An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Gaidheal > Volume 42, October 1946--September 1947

An Damhar, 1946.
AN GAIDHEAL.
GILLEASBUIG AOTROM AGUS AN
SEALGAIR.
Thainig duine nasal Gaidhealach air foghar a shealg gu
monadh na sgireachd anns an Eilean Sgitheanach far an do
thachair do Ghilleasbuig Aotrom a bhith fuireach aig an am.
An uair a chuala e mu Ghilleasbuig agus a chuid chleasan
ceolmhor, is ann a smaointich e, a thaobh’s gu robh seirbhiseach
a dhith air, nach b’urrainn dha ni a b’fhearr a dheanamh na
Gilleasbuig fhasdadh fad latha no dha gu bhith giiilan gach
goireis bhig a dh’fheumadh a bhith aige muigh sa’ mhonadh
agus gu bhith frithealadh air gach uair a bhiodh obair sam bith
ri dheanamh.
Thachair air latha araidh air an t-slighe gu robh an sealgair
agus Gilleasbuig ag coiseachd trid mhointich fhiadhaich anns an
robh fraoch fada a’ fas a bha ruigheachd nan gluinean. Bha
an duin’-uasal air thoiseach agus Gilleasbuig ’ga leantainn, ag
giiilan cuaille fada de bhata ’na laimh. An deidh a bhith greis
ag coiseachd, thug an sealgair a mach piob tombaca, agus air
dha a llonadh theann e ri ceo a thoirt aisde. A nis, is e duine
a bha ann an Gilleasbuig Aotrom aig an robh deidh mhor air
tombaca e fhein is a bha ’ga chleachdadh euideachd. Air an
latha so, co-dhiubh, gu mi-fhortanach cha do thachair gu robh
greim tombaca aig mo laochan. Dhhisg a mhiann na bu mhotha
an uair a chunnaic e am fear eile a’ lasadh na pioba. Do
bhrigh’s nach robh e eolach air an duin’-uasal, bha e car mor
leis criomag iarraidh. Ach ge b’e c6 bhiodh a’ fulang le cion
tombaca, cha bhiodh Gilleasbuig c6ir fada as aonais nan
deanadh seoltachd agus cleasan e. Agus mar tha fios aig na
h-uile, bu lan ceann aotrom Ghilleasbuig dhiubh so. Rinn
Gilleasbuig gaire ris fein is e toirt snathaid bhig a chota a stob
e le mor innleachd am barr a bhata.
Feadh’s a bha iad le cheile ag coiseachd troimh an fhraoch,
shin Gilleasbuig am bata fad a laimhe, a’ stobadh na snathaid
an calpa an t-sealgair. Leig an duine bochd sgairt ard as a
thug fuaim air mac-talla nan cnoc.
l ' Gu de tha ort? ” arsa Gilleasbuig, is e a’ leigeil air gu robh
e fo uamhas agus ann am mor thruas ris an fhear a bha dannsa
leis a’ chradh.
“ Chan urrainn mi innse,” arsa am fear eile. *' Dh’fhairich
mi rud-eigin a’ stobadh mo chalpa mar gum b’e seillean a
dheanadh a lot.”
“ Chan ’eil sin ag cur ionghnaidh orm,” arsa Gilleasbuig ;
“ tha am fraoch ann an so beo le nathraichean.”
“ Nathraichean ! ” arsa an duin’-uasal, is e ag atharrachadh
nan dath.
“ Seadh,” arsa Gilleasbuig, “tha am monadh so lan
dhiubh.”
“ Gu de a ni mi? ” arsa am fear eile. ‘‘ Tha mi air mo
phuinnseanachadh gu has, fada air falbh bho chobhair agus
bho dhaoine ! ”
“ Innsidh mise sin dhuit,” arsa Gilleasbuig, “ agus ma
ghabhas tu mo chomhairle, cha bhi cnead ort am beagan
mhionaidean.”
“Is mise ni sin gu toilichte,” fhreagair an duin’-uasal;
“ abair e gu grad.”
“ Na thachair gu bheil caob tombaca agaibh an so ? ”
“ Tha,” arsa an duine uasal. “ Fosgail am poca agus
gheibh thu faisg air leth-phunnd ann.”
Thug Gilleasbuig a mach an tombaca a bha ’na r6pa fada
air a phasgadh an cuaich chruinn chothrom.
“ Suain an r6pa tombaca gu dluth, cothrom mu do chalpa
anns a’ mhionaid, agus fag air e air son deich mionaidean, agus
theid mi fein an urras nach bi aon ni cearr air do chois.”
Gu toilichte ghabh an duin’-uasal comhairle Ghilleasbuig.
