An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Gaidheal > Volumes 44--45, January 1949--December 1950

PADRAIG
‘‘Chunnaic mi ’m bkrd air tr&igh
na mara,
Is rkn na gaillinn ’na chluais.”
THAINIG briathran a’ bhaird
gu Mrr mo theanga nuair a
thachair mi air Pkdraig ’na
sheasamh air bkrr a’ chladaich ag
geur-amharc air a’ chuan.
Is e latha foghair a bha ann,
agus aig an am bha na tuinn a’
deann-ruith gu cladach.
"De tha thu faicinn ? ’ ’ arsa mise.
“Tha mi faicinn agus ag
6isdeachd a’ chuain siar. Dh’eigh
an naoidheamh tonn rium, ‘A
bheil mi cur iongantais ort ? ’
Fhreagair mi, ‘Tha do mheud ’s
do chumhachd ag cur ionghnaidh
orm.’ ‘Fuirich,’ ars an tonn, ‘gus
am faic thu m’iar-ogha aig toiseach
an earraich.’ ”
Their na seann iasgairean gu
bheil gach naoidheamh tonn nas
motha na ckch.
Cha b’e bard a bha am Padraig,
agus cha robh e riamh ann an
sgoil Bheurla, ach cha b’e a h-uile
bhrd a chaidh cho domhain ris ann
am beachdachadh air obair a’
chruthachaidh agus miorbhuilean
naduir.
Is e tlachd a bha ann 6isdeachd
ris a’ chainnt anns an deanadh e
iomradh air rudan a bha e toirt
fainear—air ealtainn ghiadh a’
dol thairis troimh an adhar ann an
cumadh geinne, “agus Caiptean
Otter air an toiseach” (ri linn
Phadraig b’e Caiptean Otter sgiobair
ainmeil a bha seoladh a mach d
Stebrnabhagh); air sgaoth neo-
chumanta mor de shii lairean ag
iasgach air trdigh Shanndaigh,
agus air son a leigeil fhaicinn cho
lionmhor ’s a bha iad thuirt e gu
robh siilairean New Zealand ann.
Chuala mi e ann an taigh-
ceilidh a’ deanamh inneas air a’
bheart air a bheil an damhan-
-allaidh a’ fighe a lin, agus a’
foillseachadh a leithid de mhion-
eblas air caithe-beatha a’ chreutair
bhig sin agus gu robh am beag’s am
m6r, an t-6g ’s an sean, ag
eisdeachd le ionghnadh.
Chuir e crioch air a sgeul leis na
facail, “Siud an rud a chi Pddraig:
tha mo nabaidh an sin—chan
fhaic cbil nas motha na chi mart ? ’ ’
Tha bliadhnaichan bho shiubhail
e, ach gus an Id an diugh cluinnidh
mi aig fear no te, ann a bhith
bruidhinn no a’ deanamh seanchais,
“Mar a thuirt Padraig ”
Cha robh “leam-leat” ’nanddur.
Arsa fear ris uair-eigin: “An
dubhairt thusa (ris a leithid seo de
bhoireannach) gun ghoid mise c6ig
chldibh buntdta ort.”
“Cha dubhairt mi sin idir,”
arsa Pddraig. “ ’S e thubhairt
mi gun do ghoid thu seachd!”
A. M.
HIGHLAND DEVELOPMENT
LEAGUE
Annual Meeting
AT the annual general meeting
of the League (which is now in
its fifteenth year) the Rev.
T. M. Murchison was reappointed
President and Mr. Donald Mac Kay,
Solicitor, 190 West George Street,
Glasgow, C.2., was reappointed
Secretary and Treasurer.
Among the resolutions passed at
the meeting were the following:—
Knoydart
“The Highland Development
League deplores the decision of the
Secretary of State for Scotland to
act on the recommendations of the
Cameron Report on Knoydart,
and particularly repudiates the
explicit assumption that the
primary purpose of developing
Knoydart or any similar area
should be the maximum production
of beef and mutton of which the
area is capable.
“The League holds that the
primary purpose of any such
development should be the building
up and maintaining of a reasonable
level of population by land settle¬
ment schemes and subsidiary means
of livelihood.
“The League doubts whether the
single-unit development proposed
in the Cameron Report will achieve
the maximum production of beef
and mutton envisaged.
“The League regards the Secre¬
tary of State’s decision on Knoy¬
dart as providing a dangerous
precedent which may justify the
clearing of the crofter population
from other Highland areas and the
setting up of extensive farms thus
further depopulating the High¬
lands.’ ’
Land Settlement
“The Highland Development
League notes with interest that
the Government have decided to
develop small-holdings in England
and Wales in an effort to attract
more people to the land.
“The League notes that, while
the Scottish Agriculture Act, 1948,
gives authority to the Secretary
of State to proceed with land
settlement schemes, no announce¬
ment has yet been made in regard
to land policy in Scotland.
“The League once again calls
upon the Government to proceed
with suitable land settlement
schemes in Scotland, especially
in view of the fact that several
thousand applicants have had their
names on the Department of Agri¬
culture’s list for years past.”
FORTY-SIXTH NATIONAL
MOD, INVERNESS, 1949
4th, 5th, 6th and 7th October
The Daily Sessions will com¬
mence each day at 9 a.m. and
Concerts have been arranged as
follows:—
Junior Concert:
Tuesday, 4th October, at 7.30
p.m. Tickets: 3/- (Reser¬
ved). 2/- (Unreserved).
Rural Choir Concert:
Thursday, 6th October: First
House, 7.30 p.m. Second
House, 9 p.m.
Tickets: 3/6 (Reserved). 2/6
(Unreserved).
Mod Grand Concert:
Friday, 7th October: Empire
Theatre. 7.30 p.m. Play¬
house , 8 p.m.
Tickets: _5/- (Reserved). 3/6
and 2/6 (Unreserved).
Life and Ordinary Members of
An Comunn will have a special
priority (Reserved Seats being
limited to two per Member for
each Concert) in obtaining Concert
Tickets until Monday, 15th August.
Application should, however, be
made to the office at 131 West
Regent Street, Glasgow, C.2. as
soon as possible.
IT SHOULD BE SPECIALLY
NOTED THAT NO RESERVA¬
TION WILL BE MADE UNLESS
ACCOMPANIED BY THE
APPROPRIATE REMITTANCE
MADE PAYABLE TO THE
TREASURER OF AN COMUNN
GAIDHEALACH.
Mr. ANGUS NICOLSON
MR. ANGUS NICOLSON,
M.B.E., Land Officer of the
Department of Agriculture for
Scotland, has retired after forty-
five years’ Government service,
and his colleagues have presented
him with gifts in appreciation of
his worth and work.
A native of Staffin, Skye, Mr.
Nicolson, having served in the
Kilmuir Estate Office for four
years, entered Government service
in 1904. After World War I he
had an active part in the establish¬
ment of new smallholding settle¬
ments in Skye. Mr. Nicolson is
to live atKilcamb, Strontian, and,
although retired, will be factor
of the Department’s Suanart
Estate. A keen churchman, Mr.
Nicolson taught in the Sunday
School at Portree (when the Editor
of this magazine was a pupil there)
and was for many years an elder in
Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh. Tha
sinn ag guidhe do ax caraid slhinte
is soirbheachadh.