23: Raibeart MacIlleDhuinn

Dè an ceangal a th’ ann eadar Blàr Chùil Lodair agus an niùclas a th’ anns gach cealla (cha mhòr) anns gach rud fon ghrèin a tha beò? Chan eil e follaiseach ’s a mhionaid gu bheil ceangal sam bith ann, a bheil? Ach tha, agus seo e: Raibeart MacIlleDhuinn. “Cò?” tha sibh a’ faighneachd. Raibeart MacIlleDhuinn – neo Robert Brown ann am Beurla – Albannach a bu chòir a bhith fada nas ainmeile na tha e ann an dùthaich a bhreith.

Rugadh e ann am Montròs air Machair Aonghais anns a’ bhliadhna seachd ceud deug, tri fichead ’s a trì-deug (1773). Bha athair na mhinistear anns an Eaglais Easbaigich agus ’s e Seumasach a bh’ ann. ’S e Seumas a bh’ air mar ainm cuideachd.

Nuair a chaochail Teàrlach Òg Stiùbhart, cheadaich an Eaglais ùrnaighean airson Rìgh Hanoibhèirianach na h-Alba airson a’ chiad turais. Ach dhiùlt dithis phearsaichean na h-Eaglais gabhail ri sin agus b’ e Seumas MacIlleDhuinn, athair Raibeirt, fear dhiubh.

Co-dhiù, cha do ghabh Raibeart mòran ghnothaich ri poileataigs. Bha ùidh mhòr aige ann an nàdar. Ghluais a theaghlach a Dhun Eideann agus chaidh e don oilthigh anns a’ bhaile sin a dh’ionnsachadh dhotaireachd. Ach, ged is e oileanach mediceach a bh’ ann, ’s ann tric a rachadh e a dh’òraidean le Proifèasair Eòlais-nàdair an Oilthigh, an t-Ollamh Urramach Iain Walker. An ceann greis, bha Raibeart a-muigh a’ cruinneachadh lusan dha. Agus aig aois ochd bliadhn’ deug sgrìobh e a chiad phàipear saidheansail, air lusan Siorrachd Aonghais, do Chomann Eòlais-nàdair Dhun Eideann.

Chuir e seachad còig bliadhna leis an arm ann an Eirinn, agus an uairsin fhuair e cuireadh a bha a’ dol a dh’atharrachadh a bheatha gu tur. Thàinig e gu aire ceann-suidhe a’ Chomainn Rìoghail ann an Lunnainn, Sir Ioseph Banks, a bh’ air a bhith cuide ris a’ Chaiptean Seumas Cook ann an Astràilia bliadhnaichean roimhe sin. Bha Banks a’ coimhead airson lus-eòlaiche a rachadh a dh’Astràilia air an t-soitheach an Investigator a bha a’ dol a dheanamh rannsachadh mòr air cladach na dùthcha. Thug Banks cuireadh do Raibeart agus cha b’ e ruith ach leum dha gabhail ris.

Bha an Investigator air falbh airson ceithir bliadhna agus chuir Raibeart seachad mòran ùine a’ cruinneachadh lusan is beathaichean, is a’ rannsachadh nàdar ann an Astràilia. Tha e air a chuimhneachadh fhathast ann an abhainn – Brown’s River – ann an Tasmania, agus ’s e e fhèin a chuir ainmean Laideann air mòran lusan Astràilianach, ainmean a th’ orra fhathast. Nuair a thill e a Bhreatainn chuir e leabhar mòr ri chèile mu dheidhinn lusan Astràilia.

Chuir e seachad a’ chuid mhòr dhen chòrr de a bheatha ann an Lunnainn. Tro thìde, choisinn e cliù dha fhèin mar an lus-eòlaiche a b’ fheàrr, ri a linn, air an t-saoghal, gu h-àraidh leis a’ mhiocroscop. B’ esan a’ chiad duine a dh’aithnich gu bheil an niùclas anns a h-uile cealla ann an lusan. B’ esan a’ chiad duine a rinn tuairisgeul dhen ghluasad am broinn chealla ris an canar “sruthadh saighteoplasmach” neo cytoplasmic streaming. Agus tha e air a chuimhneachadh an-diugh anns an dòigh ’s a bheil rudan beaga bìodach a’ gluasad ann an uisge, neo lionn sam bith, ged a tha an lionn fhèin aig fois. ’S e sin “Gluasad MhicIlleDhuinn” neo Brownian Motion. Duine ainmeil dha-rìridh, ri a linn, agus tha e duilich nach eil barrachd Albannach eòlach air ainm an-diugh.

