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

An Giblein, 1947.
AN GAIDHEAL.
87
mo bhialaibh seana bhean choir a chaill balach tapaidh
deanadach, agus tha fios agam nach do thuig i dusan facal do
na h-6raidean Beurla an lii ud. Ach biodh fios agad gu robh
dithis no triiiir de choigrich aig nach robh Gaidblig arms a’
chuideachd, agus dh’fheumte urram na Beurla Shasannaich
a thoirt dhaibh-san. An can thu rium a nis gu bheil na Gaidheil
a’ toirt a h-kite fhein do an canain ?
Is trie a thuirt Gaidheil riumsa gu robh e moran na b’fhasa
dhaibh bruidhinn am Beurla Shasainn na ’nan eanain fhein,
agus creididh mi gur h-e faoisid onarach a bha sin. Nach ann
air Beurla Shasainn a thogadh iad anns an sgoil, agus nach e
sin a’ cheart mhodh fhoghluim a tha air clann na Gaidhlige
an diugh, agus is ann nas miosa a bhios an iomairt sin a’ dol
gus am bi teagasg na Gaidhlige co-ionann ri foghlum Beurla
Shasainn ann ar sgoilean Gaidhealach. Ach chan fhaic sinn
latha an aigh sin am feasda fhad is a bhios Alba ’na h-iorball
stlorlagach ceangailte ri Sasainn.
Iain N. MacLeoid.
THE RAIDERS.
By Angus Duncan.
(Gaelic version, under the title An Seanchaidh will be found
in Alba).
Seated on the earthen floor round a glowing peat fire, we
listened to Rory’s stories.
Except for the regular boom of a sea-cave about a mile
away, not a sound interrupted the flow of those old world
tales. At last he paused, and drew his blackened clay pipe
from its resting-place under the end of the bench beside his
chair. We watched him pick up a red-hot cinder, which he
held to the pipe until he was well enveloped in smoke. Then
the stories began again.
“My father,” said he “used to tell us of the luckiest
escape he ever had in his life.” We drew nearer to the fire,
casting furtive glances in the direction of the door. “ It was
the year of the great fishing failure,” he continued, “ and my
father, unwilling to come home to a wife and family without a
penny in his pocket, decided to go to Inverness in the hope
of finding some work there, But, whichever way he turned,
he met men from every hamlet between the Butt of Lewis and
Barra Head who were in the same plight.
“There was nothing for it but to set his face towards home.
So off he went on foot, thinking that, if he could only reach
Stromeferry, he might get home on one of the returning fishing-
boats.
“He had not gone far when night overtook him. Looking
round, he saw a small house on the brow of a hill, and he made
straight for it. There was no one in the house but an old man
who might have been about eighty years of age.
“The old man gave my father a little supper, and asked him
to go to bed, saying that he himself would stay up for his sons
who might be back from Inverness any moment. But if my
father went to bed, it was not to sleep ! Soon after midnight,
he heard the clatter of feet outside the house, and then heard
something being dragged inside, while the old man gave
whispered instructions.
“However, when my father got up in the morning, the old
man was still sitting where he had left him the previous night.
Not a living soul was to be seen besides ! A small table was
set for breakfast, with a platter of steaming meat on it. When
my father had taken as much as he pleased, he thanked the
old man and once more took the road.
“But never mind ! he had not gone far when he met a tall
and handsome young man. ‘What has brought you this way? ’
said the young man. My father told him he had been in
Inverness looking for work, but that he was now on the way
home. ‘ And where did you spend the night ? ’ asked the
young man. My father replied that he had spent the night
with an old man about a mile away. ‘ Did you see anything
unusual going on there ? ’ said the young man. ‘ Nothing at
all! ’ said my father. ‘ It is as well for you ! ’ said the young
man.
“But never mind ! my father had not gone very far when
he met another young man, and, if the first was handsome
this one was doubly so. ‘ What has brought you this way ? ’
said the young man. My father repeated the story that he had
been in Inverness looking for work, but that he was now on the
way home. ‘ And where did you spend the night ? ’ asked the
young man. My father replied that he had spent the night
with an old man about two miles away. ‘ Did you see anything
unusual going on there ? ’ said the young man. ‘ Nothing at
all! ’ said my father. ‘ It is as well for you ! ’ said the young
man.
“But never mind ! my father had not gone much further when
he met a third young man, and, if the other two were handsome,
this was the handsomest of all. ‘ What has brought you this
way ? ” said he. My father once more repeated his story,
that he had been in Inverness looking for work, but that he
was now on the way home. ‘ And where did you spend the
night ? ’ asked the young man. My father replied that he
had spent the night with an old man about three miles away.
‘ Did you see anything unusual going on there ? ’ said the
young man. ‘ Nothing at all! ’ said my father. ‘ It is as well
for you ! ' said the young man.
“That night my father slept in a shepherd’s hut a good many
miles from Inverness. Before leaving next morning he told
the shepherd about the young men he met on the road and
how he had answered them. ‘ It was, indeed, well for you,’
said the shepherd. ‘ These were the old man’s three sons, and,
had you added a single word to what you said, you would not
have lived to tell the tale.’
“ That,” said the story-teller, “ was the luckiest escape my
father ever had on land or on sea.”
ABAIR GIOMACH!
So cunntas air giomach a fhuair mi aig Gaidheal a mhuinntir
Chonamara, fear a bha sar-eolach air tanalachd is doimhne
“ Is cuimhne leam uair a thog sinn giomach mor a lion
ballach, a bha ceithir troighean air fhad o bharr iorbaill gu
‘spioroid a’ mhullaigh’ (a ghob, is docha leam). Bha e suas
ri ceithir clachan an cudthrom.”
Bha an giomach air a chomhdaeh le barnaich is gach seorsa,
air chor agus gur gann a dh’aithnicheadh iad e. Cha robh
moran maitheis ann ri itheadh ; bha an t.-iasg fior bhog ann,
agus moran uisge air fheadh.
Am facas a leithid riamh an Innse Gall ? B.
❖
PROPAGANDA NOTES.
Northern Area.
Dundee.—On 19th February the Organiser gave a talk
to the Dundee Highland Society. There was a large attendance
presided over by the Chief of the Society, Mr. MacDonald
Chalmers. Mr. Roderick MacDonald, a prominent member of
An Comunn, proposed Votes of Thanks in Gaelic.
Inverness.—Several of the Inverness Burgh Schools are
to put forward Choirs in the Gaelic Section of the Musical
Festival which is to be held in May of this year.
It is also interesting to record that the Girls’ Training
Corps at Inverness are including Gaelic choral singing in their
activities. The girls (aged 14 to 18) meet weekly and enjoy
their new experience.
Sutherland Concerts.—Under the auspices of the
Northern Propaganda Sub-Committee, a Concert Party is to
visit the County of Sutherland, and concerts are to be held at
Lochinver, Dornoch, Durness, Melness, and. Lairg. The Party
will include Petrine M. Stewart (Mod Gold Medallist), Chrissie
MacKenzie, Kiltarlity (first-prize winner at the Aberdeen
National Mod), and Alasdair Matheson, Assistant Secretary.
The Northern Organiser will accompany the Party and will
preside at two of the concerts (Melness and Lairg). The net
proceeds from this effort will be sent to the Central Fund of
An Comunn.
Northern Sub - Committee.—Meetings of the Northern
Propaganda and Education Sub-Committees will be held on
Saturday, 22nd March.