The Nigg Stone
Inside the Nigg old church in Easter Ross there is an amazing large
stone. It is carved with beautiful images on it. People call it the
Nigg Stone. It is one thousand, two hundred years old. It was made by
the Picts.
Unfortunately, the stone is not complete today. A piece that was broken
off was thrown into the burn beside the church. It was discovered there
twenty years ago. The stone was put together again professionally.
The biggest image on it is a Christian cross. That’s the reason that I
said last week that Christian worship was taking place on that site one
thousand, two hundred years ago. In addition to the cross, some
scholars reckon that the story of King David from the Bible is
represented on the stone as well.
I don’t know what the church looked like then. It was rebuilt in 1626.
A bell from the Netherlands was installed in it. It’s still there.
The Nigg church represents the form of the old Scottish church. The
pulpit is at the eastern end of the building. There is a place below it
where the precentor was precenting. There is a loft where some were
sitting. There are pews for the congregation in front of the pulpit.
Gaelic was strong in Easter Ross for hundreds of years. The country is flat
and fertile – and thus different from many other places in the north of
Scotland. But it was culturally part of the Gaidhealtachd. In the Nigg
church in 1739, a spiritual awakening began. That was under the influence
of preachers who were not ministers – a group that they called ‘Na Daoine’
[The Men]. From Nigg their message spread throughout the Highlands. The
best known of them was a certain Donald Roy who died at the age of one
hundred and five years.
Clach an Eig
Am broinn seann eaglais an Eig ann an taobh sear Rois tha clach mhòr
iongantach. Tha i snaighte le ìomhaighean brèagha oirre. Canaidh daoine
Clach an Eig rithe. Tha i mìle is dà cheud bliadhna a dh’aois. Chaidh a
dèanamh leis na Cruithnich.
Gu mì-fhortanach, chan eil a’ chlach slàn an-diugh. Bha pìos a bha briste
dheth air a shadail don allt ri taobh na h-eaglaise. Chaidh a lorg an sin o
chionn fichead bliadhna. Chaidh a’ chlach a chur ri chèile a-rithist gu
proifeiseanta.
ʼS e an ìomhaigh as motha oirre crois Chrìosdail. ʼS e sin as coireach gun
tuirt mi an t-seachdain sa chaidh gun robh adhradh Crìosdail a’ gabhail
àite air an làraich sin bho chionn mìle is dà cheud bliadhna. A bharrachd
air a’ chrois, tha cuid de sgoilearan dhen bheachd gu bheil sgeulachd Rìgh
Dhaibhidh às a’ Bhìoball air a riochdachadh air a’ chloich cuideachd.
Chan eil fios dè an coltas a bha air an eaglais an uair sin. Chaidh
ath-thogail a dhèanamh oirre ann an sia ceud deug, fichead ʼs a sia (1626).
Chaidh clag às an Òlaind a chur innte. Tha i innte fhathast.
Tha Eaglais an Eig a’ riochdachadh cruth nan seann eaglaisean Albannach.
Tha a’ chùbaid aig ceann an ear an togalaich. Tha àite fòidhpe far an robh
fear-togail an fhuinn a’ cur a-mach na loidhne. Tha lobht ann far an robh
cuid nan suidhe. Tha treastaichean airson a’ choitheanail air beulaibh na
cùbaid.
Bha a’ Ghàidhlig làidir ann an Ros an Ear fad ceudan bhliadhnaichean. Tha
an dùthaich còmhnard is torrach – agus mar sin eadar-dhealaichte bho mhòran
àiteachan eile ann an ceann a tuath na h-Alba. Ach bha i gu cultarail mar
phàirt dhen Ghàidhealtachd. Ann an Eaglais an Eig ann an seachd ceud deug,
trithead ʼs a naoi (1739), thòisich ath-nuadhachadh spioradail. Bha sin fo
bhuaidh shearmonaichean nach robh nam ministearan – buidheann ris an canadh
iad Na Daoine. Às an Eig, sgaoil an teachdaireachd aca air feadh na
Gàidhealtachd. B’ e am fear a b’ ainmeile dhiubh fear Dòmhnall Ruadh a
chaochail aig aois ceud is còig bliadhna.
