Entertainment Dibhearsan

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] An t-Ollamh Urramach Dòmhnall MacLeòid. Diadhaire, ministear, feallsanaiche, sgrìobhadair agus fear-togail connspaid glè thric tro chuilbh pàipearan naidheachd ’s eile. Fàilte oirbh.

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Tapadh leibhs’.

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Nise, aon rud a tha gu math connspaideach mur deidhinn ’s e sin, chanainn-sa, gille à Lacasdal ann an Leòdhas a tha fìor mheasail air cricket. Cò a-riamh a chuala a leithid sin?

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Cha chuala, tha mi a’ creids’, ach nuair a bha sinn ag èirigh suas nar balaich bha sinn a’ leughadh tòrr de phàipearan comic, mar a bha gu leòr, agus bha na balaich an sin bha iad anns na sgoiltean mòra ann an Sasainn. Bhiodh iad an-còmhnaidh a’ cluich cricket agus lean sinn oirnn bhon sin tha mi a’ creidsinn ’s cha robh mòran de thuigse againne ach ga chur air taobh chnuic, tha mi a’ creids’ agus bha bat againn a rinn sinn fhìn le pìos flooring agus sàbh a’ dèanamh làmh mhòr fhada air agus ’s e balla bog a bh’ againn agus bha balaich ’s clann-nighean ga chluich. Chan e a-mhàin na balaich ach clann-nighean cuideachd agus an toiseach cha robh sinn a’ cluich ach underarm bowling – daisy cutter, mar a chanadh sinn riutha – ach an uair sin thòisich sinn air overarm bowling agus bha sin tòrr na b’ inntinniche ach …

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] ’S am biodh clann a’ bhaile …

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Bha clann a’ bhaile …

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] … a’ cluich seo?

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] … balaich ’s clann-nighean a’ bhaile a’ cluich seo. Bha sinn an-còmhnaidh, air an t-samhradh gu h-àraidh, nuair a bha rudan tioram, bha sinn a’ cluich cricket gu faisg air meadhan-oidhche. Mar a bha fios agaibh, cha robh, bha an latha cho fada an uair sin.

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Seallaibh mar a bha mise a’ dol a dh’fheuchainn a dhèanamh a-mach gur e a bha seo ach samhla air duine a tha a-mach às an t-sruth, a bha a’ gabhail ri rud nach buineadh dhan h-uile duine eile mun cuairt agus a’ dèanamh dealbh de mi addicted Dhòmhnall MacLeòid mar duine eadar-dhealaichte, rud a bha sibh glè thric anns an eaglais, nach robh?

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Uill cha bu mhi a thòisich siud ach ’s mi a chùm a’ dol e agus tha feadhainn beò fhathast a tha a’ cur às mo leth gun do rinn mi, gun robh mi addicted dha cricket. Ach sin mar a bha. Tha mi a’ creidsinn gun robh rudeigin ann a dh’fhaodadh tu ath-nuadhail a chur na reubail, dh’fhaodadh dha a bhith ach bha sinne, cha robh ann ach a bhith a’ còrdadh rinn fhìn a bhith a’ faighinn toileachas-inntinne às agus ...

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] A bheil e fhathast …?

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Gus an latha an-diugh, feumaidh mi nuair a tha na tests a’ tòiseachadh air an telebhisean, tha mi, a’ chiad latha, madainn Diardaoin, tha mi aige, feumaidh mi a bhith aige.

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Seadh gu dearbh.

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Agus tha sin a’ dol air ais gu làithean Len Hutton agus Denis Compton ’s Peter May ’s Garry Sobers agus Walcott ’s na daoine sin, eil fhios agaibh, Ray Lindwall agus Keith Miller ’s na daoine sin.

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Chan eil …

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Tha sin fhathast …

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Chan eil fhios a’m ach gabhaidh …

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Seadh.

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] … mi ris.

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Seadh.

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Nise, ann an Lacasdal a bha an ùidh a tha seo ag èirigh ...

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Seadh.

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] … ann an cricket. Sin far an do thogadh tu ach chan ann à Lacasdal a bha sibh bho thùs.

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Chan ann. B’ ann ann an Nis a rugadh mi. Bann à Nis a bha mo chuideachd air gach taobh – m’ athair ’s mo mhàthair. Mo mhàthair à Tàbhost far an do rugadh mi agus m’ athair à Crois agus an dà bhaile gu math faisg air a chèile agus tha mo fhreumhaichean an sin agus mo chuideachd gu lèir tha mi a’ creids’ ach dh’fhàg sinn sin nuair a bha mise, cha robh mi ach bliadhna nuair a dh’fhàg sinn. Chaidh sinn a Steòrnabhagh ’s chaidh sinn an uair sin nuair a bha mi còig chaidh sinn a Lacasdal agus ’s ann an sin a chaidh mo thogail.

