The best Gaelic
In which district of the Highlands is the best Gaelic spoken? What a
question! I’m not going to offer an opinion!
In front of me is an article from the periodical ‘An Gàidheal’. It
appeared in 1924. The author was the Rev. William Gillies. He tells us
that Highland students in the University of Edinburgh held a debate on
the matter. That was a hundred years before. And the prize went to …
Perthshire.
Did that surprise you? The question was being debated early in the 19 th century. The students had four reasons. Here they are:
It’s in Perthshire that those who translated the Bible into Gaelic were
born. They were the Rev. James Stewart from Killin and his son, John.
Secondly, it’s in Perthshire that the most renowned Gaelic bard was
born – Dugald Buchanan.
The Rev. Alexander Stewart was from Perthshire. He was a minister in
Moulin, near Pitlochry. He was born in Atholl. And, in the students’
opinion, he wrote the best grammar book there was.
The fourth reason that Perthshire was so famous was that Robert
Armstrong was born there. He wrote a really good Gaelic dictionary.
Most of the article in ‘An Gàidheal’ is about Armstrong. I’ll come to
an account of his life yet. But, in the 20th century, were
people still of the opinion that the best Gaelic was in Perthshire?
Well, no. The Rev. Gillies says that Gaelic had fallen into poor
circumstances. The Perthshire folk were mixing it with lots of English.
Now to Robert Armstrong. His ‘A Gaelic Dictionary in Two Parts’ came out in
1825. Armstrong was born in Kenmore, at the eastern end of Loch Tay, in
1788. There will be more about him in the next Litir.
‘A’ Ghàidhlig as fheàrr’
Dè an sgìre dhen Ghàidhealtachd anns a bheil a’ Ghàidhlig as fheàrr? Abair
ceist! Chan eil mi fhìn a’ dol a thoirt beachd seachad!
Air mo bheulaibh, tha alt às an iris ‘An Gàidheal’. Nochd e ann an naoi
ceud deug, fichead ʼs a ceithir (1924). B’ e an t-ùghdar An t-Urr. Uilleam
MacGillÌosa. Tha e ag innse dhuinn gun robh deasbad aig oileanaich
Ghàidhealach ann an Dùn Èideann air a’ cheist. Bha sin ceud bliadhna
roimhe. Agus, chaidh an duais gu ... Siorrachd Pheairt.
An do chuir sin iongnadh oirbh? Bhathar a’ deasbad na ceist tràth anns an
naoidheamh linn deug. Bha ceithir adhbharan aig na h-oileanaich. Seo iad:
’S ann an Siorrachd Pheairt a rugadh an fheadhainn a rinn
eadar-theangachadh dhen Bhìoball gu Gàidhlig. B’ iadsan an t-Urr. Seumas
Stiùbhart à Cill Fhinn agus a mhac, Iain. Anns an dàrna àite, ʼs ann an
Siorrachd Pheairt a rugadh am bàrd Gàidhlig a bu chliùitiche – Dùghall
Bochanan.
Bha an t-Urr. Alasdair Stiùbhart à Siorrachd Pheairt. Bha e na mhinistear
ann am Maoilinn, faisg air Baile Chloichridh. Rugadh e ann an Athall. Agus,
ann am beachd nan oileanach, sgrìobh e an leabhar-gràmair a b’ fheàrr a bha
ann.
B’ e an ceathramh adhbhar gun robh Siorrachd Pheairt cho ainmeil, gun do
rugadh Raibeart Armstrong ann. Sgrìobh esan faclair Gàidhlig fìor mhath.
Tha a’ chuid as motha dhen alt anns ‘An Gàidheal’ mu dheidhinn Armstrong.
Thig mi gu cunntas air a bheatha fhathast. Ach, anns an fhicheadamh linn,
an robh daoine fhathast dhen bheachd gun robh a’ Ghàidhlig a b’ fheàrr ann
an Siorrachd Pheairt? Uill, cha robh. Tha t-Urr. MacGillÌosa ag ràdh gun
robh a’ Ghàidhlig air a dhol bhuaithe an sin. Bha na Peairtich ga
measgachadh le tòrr Beurla.
A-nise, gu Raibeart Armstrong. Thàinig ‘
A Gaelic Dictionary in Two Parts’ aige a-mach ann an ochd ceud deug, fichead ʼs a còig (1825). Rugadh
Armstrong anns a’ Cheannmhor, aig ceann an ear Loch Tatha, ann an seachd
ceud deug, ochdad ʼs a h-ochd (1788). Bidh tuilleadh mu dheidhinn anns an
ath Litir.
