1337: Geamannan Gàidhealach (1)

Dè na geamannan Gàidhealach a chluicheas sinn an-diugh? Tha mòran dhiubh air bàs fhaighinn, tha eagal orm. Ach saoil a bheil dòigh ann feadhainn a thoirt beò às ùr? Feumaidh mi mìneachadh an toiseach, dè tha mi a’ ciallachadh le ‘geamannan Gàidhealach’. Mar as trice, bidh daoine a’ smaoineachadh mu ‘Highland Games’ – farpaisean anns am bi daoine làidir a’ cur a’ chabair no a’ caitheamh na cloiche.

Ach chan e sin na geamannan air a bheil mi a’ beachdachadh. Tha m’ aire air geamannan beaga a bhiodh na Gàidheil a’ cluich aig an taigh, air a bheil ainmean Gàidhlig.

Bha mi a’ leughadh alt anns an iris The Celtic Review air a bheil ‘Uist Games’. Chaidh a sgrìobhadh le fear Alasdair Moireasdan. Chaidh fhoillseachadh ann an naoi ceud deug ’s a h-ochd (1908). Tha e a’ dèanamh tuairisgeul de dh’fhichead geama. Tha mi airson innse dhuibh mu chuid dhiubh.

An toiseach, geama a bha gu leòr ann an Uibhist fhathast a’ cluich aig deireadh an naoidheamh linn deug. B’ e sin Speilean. Seo mar a thathar a’ cluich a’ gheama sin.

Tha dà sgioba ann, fear a tha ri batadh, agus fear a tha ri glacadh. Thathar a’ dèanamh toll anns an talamh anns am bithear a’ cur aon cheann speile, pìos beag fiodha. Tha am ball air a chur air a’ cheann sin dhen speil os cionn an tuill. Bidh am batair a’ bualadh ceann eile an speile le bata, a’ cur a’ bhuill suas. Fhad ’s a tha am ball shuas, tha an neach sin ga bhualadh le uile neart.

Tha e a’ feuchainn ris am ball iomain cho fada ’s as urrainn. Ma ghlacas duine sam bith e mus ruig e an talamh, bidh am batair a-mach. Ach ma bhuaileas am ball an talamh, bidh a’ chiad duine dhen sgioba-glacaidh a gheibh greim air, ga thilgeil a dh’ionnsaigh a’ bhatair. Chanadh iad gun robh an duine sin ‘a’ toirt faireag’.

Bidh am batair a’ bualadh a’ bhuill a-rithist. Ma ghlacas duine e, tha am batair a-mach. Mura glac, bidh a’ chiad neach a gheibh grèim air a’ bhall ga thilgeil a dh’ionnsaigh an tuill. ’S e piceadh a chanadh daoine ri sin. Ma thèid am ball a-steach don toll, tha am batair a-mach. Mura tèid, bidh daoine a’ tomhas dè cho fada ’s a tha am ball bhon toll nuair a stadas e.

Ma tha an t-astar nas lugha na fad a’ bhata, tha am batair a-mach. Ma tha e nas motha na fad a’ bhata, bidh am batair a’ cumail a dol agus gheibh an sgioba aige puing. Tha an geama a’ leantainn gus an ruig aon sgioba ceud puing no gus am bi iad uile a-mach. An uair sin bidh an sgioba eile a’ batadh.

Tha Alasdair Moireasdan a’ dèanamh tuairisgeul de gheama eile dhen aon seòrsa a bha rudeigin coltach ri rounders. ’S e Cluich an Taighe an t-ainm a bh’ air. Agus tha e ag innse dhuinn gun robh treas geama ann a bha coltach ri Cluich an Taighe, ach gur e Goid a’ Chrùin a bha air mar ainm.

’S ann ainneamh a chì sinn geamannan dhen t-seòrsa air an cluich ann an Alba san latha a th’ ann – ann an coimhearsnachd no cànan sam bith. Is mòr am beud.

Faclan na Litreach: batair: batter; a’ tomhas: measuring; an t-astar: the distance; puing: point; tuairisgeul: description; treas: third.

Abairtean na Litreach: Tha mòran dhiubh air bàs fhaighinn, tha eagal orm: many of them have died a death, I’m afraid; saoil a bheil dòigh ann feadhainn a thoirt beò às ùr?: do you think there is a way of reviving any?; feumaidh mi mìneachadh an toiseach: first, I must explain; farpaisean anns am bi daoine làidir a’ cur a’ chabair no a’ caitheamh na cloiche: competitions in which strong people toss the caber or put the stone; tha mi airson innse dhuibh mu chuid dhiubh: I want to tell you about some of them; tha dà sgioba ann, fear a tha ri batadh, agus fear a tha ri glacadh: there are two teams, one that is batting and one that is fielding; thathar a’ dèanamh toll anns an talamh: a hole is made in the ground; anns am bithear a’ cur aon cheann speile: in which one end of a speile is put; os cionn an tuill: above the hole; a’ cur a’ bhuill suas: sending the ball upwards; mus ruig e an talamh: before it reaches the ground; bidh a’ chiad duine dhen sgioba-glacaidh a gheibh greim air, ga thilgeil a dh’ionnsaigh a’ bhatair: the first person of the fielding team that grabs it throws it towards the batter; ma thèid am ball a-steach don toll, tha am batair a-mach: if the ball goes into the hole, the batter is out; nas lugha na fad a’ bhata: less than the length of the bat; gus an ruig aon sgioba ceud puing: until one team reaches a hundred points; san latha a th’ ann: in this day and age; is mòr am beud: more’s the pity.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: geama a bha gu leòr ann an Uibhist fhathast a’ cluich: a game that many people in Uist were still playing. Gu leòr is recognised as an adverb grammatically meaning ‘enough, plenty’ (and, of course, ‘galore’) but idiomatically it can have other grammatical functions. Here it functions as a noun meaning ‘many people’, which might be interpreted as a reduction of daoine gu leòr or gu leòr de dhaoine. I might have replaced gu leòr with mòran daoine or just mòran, and if the people were particularly numerous I might have used the noun uimhir.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: tha an neach sin ga bhualadh le uile neart: that person hits it with all their [‘his’] strength.

Tha “Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh” air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA

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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh

This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 1033

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