麻豆社

Th脿inig leabhar beag a-mach o chionn gl猫 ghoirid a tha a鈥� toirt fiosrachadh seachad air dualchainnt air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd a tha an 矛re mhath air a dhol 脿 bith. Tha d矛reach dithis air fh脿gail a tha fileanta innte. Agus d猫 an dualchainnt a th鈥檃nn? A bheil mi a-mach air dualchainnt Gh脿idhlig ann am badeigin air t矛r-m貌r?Uill, gu h-inntinneach, chan eil mi a鈥� bruidhinn air a鈥� Gh脿idhlig idir. Tha mi a-mach air dualchainnt na h-Albais a bhuineas do bhaile beag Chrombaidh anns an Eilean Dubh. Canar 鈥淒ualchainnt Iasgairean Chrombaidh鈥� rithe. Ged atha beagan dhen chainnt sin aig feadhainn anns a鈥� bhaile fhathast, chan eil ach dithis air fh脿gail a tha fileanta. Is iad sin na br脿ithrean Bobby agus Gordon Hogg.

Tha Beurla de she貌rs鈥� air choreigin air a bhith ann an grunn bhailtean san Eilean Dubh fad ceudan bhliadhnaichean. Ged a bha iad air an cuairteachadh le G脿idhlig, bha Beurla Ghallta air a labhairt ann an Abhach, a鈥� Chananaich, Ros Mhaircnidh agus Cromba. Agus cha robh an dualchainnt anns gach baile buileach co-ionann ris an t猫 san ath bhaile.

Chan eil fios le cinnt cuin a nochd a鈥� chainnt sin an toiseach anns an Eilean Dubh oir tha na h-ainmean-脿ite ag innse dhuinn gun robh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig ann mus robh a鈥� Bheurla ann. Ach 鈥檚 urrainn do na Hoggs an sinnsireachd a dhearbhadh ann an Cromba air ais gu sia ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1698) co-dhi霉. Agus鈥檚 iongantach mura robh luchd na Beurla ann nuair a chaidh inbhe Baile R矛oghail a bhuileachadh air Cromba anns an treas linn deug.

Thathar ag r脿dh gun robh uaireigin tr矛 dualchainntean eadar-dhealaichte de dh鈥橝lbais ann an sg矛re Chrombaidh 鈥� dualchainnt nan iasgairean, dualchainnt muinntir a鈥� bhaile agus cainnt nan tuathanach. Bhuineadh na tuathanaich don Gh脿idhealtachd agus bha G脿idhlig aca no aig an sinnsirean. Cha leigeadh tu leas dhol fada a-mach 脿 Cromba airson G脿idhlig a chluinntinn agus, anns an ochdamh linn deug, chaidh m貌ran Gh脿idheal a-steach don bhaile airson obair fhaighinn.Chaidh eaglais sh貌nraichte a thogail dhaibh 鈥� t猫 ris an canar an Caibeal G脿idhlig.

Gu m矛-fhortanach tha an togalach an-diugh ann am f矛or dhroch staid. Bha buinteanas aig muinntir a鈥� bhaile 鈥� an fheadhainn a bha an s脿s ann am malairt no a bha nam maraichean 鈥� don Gh脿idhealtachd agus do Mhoireibh. Bha cainnt eadar-dhealaichte acasan bho na tuathanaich is na h-iasgairean. Ach 鈥檚 e cainnt nan iasgairean a mhair chun an latha an-diugh.

Chan eil fios le cinnt c貌 脿s a th脿inig sinnsirean nan iasgairean. Ach, a r猫ir beul-aithris ionadail, th脿inig iad 脿 timcheall Linne Foirthe nuair a bha Seumas IV air an r矛gh-chathair 鈥� aig deireadh a鈥� ch貌igeamh no toiseach an t-siathamh linn deug. Agus thathar dhen bheachd gun robh sinnsirean aca 脿s an 脪laind no 脿 Lochlann.

