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Nuair a bha Geamannan Oilimpigeach a’ Gheamhraidh a’ dol, bha mi air mo bheò-ghlacadh leis a’ chròladh. I was captivated by the curling. Agus nach math a rinn an ceathrar fhear Albannach a bha a’ riochdachadh Bhreatainn. Bhuannaich iad bonn airgid.

Ann an Litrichean ceithir cheud, ceathrad ’s a naoi (449) agus ceithir cheud is caogad (450), dh’inns mi dhuibh mu òran Gàidhlig a bha mu chròladh. Bha e air a sgrìobhadh le fear Pòl Camshron à Blàr Athall ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug.

’S e tiotal an òrain An Sguabag Bhealaidh ‘the broom brush’. Bha na Gàidheil a bha an sàs anns an spòrs a’ dèanamh an sguabagan ³¦°ùòlaidh de bhealaidh. Aig an taigh, gu tric bhiodh na sguabagan air an dèanamh de fhraoch. Ach chanainn gum biodh sguabag-fhraoich ro chruaidh air an deigh airson ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó.

Anns na Litrichean eile mu chròladh, dh’inns mi dhuibh mun bhriathrachas Ghàidhlig co-cheangailte ris an spòrs. Bu mhath leam, anns an Litir seo, sin a leudachadh beagan.

An toiseach, bu chòir dhomh rudeigin a ràdh mun fhacal Ghàidhlig ²õ±èè¾±±ô. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘slip, slide, skate’. Bha mi a’ ²õ±èè¾±±ôeadh air an lochan reòite ‘I was skating on the frozen lochan’. Thathar a’ smaoineachadh gun tàinig ²õ±èè¾±±ô a-steach don Ghàidhlig bho Albais. Ann an Albais, tha spiel a’ ciallachadh ‘any sort of game or play’. Tha e air a chleachdadh gu tric ann an co-cheangal ri ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó. Spiel – a local game; bonspiel – a match between parishes or districts.

Feumaidh gun robh na Gàidheil a’ cluinntinn ‘spiel’ gu tric ann an co-cheangal ri ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó agus spòrs-deighe. Thàinig e a-steach don Ghàidhlig mar ²õ±èè¾±±ô, ach le ciall shònraichte co-cheangailte ri deigh.

Chan eil e soilleir cò às a thàinig am facal ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó. Tha e rudeigin coltach ri curling. Ach chanainn gur dòcha gu bheil ciall eile air. Ann am Beurla thathar a’ dèanamh dheth gur e gluasad nan clach air a bheilear a-mach leis an fhacal curling. The stones curl.

Ach tha ³¦°ùò ann an Gàidhlig a’ ciallachadh ‘cearcall’ – agus àite far am bi, can, caoraich no uain air an ³¦°ùòthadh – air an cumail còmhla. Anns an t-seann aimsir, bhiodh na ³¦°ùòthan-sprèidh mar bu trice cruinn. Agus, ann an ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó, bidh na clachan air an ³¦°ùòthadh còmhla anns an ‘taigh’ no anns a’ ‘chuairteig’, a tha cruinn. A bheil a’ Bheurla curling air buaidh a thoirt air an fhacal Ghàidhlig ³¦°ùòthadh, a’ fàgail an fhacail ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó againn? Chan eil mi cinnteach, ach bhiodh sin a’ dèanamh ciall. Agus ’s e ³¦°ùòlach cuideigin a bhios a’ cluich ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó.

’S e a’ chlach as fhaisge air meadhan na cuairteig a bhuannaicheas geama. Ann am Beurla, ’s e meadhan na cuairteig ‘the tee’ no ‘pin’. Ann an Gàidhlig, a’ bhioraid. Nuair a bha daoine a’ cluich air loch reòite bhiodh botal no bioraid an sin. Chitheadh na ³¦°ùòlaichean, mar sin, far an robh iad ag amas.

Timcheall na bioraid, tha ‘The Button’, cearcall le leud de throigh. Ann an Gàidhlig, ’s e sin Sùil na Cuairteig. Gu litreachail ‘the eye of the house’. Sùil na Cuairteig.

Faclan na Litreach: Geamannan Oilimpigeach a’ Gheamhraidh: The Winter Olympics; sguabag: brush; bealaidh: broom (plant); Albais: Scots language; spòrs-deighe: ice sports a’ chuairteag: the rings i.e. an alternative name for the ‘house’; ³¦°ùòlach: curler; a’ bhioraid: the tee; sùil na cuairteig: the button.

Abairtean na Litreach: nach math a rinn an ceathrar fhear Albannach a bha a’ riochdachadh Bhreatainn: didn’t the four Scottish men who represented [Great] Britain do well; bhuannaich iad bonn airgid: they won a silver medal; dh’inns mi dhuibh mu òran Gàidhlig a bha mu chròladh: I told you about a Gaelic song that was about curling; air a sgrìobhadh le fear Pòl Camshron à Blàr Athall: written by a Paul Cameron from Blair Atholl; gum biodh sguabag-fhraoich ro chruaidh air an deigh airson ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó: that a heather broom would be too hard on the ice for curling; chanainn gur dòcha gu bheil ciall eile air: I would say that there that it perhaps has another meaning; ann am Beurla thathar a’ dèanamh dheth gur e gluasad nan clach air a bheilear a-mach: in English it is reckoned that it is the movement of the stones that is the object; ’s e a’ chlach as fhaisge air meadhan na cuairteig a bhuannaicheas geama: it’s the stone closest to the button that wins a game; chitheadh na ³¦°ùòlaichean, mar sin, far an robh iad ag amas: the curlers, thus, would see where they were aiming; timcheall na bioraid, tha X, cearcall le leud de throigh: around the tee there is X, a circle which is a foot in extent.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: bidh na clachan air an ³¦°ùòthadh còmhla anns an ‘taigh’: the stones are gathered/confined together in the ‘house’. Is this, at least in part, the origin of the Gaelic word ³¦°ùò±ô²¹»å³ó for ‘curling’? Gaelic literature is full of references to the use of the ³¦°ùò (plural ³¦°ùòthan or ³¦°ùòithean) which means a pen or enclosure, usually made of stone and often circular in shape, which was used to confine sheep or cattle.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: bha mi air mo bheò-ghlacadh: I was captivated, obsessed.