Entertainment Dibhearsan

[Anna] Ishi an toiseach. Buinidh tu do Bharraigh. Fhuair thu do thogail air an eilean. Nuair a bha thu ag èirigh suas dè seòrsa rud a bhiodh tu a’ leughadh agus cò bhiodh ga do bhrosnachadh gu leughadh?

[Ishi] Bha mise a’ leughadh bho aois gu math òg. Tha mi air a bhith air mo chuairteachadh le leabhraichean airson uill fad mo bheatha agus gu h-àraidh ann an taigh mo sheanar ’s mo sheanmhar far an robh mi a’ cur seachad pàirt den latha nuair a bha mo phàrantan ag obair, agus mo sheanair a’ toirt orm a bhith a’ leughadh fad an latha agus sinn a’ leughadh còmhla fiù ’s mus deach mi dhan sgoil. Agus a’ leughadh iomadh seòrsa rud, fiù ’s rudan nach robh ’s dòcha iomchaidh no freagarrach dha clann cho òg ach…

[Anna] Dè seòrsa rud a bha thu a’ leughadh nach robh iomchaidh?

[Ishi] Uill bha na leabhraichean aig James Herriot mu bhith na vet agus tha iad gu math èibhinn, ach chan eil e … chan ann airson clann a chaidh an sgrìobhadh ach bha mise gan leughadh nuair a bha mi gu math òg. Readers’ Digest, National Geographic, encyclopedias, dìreach rudan nach saoileadh tu gum biodh cuideigin a bha ceithir no còig bliadhna a dh’aois gun iarradh iad a bhith gan leughadh ach bha iad a’ còrdadh riumsa gu mòr. Ach bha leabhraichean a’ còrdadh rium gu mòr. Bha mi a’ leughadh fad na h-ùine. Ach aig a’ cheart àm bha mi a’ leughadh tòrr leabhraichean cloinne agus sgeulachdan mar a bhiodh dùil a bha a’ còrdadh ri nighean bheag aig an aois sin, leabhraichean mu eich agus a h-uile rud eile. Dìreach bha mise toilichte fad ’s a bha leabhar na mo làimh agus dìreach bha mi a’ cur seachad ...

[Anna] Bha e a’ toirt toileachas dhut.

[Ishi] Bha.

[Anna] Dh’fhàg thu Barraigh. Chaidh thu dhan oilthigh. Rinn thu ceum uabhasach ciallach. Rinn thu lagh san oilthigh. Dh’ionnsaich thu rudan às dèidh sin agus chuir thu seachad bliadhnaichean a’ dràibheadh timcheall air Afraga air làraidh mhòr bhuidhe. Ciamar a thachair sin?

[Ishi] ’S e sin a’ cheist! ’S e sin a’ cheist mhòr agus ceist a chaidh fhaighneachd dhomh ann am Malawi le ministear an ionmhais turas agus cha robh e furasta esan a fhreagairt agus chan eil e furasta sibhse a fhreagairt nas motha. ’S e dìreach mar a thachair cùisean. Chan e tè a th’ annam a tha a’ dèanamh plan no a’ cumail ri plan ma thèid plan a dhèanamh.

[Anna] Ciamar a fhuair thu an cothrom a dhol an sàs anns an obair a rinn thu?

[Ishi] Bha mi air a bhith a’ siubhal fad greis co-dhiù ach chan ann son bliadhnaichean. Bha mi dìreach a’ dèanamh mìos an siud ’s mìos an seo agus a’ tighinn dhachaigh agus bha mi a’ cosnadh beagan airgid a bheireadh air falbh a-rithist mi. Ach bha mi a’ cur seachad ùine anns an Ear Mheadhanach, anns an Èipheit gu h-àraidh. Bha flat agam anns an Èipheit. Bha mi an sin agus airson adhbharan eadar-dhealaichte dh’fhàg mi agus chaidh mi dhan Tuirc agus bha mi a’ fuireach còmhla ri caraid às an Tuirc a bha a’ dèanamh na h-obrach seo, a bha air a bhith a’ dràibheadh air feadh Afraga ann an làraidh mhòr bhuidhe fad iomadach bliadhna ach bha e air tighinn air falbh bhon sin airson rudan eile a dhèanamh. Ach chaidh iarraidh air tilleadh mar nàdar de emergency cover airson cuideigin a ghoirtich iad fhèin. Agus nuair a thill e, dh’ iàrr e orms’ tighinn còmhla ris agus ged nach robh mi air a shon an toiseach, cha robh mi airson a bhith a’ siubhal còmhla ri tòrr dhaoine. Bha mi cleachdte ri bhith a’ siubhal leam fhìn fad bhliadhnaichean agus cha robh mi airson sin atharrachadh, ach dh’aontaich mi oir aig a’ cheann thall bha a’ phrìs glè mhath agus cha robh mi a’ dol a dh’fhaicinn Afraga aig a’ phrìs sin.