Ciamar a tha dualchainnt nan iasgairean eadar-dhealaichte bho dhualchainntean eile? Uill, gu tric, bidh 鈥渉鈥� air a cur ann, no air a leigeil 脿s, an aghaidh chleachdaidhean 鈥溍燽haisteach鈥�. Canar 鈥渙os鈥� airson hoose agus 鈥渁m鈥漚irson ham; agus canar 鈥渉aypel鈥� airson apple agus 鈥渉eggs鈥� airson eggs. Agus airson Ciamar a tha thu?, canaidh iad Oo thee keepan? Thathar a鈥檆leachdadh 鈥� chun an latha an-diugh 鈥� faclan sean-fhasanta mar thou, thee agus thy. Thathar ag r脿dh gur e sin buaidh a鈥� Bh矛obaill orra, oir bha iad gu math cr脿bhach.

Agus, leis gun robh iad air an cuairteachadh leis a鈥� Gh脿idhlig fad ceudan bhliadhnaichean, saoil a bheil faclan aca a bhuineas don Gh脿idhlig bho th霉s? Bheir sinn s霉il air sin an ath-sheachdain.

dualchainnt: dialect; Albais: Scots Language; Cromba, BaileChrombaidh: Cromarty; cr脿bhach: pious, religious.

tha d矛reach dithis air fh脿gail: there are only two peopleleft; ann am badeigin air t矛r-m貌r: in some place on the mainland; de she貌rs鈥� airchoreigin: of some sort; ann an grunn bhailtean san Eilean Dubh: in severalvillages on the Black Isle; air an cuairteachadh le G脿idhlig: surrounded by Gaelic;Beurla Ghallta air a labhairt ann an Abhach, a鈥� Chananaich, Ros Mhaircnidh agusCromba: a Scots dialect was spoken in Avoch, Fortrose, Rosemarkie andCromarty; buileach co-ionann ris an t猫 san ath bhaile: identical to the one in thenext village; 鈥檚 urrainn do na Hoggs an sinnsireachd a dhearbhadh: the Hoggs canverify their ancestry; 鈥檚 iongantach mura robh luchd na Beurla ann nuair a chaidhinbhe Baile R矛oghail a bhuileachadh air X: it鈥檚 likely there were English speakersthere when X was granted the status of a Royal Burgh; cha leigeadh tu leas dholfada a-mach 脿: you wouldn鈥檛 need to go far out of; no a bha nam maraichean: orwho were seamen; a mhair chun an latha an-diugh: which survived to the presentday; 脿 timcheall Linne Foirthe: from around the Firth of Forth; 脿s an 脪laind no 脿Lochlann: from Holland or Scandinavia; Canar 鈥淴鈥� airson Y: 鈥淴鈥� is said for Y;buaidh a鈥� Bh矛obaill: the influence of the Bible; fad ceudan bhliadhnaichean: forhundreds of years; a bhuineas don Gh脿idhlig bho th霉s: which originally belong toGaelic.

an Caibeal G脿idhlig. The Gaelic Chapel. To be聽honest, I鈥檝e derived my Gaelic name for the substantial ruined church on the hill聽above the old part of Cromarty from the common English term 鈥淕aelic Chapel鈥�,聽even though I harbour doubts that the Gaelic speakers in Cromarty would have聽referred to it as a 鈥渃hapel鈥�. Two terms are used in Gaelic for 鈥渃hapel鈥� 鈥� caibeal聽(derived from the Latin capella) and seipeal, possibly derived from Old Frenchchapele, through Middle English. I suspect the Gaels might simply have referredto their Cromarty church as an 鈥渆aglais鈥� but if any reader has information onthis, I鈥檇 be pleased to hear from them. The 鈥渃hapel鈥� was built in 1783 by the locallandowner, George Ross, and is now in a poor state of repair.

air an r矛gh-chathair: on the throne.
Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA