chaill na Northways. Bha m矛os aca airson falbh. M矛os a bha fuar, re貌ite.

Ghluais Anne a dh鈥橧nbhir Nis. Ach dh鈥檉huirich Robbie anns an t-Srathan. Th脿inig latha an fhuadachaidh. Ach cha t脿inig oifigear siorraim no poileas sam bith. Chaidh beagan 霉ine seachad. An uair sin chuala Robbie naidheachd air an r猫idio bheag aige a thug misneachd dha. Bha an galar roilleach a鈥� dol. Cha bhiodh siorram a鈥� cur daoine a dh鈥櫭爄te far am biodh cunnart ann gun sgaoileadh iad an galar. Fhuair Robbie beagan seachdainean a bharrachd.

Mu dheireadh, nochd na poilis agus maoir an t-siorraim aig an doras 鈥� tr矛 m矛osan an d猫idh an latha san taigh-ch霉irte. Shaoileadh tu gun cuireadh sin cr矛och air an sgeul. Ach cha do chuir. Bha tionndadh annasach eile ann 鈥� mar a ch矛 sinn an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: An Srathan: Strathan; cuileanan: puppies; Ceann Loch Biorbhaidh: Kinlochbervie; neo-ghoireasach: inconvenient; Baile 脵r an t-Sl猫ibh: Newtonmore; diombach: displeased; c矛s-chomhairle: council tax; oifigear siorraim: sheriff鈥檚 officer.

Abairtean na Litreach: Comann Bothain nam Beann: Mountain Bothies Association; frith-rathad thar na m貌intich: a track over the moor; cuide riutha bha dusan c霉: along with them were a dozen dogs; ceathrad g猫adh, meall chearcan is thunnagan, agus gearran: forty geese, a number of hens and ducks, and a pony; 脿s an Aisir Mh貌r: from Oldshoremore; carson fon ghr猫in a thagh iad?: why on earth [lit. under the sun] did they choose?; nuair a chaidh am fuadachadh bhon taigh a bh鈥� aca air mh脿l: when they were evicted from the house they rented; c貌raichean fearainn: land rights; chan eil connadh sam bith ann ach m貌ine: there is no fuel there but peat; a dh鈥檉heumas a bhith air a buain as t-earrach: which must be cut in spring; bha caoraich mh貌ra mhaola aca aig an robh deagh inbhe: they had Cheviot [big hornless] sheep which had a good reputation; d猫 dh猫anadh iad leis a鈥� chupall: what they would do with the couple; bho bh脿illidh na h-oighreachd gun robh aca ri teicheadh: from the factor of the estate that they had to leave; gearain mu staid an cuid chon: a complaint about the state of their dogs; ann an D貌rnach anns an Fhaoilleach: in Dornoch in January; an galar roilleach: foot and mouth disease [lit. the slavering disease]; gun sgaoileadh iad an galar: that they would spread the disease; shaoileadh tu gun cuireadh sin cr矛och air an sgeul: you鈥檇 think that would end the story.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: I thought it was about time we revised a point I made in Litir 117 in August 2001 about the use of the preposition 鈥渓e鈥� in expressing ownership. The preposition 鈥渁ig鈥� can express current possession but not necessarily ownership. Idiomatically the sentence is usually fronted by the 鈥渋s ann鈥� construction, and that is how it appears twice in the Litir above 鈥� cha b鈥� ann leothasan a bha an taigh (the house was not theirs) and 鈥檚 ann leis an riaghaltas a bha am fearann (it is the government that owned the land). This issue is dealt with succinctly in 鈥淪cottish Gaelic in Twelve Weeks鈥� by Roibeard 脫 Maolalaigh, recently published by Birlinn. It is an updated and improved version of Hugo鈥檚 鈥淪cottish Gaelic in Three Months鈥� (no, you can鈥檛 learn it any quicker now!) If you like grammar, and want to understand how the language works, you might find this book very useful.

Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach: stoc air nach tugadh s霉il: livestock which had not been examined [tugadh is a past passive verbal form].