[Anna] Bha thu bliadhnaichean a’ siubhal agus tha a’ chiad leabhar a thug thu a-steach dhuinn a-nochd, ’s e leabhar a th’ ann mu dheidhinn a bhith a’ siubhal, ach a bhith a’ siubhal thar talmhainn agus a bhith a’ coimhead rudan. Nach seall thu an leabhar dhuinn agus innis dhuinn dè th’ ann.

[Ishi] Uill seo an leabhar aig Peter Moore, The Wrong Way Home. Fear à Astràilia a bha ag obair ann an Lunnainn agus a bha a’ dol a dhol dhachaigh gu Sydney agus cho-dhùin e an àite a dhol dhachaigh air itealan, mar a dhèanadh duine ciallach, gun tigeadh e dhachaigh thar na talmhainn agus le beagan airgid - agus ’s e beagan airgid a bh’ ann dha-rìribh - chaidh e fad an rathad eadar Lunnainn agus Sydney.

[Anna] Eil thu a’ faireachdainn dàimh ris an ùghdar?

[Ishi] Tha, gu mòr! ’S e seo an dòigh siubhail a th’ agamsa cuideachd. Tha thu a’ tòiseachadh ann an àiteigin, tha fios agad gu bheil thu airson àiteigin eile a ruighinn ann an ùine. Chan eil e gu diofar dè cho fad ’s a tha e a’ dol a thoirt, tha fios agad gu bheil thu ag iarraidh a dhol a dh’àite air choreigin eile agus sin e. Tha thu an uair sin a’ dol eadar an dà àite dìreach ann an dòigh sam bith a tha iomchaidh aig an àm.

Chaidh am prògram seo, Leugh Mi, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2015.

[Anna] Ishi first. You belong to Barra. You were raised on the island. When you were growing up what sort of thing would you read and who would encourage you to read?

[Ishi] I read from a fairly young age. I have been surrounded by books for well all my life and especially in the grandfather and grandmother’s house when I spent part of my day when my parents were working, and my grandfather would get me to read all day and we would read together even before I went to school. And reading many sorts of things, even things that weren’t perhaps appropriate or suitable for such young children but…

[Anna] What sort of thing were you reading that wasn’t appropriate?

[Ishi] Well James Herriot’s books about being a vet and they are quite funny, but he isn’t … they weren’t written for children but I was reading them when I was quite young. Readers Digest, National Geographic, encyclopedias, just things that you wouldn’t think that someone of four or five years old would want to read but I really enjoyed them. But I really enjoyed books. I read ??. But at the same time I was reading lots of children’s books and stories that you would expect a wee girl of that age to enjoy, books about horses and everything else. I was just happy as long as I had a book in my hand and I was just spending …

[Anna] It gave you pleasure.

[Ishi] Yes.

[Anna] You left Barra. You went to university. You did a very sensible degree. You did law at university. You learnt things after that and you spent years driving around Africa in a big yellow lorry. How did that happen?

[Ishi] That’s the question! That’s the big question and a question that I was asked in Malawi by the finance minister once and it wasn’t easy to answer him and it isn’t easy to answer you either. It’s just how things happened. I’m not one who makes a plan or who keeps to a plan if a plan is made.

[Anna] How did you get the opportunity to get involved in the work that you did?

[Ishi] I had been travelling for a while anyway but not for years. I was just doing a month here and there and coming home and I was earning a little money that would take me away again. But I was spending time in the middle east, in Egypt especially. I had a flat in Egypt. I was there and for different reasons I left and I went to Turkey and I was living with a friend from Turkey who was doing this work, who had been driving throughout Africa in a big yellow lorry for numerous years but he had come away from that to do other things. But he was asked to return as a sort of emergency cover for someone who had hurt themselves. And when he returned, he asked me to come with him and although I wasn’t for it at first, I didn’t want to be travelling with lots of other people. I was used to travelling by myself for years and I didn’t want to change that, but I agreed because in the end the price was very good and I wasn’t going to see Africa at that price.

[Anna] You were years travelling and the first book that you look in for us tonight, it is a book about travelling, but travelling over land and looking at things. Please show us the book and tell us what it is.

[Ishi] Well this is Peter Moore’s book, The Wrong Way Home. A man from Australia who was working in London and who was going to go home to Sydney and he decided instead of going home on a plane, as a sensible person would do, that he would come home across the land and with a little money – and it really was a little money – he went all the way between London and Sydney.

[Anna] Do you feel a connection with the author?

[Ishi] Yes, very much! This is my method of travel too. You start somewhere, you know that you want to reach another plan at some time. It doesn’t matter how long it is going to take, you know that you want to place to someplace else and that’s it. You then go between the two places just in any way that is appropriate at the time.

This programme, Leugh Mi, was first broadcast in 2015.