An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Gaidheal > Volume 25, October 1929--September 1930

26 AN GAIDHEAL. An t-Samhuin, 1929.
Cha b’ann ’na gheocaire an cuideachd phoitearan
Gheibhte an t-6ganach, ach, le spairn,
Ag cruinneachadb storais, gun cheilg gun
seoltachd,
Gus, fa dheoidh, cha robh’n corr ach tamh ;
Oir thar nan cuantan, a ghearr sinn uaithe,
Is ann thainig fuam air cuis-uamhann bais,
Gun robh an Eioghachd an gleac ri milltear,
Bha feum air miltean, is sin gun daii.
Cha b’ann le tamailt, is brundail chanranaich,
A leugh mo nabaidh an naidheach mhor,
Bha Tir nan Ard Bheann, on d’fhuair e arach,
Gach bliadhna is la stigh na inntinn beo;
Gach bodach ceutach le fhiasag liathghlas
Gach cailleach rianail a’snlomh nan clo,
lad sud chan iarrte chur cath air biastan,
Ach gillean feasgaidh gun mheang gun gho.
Bha Alasdair Ruairidh dhiu sud, cha shuarach
E fein le ghruaidhean’s iad mar an ros,
Pearsa an diunnlaich, gu h-eutrom lughmhor,
Is le mosgaid dhubailt a chur na dhorn
Neo-thaitneach leamsa mo chur air raoine,
Gun ni gam shaoradh bho chudthrom meoir,
Is am peilear siubhlach ri tachds an fhudair
A feitheamh stiiiraidh b shuil gun sgled.
Mar sin cha thaladh an t-6r mo nabaidh,
Is mor gum b’fhearr leis bhi anns an Fhraing;
Am fearann gruamach tha ghaoir am chluasan,
Oir lot am Fuamhair gach coill is crann;
Bha blath nan raointean na crlonaich aognaidh,
Chan fhaicte air craobh ann am meas ach gann,
Gun bho gun chaora, gun each a’ slaodadh
Mar chleachd iad daonnan, an cliath’s an crann.
Ach air gach taobh dhiot, air cnoc, air aonach
Bha sar nan laoch ann an glaic a’ bhais,
Gach fear a’ triall dh’ionnsaigh dachaidh
shiorruidh,
Nas mo chan iarrar iad sud am blar;
Bheir fear na Reit iad gu ceann na reise,
Mo dhurachd fhein air taobh thall a’ bhais
Gum bi iad comhla an duthaich ghlormhor
’Nan oighrean oirdhearc air baile taimh.
Am measg na coisir bha sud is bronach
Gun robh MacDhomhaill air leabaidh fhuar ;
0 diomhain domhsa bhi ag innse sgeoil duibh,
Mo chridhe bronach mi fada bhuat;
Thuit sac air m’inntinn, is threig mo chll mi,
On rinn iad innse b’i sud “ an uair ”
Na deoir cha phill e, oir is naidheachd chinnteach
Gun rachadh mile gu beul na h-uaigh.
Ach ’s maith mo chairdean gach cuis ma
dh’fhagar
Ar beatha an lamhan a’ Ghaisgich threin,
Thug buaidh air bas duinn tre chorp a
thairneadh,
Mar sin cha namhaid do neach an t-eug,
Ach aiseag sltheil a saoghal millteach
Gu cathair rloghail tha dhuinn air neamh;
Is na laigheadh brbn air an inntinn fheolmhor,
Biodh suil ri solas aig ceann na reis.
0
ROMANS AND GAELS IN SCOTLAND.
Sir,—In a recent issue of An Gaidheal
an article on “ Celtic Heroes of Roman
Times,” signed A. Lament, deals at some
length with the battle of Mens Graupius in
which Agricola overcame the Gaelic hero,
Galgacus, and on the co petent authority of
Tacitus, destroyed the Caledonian host. The
writer of the article says the Roman victory
was dearly bought, and adds this remarkable
statement:—
“ At any rate the Battle of Mons Graupius
was not followed up by any further advance
into the territory of the Caledonians, or even
by military occupation of the area which had
been the scene of the campaign.”
This statement is a very good example of
what is current, even in authoritative historical
works on the Roman occupation, but it is
quite untrue both in regard to the area of
Roman military movements in the North of
Scotland and the period of occupation. Usually,
it is not worth while to correct these customary
mis-statements, but in a periodical specially
(and, let me say, admirably) produced for the
instruction of Gaels, it is important that the
actual facts of recent investigation in the
subject should be known.
The site of the battle of Mons Graupius is a
topic of legitimate, discussion, and a case can
be made out for any of the Roman sites from
the great Camp of Ardoch, in Perthshire, to
the still finely preserved Roman Camp of
Raedykes, in Kincardineshire. The writer of
the article above mentioned will be surprised
to know that there is a Roman Camp at all
so far north as Kincardineshire, but even it
is only one in a chain of Roman Camps that
extend through Forfarshire, Kincardineshire,
Aberdeenshire, Banffshire—in fact, all along
the flat coastal region to Burghead on the
Moray Firth, the jumping off place for the
Roman expeditionary forces.
Up till about a quarter of a century ago not
only did very few persons believe that the