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Tha mi a鈥� dol a th貌iseachadh na Litreach an t-seachdain seo le beagan Laidinn, rud nach 脿bhaist dhomh! Tha e 脿 l脿mh-sgr矛obhainn ainmeil. Saoil am bi fios agaibh d猫 an l脿mh-sgr矛obhainn. 鈥�expulsis primo Britonibus et Pictis omnino deletis, licet per Norwagienses, Dacos et Anglicos sepius impugnata fuerit... Mmm. Uill, ma chanas mi gu bheil an earrann 脿 seann litir chun a鈥� Ph脿ip, agus gun robh i air a sgr矛obhadh le Albannaich, tuigidh sibh 鈥檚 d貌cha gu bheil i 脿 Taisbeanadh Obar Bhrothaig no, mar a chanar ann am Beurla, The Declaration of Arbroath.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Tha an l脿mh-sgr矛obhainn seo air leth cudromach ann an eachdraidh na h-Alba. Tha cuid de sgoilearan dhen bheachd gun tug i buaidh air an fheadhainn a sgr矛obh Taisbeanadh Neo-eisimeileachd nan St脿itean Aonaichte. Bha Taisbeanadh Obar Bhrothaig air a sgr矛obhadh anns a鈥� Ghiblean tr矛 cheud deug is fichead (1320). Bha e air a chur ri ch猫ile ann an se貌mar-sgr矛obhaidh Abaid Obar Bhrothaig leis an aba fh猫in. Bha e ag iarraidh air a鈥� Ph脿p, Iain XXII, ann an Avignon, aithne oifigeil a thoirt do dh鈥橝lba mar n脿isean neo-eisimeileach. 鈥橲 iad uaislean m貌ra na d霉thcha a chuir an ainmean ris.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bidh sibh e貌lach air an eachdraidh, tha mi cinnteach. Bha na r矛ghrean Sasannach ag amas air Alba a ghabhail thairis. Th貌isich an iomairt le Eideard I ann an d脿 cheud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a sia (1296). Cha do sguir e eadhon nuair a chaill e ri armailt Uallais aig Drochaid Shruighlea ann an d脿 cheud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a seachd (1297).

听听听听听听听听听听听 Ann an tr矛 cheud deug is ceithir-deug (1314), rinn armailt Albannach fo R矛gh Raibeart Brus a鈥� ch霉is air armailt Eideird II aig Allt a鈥� Bhonnaich. Ach, a dh鈥檃indeoin sin, bha na Sasannaich fhathast a鈥� feuchainn ris a鈥� ch霉is a dh猫anamh air Alba. Bha am P脿p air taobhadh leis na Sasannaich. Chuir e am Brusach a-mach 脿s an Eaglais 脿s d猫idh gun do mhuirt e an Cuimeanach Ruadh am broinn eaglais ann an D霉n Phris.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bha am P脿p m矛-thoilichte cuideachd oir bha e ag iarraidh gum biodh na n脿iseanan Cr矛osdail a鈥� str矛 an aghaidh nam Muslamach anns an T矛r Naoimh, seach a bhith a鈥� sabaid an aghaidh a ch猫ile. Chaidh Taisbeanadh Obar Bhrothaig a sgr矛obhadh airson dearbhadh don Ph脿p gun robh na h-Albannaich ceart ann a bhith a鈥� di霉ltadh ri str矛ochdadh do na Sasannaich.

听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥橲 iomadh turas a chualas earrann bhon l脿mh-sgr矛obhainn seo. Seo an earrann as ainmeile, chanainn, air eadar-theangachadh gu G脿idhlig: fhad 鈥檚 a mhaireas ceud duine againn be貌, cha leig sinn air chor sam bith leis na Sasannaich smachd a ghabhail oirnn. Gu f矛rinneach, chan ann airson gl貌r, no airgead no urram a tha sinn a鈥� sabaid, ach airson saorsa 鈥� airson sin a-mh脿in, rud nach leig duine onarach seachad ach le a bheatha fh猫in.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Tha an earrann sin gu math cumhachdach agus chan eil e na iongnadh gu bheil e a鈥� nochdadh gu tric air beulaibh dhaoine, gu s貌nraichte ann am Beurla. Ach chan e sin an earrann a thagh mi 鈥� ann an Laidinn 鈥� aig toiseach gnothaich. Thagh mi earrann eile, oir bha mi airson rudeigin eile mun Taisbeanadh seo a tharraing do dh鈥檃ire dhaoine. Tha e co-cheangailte ri 脿ite nan G脿idheal ann an Alba aig an 脿m agus tha e airidh air barrachd feirt. Bheir mi a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air a shon an-ath-sheachdain.

le beagan Laidinn: with a bit of Latin; gu bheil an earrann 脿 seann litir chun a鈥� Ph脿ip: that the section is from an old letter to the Pope; gun tug i buaidh air an fheadhainn a sgr矛obh Taisbeanadh Neo-eisimeileachd nan St脿itean Aonaichte: that it influenced those who wrote the American Declaration of Independence; gun robh e air a chur ri ch猫ile ann an se貌mar-sgr矛obhaidh Abaid Obar Bhrothaig: that it was put together in the scriptorium of Arbroath Abbey; aithne oifigeil a thoirt do dh鈥橝lba mar n脿isean neo-eisimeileach: to give official recognition to Scotland as an independent nation; 鈥檚 iad uaislean m貌ra na d霉thcha a chuir an ainmean ris: it was the country鈥檚 nobles that signed it; cha do sguir e eadhon nuair a chaill e ri armailt Uallais aig Drochaid Shruighlea: he didn鈥檛 desist even when he lost to Wallace鈥檚 army at Stirling Bridge; air taobhadh leis na Sasannaich: had sided with the English; 脿s d猫idh gun do mhuirt e an Cuimeanach Ruadh: after he had murdered the Red Comyn; am broinn eaglais ann an D霉n Phris: inside a church in Dumfries; an aghaidh nam Muslamach anns an T矛r Naoimh: against the Muslims in the Holy Land; ann a bhith a鈥� di霉ltadh ri str矛ochdadh: in refusing to surrender; rud nach leig duine onarach seachad ach le a bheatha fh猫in: a thing that no honourable man gives up except with his own life; chan eil e na iongnadh: it鈥檚 not a surprise; airidh air barrachd feirt: deserving of more attention.

rinn armailt Albannach fo R矛gh Raibeart Brus a鈥� ch霉is air armailt Eideird II aig Allt a鈥� Bhonnaich: a Scottish army under King Robert Bruce defeated the army of Edward II at Bannockburn. I was in a group of Gaelic-speakers recently who were debating the use of the words arm and armailt when referring to a fighting force (rather than weaponry). The consensus was that arm refers to the entire fighting force available to, say, a nation eg Arm Bhreatainn, the British Army. But an 鈥榓rmy鈥� made up of only a portion of the forces theoretically available is an armailt. So the British Army fighting at, say, El Alamein, not being the entire British forces committed to the War, was an armailt Breatannach, rather than Arm Bhreatainn. The Highland army which did battle in the days of the Jacobite rebellion was referred to as鈥榓rmailt nam breacan鈥�.

rud nach 脿bhaist dhomh: something I don鈥檛 normally [do].

听

Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA