1078: An Iolair-uisge

Bha mi a’ bruidhinn an t-seachdain sa chaidh mu dhà iolair a lorgadh marbh air a’ Chomraich. ʼS e iolairean-buidhe a bh’ annta le chèile. Ach dè mun dà iolair eile a tha beò ann an Alba? A bheil, no an robh, iadsan ann an Ros an Iar cuideachd? Tha mi a’ ciallachadh le sin – an iolair-mhara agus an iolair-uisge. Uill, uaireigin, bha iad beò anns an sgìre. Tha mi airson innse dhuibh mun deidhinn faisg air Poll Iù, tuath air a’ Chomraich. Tha na cunntasan a’ tighinn bhon leabhar A Hundred Years in the Highlands le Osgood MacCoinnich. Tha MacCoinnich ainmeil airson Leas Inbhir Iù a chur air chois.

ʼS e uachdaran a bh’ ann am MacCoinnich. Ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug, fhuair e sealbh air pàirt de loch-uisge mòr ris an canar am Fionn Loch. Bha am Fionn Loch ainmeil airson cho pailt agus cho mòr ʼs a bha na bric ann. Bha na h-èisg cho lìonmhor ʼs gum biodh muinntir an àite gan glacadh le sleaghan air an oidhche anns an Dàmhair agus san t-Samhain. Bha iad a’ cleachdadh leusan de ghiuthas-blàir airson solas a thoirt dhaibh.

Tuath air an Fhionn Loch, tha loch beag ris an canar Loch an Iasgair. Rinn an t-Suirbhidh Òrdanais eadar-theangachadh air an ainm mar ‘ fisher’s loch’. Tha mi an dùil gun robh iad a’ beachdachadh air daoine a bhiodh a’ falbh don loch le slat. Ach tha an t-ainm a’ ciallachadh ‘loch na h-iolair-uisge’ – the loch of the osprey.

Tha Osgood MacCoinnich ga dhearbhadh anns an leabhar aige. Bhiodh na h-iolairean-uisge ag iasgach anns na lochan gu lèir anns an sgìre. Ach bhiodh iad a’ neadachadh air stac cas ri taobh Loch an Iasgair. Carson, ma-thà, a thugadh an t-ainm air an loch – Loch an Iasgair, seach Loch na h-Iolaire? Uill, gu h-ionadail, ʼs e Ailean Iasgair a chanadh daoine ris an iolair-uisge.

Tha MacCoinnich ag innse dhuinn mu thachartas duilich anns an sgìre co-cheangailte ris an loch. Nochd dithis Shasannach ann an Taigh-seinnse Pholl Iù latha a bha seo. B’ iadsan am Morair Huntingfield agus companach aige. Nuair a chuala iad gu robh iolairean-uisge a’ neadachadh aig Loch an Iasgair, chaidh iad ann le dealas. Gu mì-fhortanach, ʼs e mèirlich uighean a bh’ annta.

Lorg iad an nead air an stac. Shnàimh sgalag aca a-mach chun an àite, ghoid e an dà ugh às an nead agus shnàimh e air ais gu tìr. Bha na h-uighean aige ann am bonaid air an do chùm e greim le fhiaclan. An do rinn MacCoinnich càineadh air na mèirlich? Cha do rinn oir, mar a chì sinn an ath-sheachdain, bha MacCoinnich fhèin ris an aon seòrsa mèirle.

Aig an àm sin, bha an iolair-uisge air a dhol à bith ann an Sasainn mu thràth. Cha robh fada aice ri dhol ann an Alba. Thathar a’ tomhas gun deach i à bith an seo ann an naoi ceud deug is sia-deug (1916) no mar sin.

Gu fortanach, tha an iolair-uisge a-nise pailt gu leòr ann an Alba a-rithist. Tha i eadhon air ais a’ neadachadh ann an Sasainn. Ach co-dhiù tha i air tilleadh gu Loch an Iasgair, chan urrainn dhomh innse dhuibh.

Faclan na Litreach: Ros an Iar: Wester Ross; iolair-mhara: sea eagle; iolair-uisge: osprey; Poll Iù:Poolewe; Leas Inbhir Iù: Inverewe Gardens; lìonmhor: plentiful; an t-Suirbhidh Òrdanais: the Ordnance Survey; dealas: zeal.

Abairtean na Litreach: mu dhà iolair a lorgadh marbh air a’ Chomraich: about two eagles that were found dead in Applecross; ʼs e iolairean-buidhe a bh’ annta le chèile: they were both golden eagles; ʼs e uachdaran a bh’ ann am MacCoinnich: Mackenzie was a landlord; fhuair e sealbh air: he took ownership of; airson cho pailt agus cho mòr ʼs a bha na bric ann: for how plentiful and big the trout were in it; ʼs gum biodh muinntir an àite gan glacadh le sleaghan air an oidhche: that the local people would catch them with spears at night; a bhiodh a’ falbh don loch le slat: who would go to the loch with a [fishing] rod; a’ neadachadh air stac cas: nesting on a steep rock pillar; gu h-ionadail, ʼs e Ailean Iasgair a chanadh daoine ris an iolair-uisge: locally, people called the osprey Allan the Fisher; nochd dithis Shasannach ann an Taigh-seinnse Pholl Iù latha a bha seo: two Englishmen arrived in the Poolewe Inn one particular day; gu mì-fhortanach, ʼs e mèirlich uighean a bh’ annta: unfortunately, they were egg thieves; shnàimh sgalag aca a-mach chun an àite: a servant (valet) swam out to the place; ghoid e an dà ugh às an nead: he stole the two eggs from the nest; air an do chùm e greim le fhiaclan: which he gripped in his teeth; an do rinn X càineadh air na mèirlich?: did X criticise the thieves?; bha X ris an aon seòrsa mèirle: X was involved in the same sort of robbery; cha robh fada aice ri dhol ann an Alba: she didn’t have long to go in Scotland; co-dhiù tha i air tilleadh gu X, chan urrainn dhomh innse dhuibh: whether [or not] it has returned to X, I cannot tell you.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: bha an iolair-uisge air a dhol à bith ann an Sasainnmu thràth: the opsrey had already become extinct in England. There is another way of writing mu thràth (no hyphen) – which is mar-thà (with a hyphen). Both are permitted by GOC (Gaelic Orthographic Conventions). They come to the issue of ‘already’ from slightly different perspectives, but are pronounced virtually the same.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Carson a thugadh an t-ainm air an loch?: why was the loch named?

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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh

This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 774

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