[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Dè seòrsa balach a bh’ annaibh ag èirigh suas? Dè seòrsa saoghail a bh’ agaibh?

[Dòmhnall MacLeòid] Uill ’s e balach nach toireadh daoine mòran aire dha. ’S e balach beag a bh’ ann. Balach fìor bheag agus bha sin nam aghaidh gu h-àraidh nuair a bha sinn a’ cluich ball-coise. Bhathas gam chur far nach biodh cron faisg orm. Agus bha sin an-còmhnaidh na uallach eagalach cho beag ’s a bha mi. Agus ach anns an sgoil fhuair mi deagh oideachadh gu h-àraidh ann a bhith a’ sgrìobhadh na Beurla agus ann an gràmar na Beurla agus general analysis agus pàirtean agus an uair sin fhuair sinn tòrr oideachaidh air cuspairean mar sin.

Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2011.

[Donald Morrison] The Reverend Professor Donald MacLeod. A theologian, a minister, a philosopher, a writer and very often a creator of controversy via newspaper columns and other. Welcome to you.

[Donald MacLeod] Thank you.

[Donald Morrison] Now, one thing that is quite controversial about you is that, I would say, a boy from Laxdale in Lewis who is really keen on cricket. Who ever heard the likes of that?

[Donald MacLeod] Nobody, I believe, but when we were growing up as boys we read lots of comic books, as many did, and the boys there they were in the big schools in England. They would always play cricket and that followed us from there I believe and there wasn’t much understanding but we put that by the by. I believe and we had a bat that we made ourselves with a piece of flooring and a saw to make a big long handle on it and it was a soft ball that we had and the boys and girls played it. It wasn’t just the boys but the girls too and at first we only played underarm bowling – daisy cutter - as we would call them – but then we started on overarm bowling and that was much more interesting but …

[Donald Morrison] And would the children of the village …

[Donald MacLeod] Children of the village did …

[Donald Morrison] … play this?

[Donald MacLeod] … boys and girls of the village played this. We were always, in summer especially, when things were dry, we played cricket until close to midnight. As you knew the day wasn’t, the day was so long then.

[Donald Morrison] Look how I was going to try to make out that this was just a metaphor of a man who is out of the stream, who accepted something that didn’t relate to everyone else around and make a picture of Donald MacLeod as an unusual man, something that you very often were in the church, weren’t you?

[Donald MacLeod] Well it wasn’t me that started that but it was me that kept it going and there are some people still alive that accuse me that I did, that I was addicted to cricket. But that’s how it was. I believe that there was something that could be recycled from rebellion, it could be but we were, it was just us enjoying ourselves and getting enjoyment from it and …

[Donald Morrison] Is it still …?

[Donald MacLeod] Until this very day I must when the tests are starting on the television, I am, the first day, Thursday morning, I am at it, I must be at it.

[Donald Morrison] Oh indeed.

[Donald MacLeod] And that goes back to the days of Len Hutton and Denis Compton and Peter May and Garry Sobers and Walcott and those people, you know, Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller and those people.

[Donald Morrison] No …

[Donald MacLeod] That is still…

[Donald Morrison] I don’t know but [I] will accept …

[Donald MacLeod] Uh huh.

[Donald Morrison] … it.

[Donald MacLeod] Uh huh.

[Donald Morrison] Now, it was in Laxdale that this interest arose…

[Donald MacLeod] Uh huh.

[Donald Morrison] … in cricket. That is where you were raised but you are not originally from Laxdale.

[Donald MacLeod] No. I was born in Ness. My relations on both sides are from Ness – my father and my mother from Habost where I was born and my father from Cross and the two villages are very close to each other and my roots are there and all of my relations I believe but we left there when I was, I was only coming up to one year old when we left. We went to Stornoway and when I was five we then went to Laxdale and it was there that I was raised.

[Donald Morrison] What sort of lad were you growing up? What sort of world did you have?

[Donald MacLeod] Well a lad that most people wouldn’t have paid attention to. He was a small lad. A really small lad and that was against me especially when we played football. They would put me where I would not come to harm. And how small I was always a terrible worry. And but in school I received good tuition especially in writing English and in English grammar and general analysis and parts. We got lots of tuition in subjects like that.

This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2011.