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Litir na seachdain aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain. This week's letter for learners from Roddy MacLean.

5 minutes

Last on

Sun 16 Feb 2014 14:55

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Litir 761: Murt ann an Srath Spè - Pàirt 761

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu bhàs poilis aig deireadh an naoidheamh linn deug ann an Obar Neithich ann an Srath Spè. Bha na h-oifigearan, Iain MacGilleNaoimh agus Tòmas King, air a dhol a dh’iarraidh airgead, a bh’ air a chur mar chàin air Ailean MacCaluim airson a bhith ri poidseadh.

Chaidh iad a-steach don taigh far an robh MacCaluim a’ fuireach. Bha e dorch. ’S e an geamhradh a bh’ ann. Rinn cù Ailein dranndan air MacGilleNaoimh. Bhuail am poileas an cù le a shlait. Aig an dearbh mhionaid, chuala MacGilleNaoimh brag gunna. Dh’èigh MacGilleNaoimh air King, ach cha d’ fhuair e freagairt.

Chaidh MacGilleNaoimh don chidsin. Cha mhòr nach do thuit e thairis air rudeigin air an làr. Las am poileas maids airson solas a dhèanamh. Dè chunnaic e ach corp a chompanaich air a’ bheul fodha, agus gunna thairis air a chasan.

Aig an dearbh mhionaid, thàinig am post, Alasdair Grannd, don doras. Bha e air MacCaluim fhaicinn, a’ teicheadh sìos an rathad. Bha e casruisgte. Thug an Granndach agus MacGilleNaoimh sùil gheur air Tòmas King. Bha e gun teagamh marbh. Bha na poilis a-nise a’ coimhead airson ‘murtair’.

Theich MacCaluim bho bhaile-fearainn gu baile-fearainn ann an Srath Spè, ged a chaidh a chù dhachaigh às aonais. Fhuair e paidhir bhrògan agus theich e thar a’ mhonaidh. Chuir na poilis seasgad oifigear a-mach air a thòir. Bha iad a’ coimhead taobh Shrath Dheathain.

Dà latha ron Nollaig, dh’inns tuathanach do na poilis gun robh MacCaluim anns a’ bhaile-fearainn aige aig Tom a’ Chrochaire. Bha e am falach ann an sabhal. An ath mhadainn thàinig ceathrar phoileas agus chuir iad MacCaluim an grèim. Chaidh a thoirt don Aghaidh Mhòir agus an uair sin air an trèana a dh’Inbhir Nis. Bha sluagh mòr a’ feitheamh aig Stèisean Inbhir Nis. Chunnaic iad fear sgìth, salach air a cheangal ri poileas le . Bha ùidh mhòr aig muinntir na Gàidhealtachd anns a’ chùis.

Thòisich a’ chùis-chùirte air a’ chòigeamh latha deug dhen Ghearran, ochd ceud deug, naochad ’s a naoi (1899) anns an taigh-chùirte ann an Inbhir Nis – anns a’ chaisteal, far a bheil e fhathast. Thuirt an luchd-dìon gun robh MacCaluim air a bhith às a rian nuair a loisg e air a’ Chonstabal King. Ach thuirt triùir dhotairean nach robh sin fìor agus gun robh smachd aige air fhèin.

Ged a bha na poilis an dòchas gum faighte ciontach e de mhurt, cha b’ e sin beachd an diùraidh. Dh’aontaich an diùraidh le mòr-chuid gun robh MacCaluim ciontach de mharbhadh le coire, seach murt. Thuirt am britheamh, am Morair Trayner, gun robh an diùraidh air a bhith gu math tròcaireach. Ge-tà, bha a leithid de mharbhadh fhathast na eucoir mhòir. Chuir e binn air MacCaluim de chòig bliadhn’ deug anns a’ phrìosan.

Chaidh Tòmas King a thiodhlacadh ann an Cladh Obar Neithich. Bha muinntir na Gàidhealtachd air an uabhasachadh le a bhàs agus thog iad dusan mìle not mar thaic do a bhean agus an ochdnar cloinne. Agus chaidh an naidheachd mun chùis cho fada ri Sealan Nuadh, far an do nochd i air prìomh dhuilleag nam pàipearan-naidheachd.

Faclan na Litreach

Obar Neithich: Abernethy; Srath Spè: Strathspey; Iain MacGilleNaoimh: John MacNiven; dranndan: growl; brag gunna: the report of a gun; ’èi: shouted; baile-fearainn: farming settlement, fermtoun; paidhir bhrògan: a pair of shoes; Srath Dheathain: Strathdon; sabhal: barn; ù-ùٱ: court case; ܳ-ìDz: defence (legal team); britheamh: judge; ٰò𲹳: merciful; binn: sentence.

Abairtean na Litreach

ag innse dhuibh mu bhàs poilis: telling you about the death of a policeman; a bh’ air a chur mar chàin air Ailean MacCaluim: that had been levied as a fine on Allan Macallum; airson a bhith ri poidseadh: for poaching; bhuail am poileas an cù le a shlait: the policeman hit the dog with his truncheon; aig an dearbh mhionaid: at the very same moment; cha mhòr nach do thuit e thairis air rudeigin air an làr: he almost fell over something on the floor; las X maids: X lit a match; corp a chompanaich air a’ bheul fodha: his companion’s body face-down; a’ teicheadh sìos an rathad: fleeing down the road; gun teagamh marbh: without doubt dead; chaidh a chù dhachaigh às aonais: his dog went home without him; seasgad oifigear a-mach air a thòir: sixty officers out in pursuit of him; don Aghaidh Mhòir agus an uair sin air an trèana a dh’Inbhir Nis: to Aviemore and then on the train to Inverness; bha sluagh mòr a’ feitheamh: a large crowd was waiting; gun robh smachd aige air fhèin: that he had control of himself; an dòchas gum faighte ciontach e de mhurt: hoping he would be found guilty of murder; cha b’ e sin beachd an diùraidh: that wasn’t the jury’s opinion; ciontach de mharbhadh le coire: guilty of culpable homicide; chaidh Tòmas King a thiodhlacadh: Thomas King was buried; air an uabhasachadh le a bhàs: horrified by his death; cho fada ri Sealan Nuadh: as far as New Zealand.

Puing-chànain na Litreach

air a cheangal ri poileas le -à: connected to a police officer with handcuffs. The Gaelic equivalent to the English handcuffs means ‘hands-cuff’ or ‘lock of hands’. You will sometimes hear people say but that would actually only lock ‘one hand’ (lock of a hand) whereas handcuffs of course lock two hands! So the genitive plural of à (which is also à) is employed in the compound. In Inverness English handcuffs were for centuries called glaslawes, a borrowing from Gaelic.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach

Bha e casruisgte: he was barefooted.

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