The Shielings of Pàirc
I want to tell you a poignant story this week. It’s from the Isle of
Lewis, from the area of Pàirc.
Around the year 1870, two brothers were out on the hill north of the
village of Lemreway. It was the beginning of summer. The lads were
Ruairidh Mhurchaidh Ruairidh from Lemreway and his brother, Angus.
Ruairidh was thirteen years old.
They were looking for sheep. They found them on the hill at the Lochan
Beaga. That’s about two miles from Lemreway. Angus took his boots off
in order to be swifter. He asked Ruairidh to stay where he was. Angus
was going to drive the sheep past Ruairidh. He left his boots with
Ruairidh.
Angus drove the sheep to the place where he [had] left Ruairidh and his
boots. But there was no sign of Ruairidh or the boots. Angus continued
to Lemreway. But there was no sign of Ruairidh in Lemreway. Angus went
home. Ruairidh wasn’t there.
Some people went to look for Ruairidh on the hill. But they didn’t find
him, or Angus’s boots. They thought that Ruairidh had fallen into a bog
near the Lochan Beaga.
Three or four months went past. A woman in the area had a dream. In the
dream, a stranger came to her. He asked her to go into a shieling bothy
where a sheep was grazing at the door. The lost lad would be inside it.
A squad left to look at the shielings. They found a bothy with a sheep
grazing at the door. They went in and they discovered Ruairidh’s body
there. He was lying on the floor, with Angus’s boots under his head.
The story appears in a nice book published this year. Its title is ‘The
Historic Shielings of Pàirc’. The author, John Randall, lives in Lemreway.
He gives a very interesting account of the shielings throughout Pàirc. If
you are interested in the subject, I’d strongly recommend the book to you.
Cheerio just now.
Àirighean na Pàirce
Tha mi airson eachdraidh thiamhaidh innse dhuibh an t-seachdain seo. Tha i
à Eilean Leòdhais, à sgìre na Pàirce.
Timcheall na bliadhna ochd ceud deug is seachdad (1870), bha dithis
bhràithrean a-muigh sa mhonadh tuath air baile Leumrabhaigh. ’S e toiseach
an t-samhraidh a bha ann. B’ iad na gillean Ruairidh Mhurchaidh Ruairidh à
Leumrabhagh agus a bhràthair, Aonghas. Bha Ruairidh trì bliadhn’ deug a
dh’aois.
Bha iad a’ coimhead airson caoraich. Lorg iad sa mhonadh iad aig na Lochan
Beaga. Tha sin mu dhà mhìle bho Leumrabhagh. Thug Aonghas a bhrògan mòra
dheth airson a bhith na bu luaithe. Dh’iarr e air Ruairidh fuireach far an
robh e. Bha Aonghas a’ dol a dh’iomain nan caorach seachad air Ruairidh.
Dh’fhàg e a bhrògan aig Ruairidh.
Dh’iomain Aonghas na caoraich chun an àite far an do dh’fhàg e Ruairidh
agus a bhrògan. Ach cha robh sgeul air Ruairidh no na brògan. Lean Aonghas
air gu Leumrabhagh. Ach cha robh sgeul air Ruairidh ann an Leumrabhagh.
Chaidh Aonghas dhachaigh. Cha robh Ruairidh ann.
Dh’fhalbh feadhainn a choimhead airson Ruairidh sa mhonadh. Ach cha do lorg
iad e, no brògan Aonghais. Bha iad dhen bheachd gun robh Ruairidh air
tuiteam a-steach a bhoglach faisg air na Lochan Beaga.
Chaidh trì no ceithir mìosan seachad. Fhuair boireannach san sgìre aisling.
Anns an aisling, thàinig coigreach thuice. Dh’iarr e oirre a dhol a-steach
air bothan-àirigh far an robh caora ag ionaltradh aig an doras. Bhiodh an
gille caillte na bhroinn.
Dh’fhalbh sguad a choimhead air na h-àirighean. Lorg iad bothan le caora ag
ionaltradh aig an doras. Chaidh iad a-steach agus lorg iad corp Ruairidh
ann. Bha e na laighe air an làr, agus brògan Aonghais fo a cheann.
Tha an sgeulachd a’ nochdadh ann an leabhar grinn a chaidh fhoillseachadh
am-bliadhna. ʼS e an tiotal a tha air ‘The Historic Shielings of Pàirc’.
Tha an t-ùghdar, John Randall, a’ fuireach ann an Leumrabhagh. Tha e a’
toirt cunntas air leth inntinneach air na h-àirighean air feadh sgìre na
Pàirce. Ma tha ùidh agaibh anns a’ chuspair, mholainn an leabhar gu mòr
dhuibh. Mar sin leibh an-dràsta.