Ach cha mhòr nach do dhìochuimhnich mi innse dhuibh gu dè an ceangal a bh’ aige ri Blàr Chùil Lodair. Uill, bha a sheanair, Iain MacIlleDhuinn, na Sheumasach agus lean e am Prionnsa don deireadh nuair a chaill e a bheatha, cuide ri mòran eile, air an latha dhòrainneach sin a thug Cogadh nan Seumasach gu crìch.

Faclan na Litreach: ceangal: connection; Blàr Chùil Lodair: the Battle of Culloden; niùclas: nucleus; cealla: cell: cha mhòr:almost; Montròs: Montrose; Machair Aonghais: the plain of Angus (as opposed to the glens of Angus); Teàrlach Òg Stiùbhart:Bonnie Prince Charlie (lit. young Charles Stuart); dotaireachd: medicine; a’ cruinneachadh: collecting; Siorrachd Aonghais:the county of Angus; Eòlas-nàdair: Natural History; cuireadh: invitation; cuide ris: along with; lus-eòlaiche:botanist; soitheach: vessel, ship; miocroscop: microscope; gluasad: movement; beag bìodach: tiny; lionn: liquid.

Abairtean na Litreach: gach rud fon ghrèin a tha beò: everything under the sun which is alive; chan eil e follaiseach ’s a mhionaid: it’s not immediately obvious; dùthaich a bhreith: the land of his birth; cheadaich an Eaglais ùrnaighean airson Rìgh Hanoibhèirianach na h-Alba: the Church gave permission for prayers (to be said) for the Hanoverian King of Scotland; dhiùlt dithis phearsaichean na h-Eaglais gabhail ri sin: two Church figures refused to accept that; cha do ghabh X mòran ghnothaich ri poileataigs: X had little to do with politics; bha ùidh mhòr aige ann an nàdar: he was greatly interested in nature; ’s ann tric a rachadh e: he would often go; chuir e seachad còig bliadhna: he spent five years; a bha a’ dol a dh’atharrachadh a bheatha gu tur: that was going to change his life completely; thàinig e gu aire ceann-suidhe a’ Chomainn Rìoghail: he came to the attention of the president of the Royal Society; a’ chuid mhòr dhen chòrr de a bheatha:the greater part of the rest of his life; ri a linn: in his time, in his day; b’ esan a’ chiad duine a rinn tuairisgeul de: he was the first person to describe; aig fois: at rest, motionless; cha mhòr nach do dhìochuimhnich mi: I almost forgot; air an latha dhòrainneach sin a thug Cogadh nan Seumasach gu crìch: on that painful day which brought the Jacobite War to an end.

Puing ghràmair na Litreach: Bha athair na mhinistear anns an Eaglais Easbaigich agus ’s e Seumasach a bh’ ann. His father was a minister in the Episcopalian Church and he was a Jacobite. This sentence shows the two ways of describing a person’s character, identity or profession – by using the Assertive Verb (’s e Seumasach a bh’ ann) and using the Verb to Be combined with ann an (bha athair na mhinistear), a form often neglected by learners. Ann an is combined in the second example with a possessive pronoun and is thus disguised eg ann an + mo = nam. Tha mi nam thidsear (lit. I am in my teacher; I am a teacher). A bheil thu nad thidsear? (are you a teacher?). Tha e na thidsear (he is a teacher); tha i na tidsear (she is a teacher); tha sinn nar tidsearan (we are teachers); ’eil sibh nur tidsearan? (are you teachers?); tha iad nan tidsearan (they are teachers). Work out how to describe yourself in this manner and use it in your next Gaelic conversation with a stranger (don’t be shy now!)

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Cha b’ e ruith ach leum dha gabhail ris. He didn’t delay an instant in accepting (lit. it wasn’t running but jumping). This is a common expression and sometimes it just exists as the simple statement – cha b’ e ruith ach leum – eg Thabhann e dhomh ticead-phleana a New York saor ’s an asgaidh (he offered me a free plane ticket to NY). An do ghabh thu i? (did you accept?) Cha b’ e ruith ach leum! (too right I did and I didn’t think twice!)

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