Shuain e an tombaca gun chaomhnadh mu’n cuairt air a
chalpa.
“ Coisich a nis gu bras air adhart,” arsa Gilleasbuig.
Mar a thubhairt, b’fhior. An taobh a stigh de dheich
mionaidean cha robh ni air a’ chois.
“ Ciamar a tha thu a nis ? ” arsa Gilleasbuig.
“ Nach mi tha taingeil,” arsa an duin’-uasal, “ tha gu
math.”
“Thug an tombaca am puinnsean as do chalpa,” arsa
Gilleasbuig. “ Faodaidh tu a nis a thilgeil dhith.”
Rinn an duin’-uasal sin. Thilg e an ropa tombaca bhuaithe
air an raon, agus cho luath’s a thionndaidh e a chiil-thaobh
thog Gilleasbuig leis an tombaca agus chuir e ’na phoca e.
Fhuair Gilleasbuig, air sgath a chuid chleas, suas ri leth-
phunnd tombaca, agus cha robh e as aonais ceo fad iomadh
latha ’na dheidh.
Chaidh an duin’-uasal dhachaidh, co-dhiubh, a cheart cho
toillichte ri Gilleasbuig, do bhrigh’s gun deachaidh a leigheas
an uair bu dliiithe e do’n bhas, is e ag cantainn ri each nach
b’urrainn nach e lan amadan glic a bha ann an Gilleasbuig
Aotrom. Ach cha robh fios aige uile air.
Tormod Domhnallach.
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GAELIC IN GALLOWAY.
It is a popular delusion that there are two races in Scotland
—Celts and Saxons ; the Celts inhabiting a gradually receding
region north of the River Forth, and the Saxons the remainder
of the country. As a result, Scotland has been kept a divided
nation for centuries, and it is sad to think that so great a patriot
as Sir Walter Scott has lent the force of his genius to perpetuate
this noxious myth. Gaelic has been dubbed “ Irish ” and
“ barbaric,” while English is considered the speech of educated
people.
The origin of this attitude of mind is not far to seek.
The Gaelic Ebb-Tide Begins.
Previous to the arrival of Margaret of England, with a
horde of Saxon refugees, shortly after 1066, Gaelic was the
language of court and cot throughout Scotland, or Alba (to
give our land its ancient name). Margaret was pious and
bigoted, and her doting husband, Malcolm Ceann-mor, became
the ready instrument in her hand to destroy the Celtic Church
and substitute the Anglian Church and speech.
The Gaelic language began slowly to disappear from the
Lothians and the coastal area of Fife. Further hordes of
carpet-baggers, chiefly Normans, were invited into Scotland
by Margaret’s son, David I. To these he gave large grants of
land, and the Anglian Church, following in their wake, ousted
the native clergy and with them the language.
Galloway bitterly resented the anglicising policy of the
Scottish court, for, as MacKerlie states in his History of
Galloway, “ The Celtic owners were fiercely opposed to charters,
or ‘ sheepskin-holding ’ as they termed it.” The men who
flocked to the standard of Wallace were many of them deprived
of their ancestral lands by these aliens. The king’s writ did not
travel very far in the south, however, for (again quoting
MacKerlie) “ The Galloway men adhered to their own Celtic
laws as far as their local transactions were concerned, and had
proper judges appointed for that purpose, This continued to
the reign of James VI.”
Old Galloway.
In olden times Galloway extended from Carlisle to Central
Ayrshire, thus embracing the counties of Dumfries, Kirkcud¬
bright, Wigtown, and South Ayrshire or Garrick. To-day
its area has become restricted to the land lying between the
Nith and Loch Ryan. The people of Galloway call themselves
Albannaich or Piets. Remains of other races are the Fingals,
Creenies and Gossocks.
That the original language of Galloway was Gaelic the place-
names will testify. Names such as Knocktaggart, Ardcrochair,
Craigbroc, Drummore, Barnagee, Darroch, and Laggan are
readily intelligible to a northern Gaelic speaker. No other part
of Scotland can show such variety and richness in its nomen¬
clature, and it has been asserted that ninety per cent, of the
place-names are Celtic.
Although one or two coastal names are imputed to Norse,
there is no trace of Norse occupation, a pleasing contrast to the
Western Isles where half the place-names are Teutonic, bearing
evidence of the permanence of the Viking conquest.
These Gallovidian Piets, aggressively independent and
pagan, in spite of a veneer of Christianity, long continued a
thorn in the side of both Scots and English.
Pictish Influences.
At some unknown period B.C. there would appear to have
been an invasion from the East of Scotland, where the Pictish