measgachadh

miscellany
West Highland Free Press | Friday 8 February 2013
18
Litir do luchd-ionnsachaidh
le Ruairidh MacIlleathain
Celebrating the life and
songs of Flora MacNeil
Samson (2)
Each week the West Highland Free
Press publishes the text for
Ruairidhs Letter to Gaelic
Learners on BBC Radio nan
Gaidheal (103.5-105 FM). Broad -
casts are as follows: 11.50am
Friday, repeated at 10.55am the next
day (Saturday) and 2.55pm on
Sunday. This is Litir 708. There is
also a simpler version An Litir
Bheag which goes to air around
7pm on Monday evenings between
Siubhal gu Seachd and Rapal. Litir
Bheag 404 corresponds to Litir 708.
Both programmes are available on
the BBC website at bbc.co.uk/
alba/foghlam.
An t-seachdain sa chaidh, bha mi
a bruidhinn mu Shamson. Bha e
na nmhaid do na Philistich.
Ghabh e gaol air boireannach air
an robh Delilah. Thabhainn na
Philistich airgead mr dha
Delilah nam faigheadh i a-mach
gu d bh air cl neart Shamsoin
agus mar a b urrainnear buaidh
a thoirt air.
Chuir Delilah a cheist sin air
Samson. Thuirt e nam biodh ise ga
cheangal le seachd goid ra nach do
thiormaicheadh, nach fhaigheadh e
s. Ach fhuair. S e breug a bh ann.
Dhfheuch i a-rithist. Dhinns
Samson breugan eile.
Mu dheireadh, fhuair i an fhrinn
bhuaithe. Thuirt e rithe, Ealtainn cha
tinig riamh air mo cheann ma
bhearrar mi falbhaidh mo neart
uam
Thug Delilah air Samson a dhol a
chadal air a glinean. Thinig fear a
gherr dheth seachd duail a chinn.
Dhfhalbh neart Shamsoin. Thinig
na Philistich. Ghlac iad e agus chuir
iad na silean aige a-mach gu borb.
Chuir iad ann am prosan e ann an
Gasa.
Ma tha sibh elach air an
sgeulachd, tuigidh sibh nach e seo an
deireadh, oir dhfhs falt Shamsoin
a-rithist. Agus le fhalt, thill a neart.
Bha na Philistich a danamh
girdeachas mun bhuaidh a thug iad.
Bha Samson air a thoirt a-mach s a
phrosan airson fearas-chuideachd a
dhanamh dhaibh. Seo mar a tha e
san t-seann Bhoball agus a-rithist
atharrachaidh mi an t-seann
Ghidhlig dreach rud beag:
Thuirt Samson leig dhomh na
puist a limhseachadh air a bheil an
taigh na sheasamh a chum gun leig
mi mo thaic riutha. A-nise bha an
taigh ln dhaoine agus bhan; agus
bha uile thighearnan nam
Philisteach an sin; agus bha air
mullach an taighe mu thimcheall tr
mle fear agus bean
Agus ghairm Samson air an
Tighearn agus thuirt e, O
Thighearna Dh, cuimhnich orm,
guidheam ort, agus neartaich mi,
guidheam ort [gus am faigh mi
doghaltas] air na Philistich airson
mo dh shl. Agus ghabh Samson
grim don d phost mheadhanach
air an robh an taigh na sheasamh,
agus ris an robh e an taic, fear
dhiubh le a limh dheis, agus am
fear eile le a limh chl.
Agus thuirt Samson, faigheam bs
maille ris na Philistich. Agus phut e le
uile neart; agus thuit an taigh air na
tighearnan agus air an t-sluagh uile
a bha ann; agus bha na mairbh a
mharbh e aig a bhs na bu lonmhoire
na iadsan a mharbh e na bheatha.
Bha Samson ainmeil air feadh
saoghal na Crosdachd airson a neart.
Agus bhiodh daoine uaireannan a
ceangal ris clach mhr a bha na
seasamh leatha fhin, agus nach b
urrainn do dhuine sam bith a thogail.
Tha clach de a leithid air mullach
cnuic siar air Calasraid Clach
Shamsoin no Samsons Stone. S e
clach-shiubhail a th innte, a chaidh
fhgail ann le eighr-shruth o chionn
fhada. Ach bha na seann daoine ag
rdh gun robh Samson air mullach
beinne anns an sgre Beinn
Lididh, a rir cuid, ged a bha
feadhainn eile ag ainmeachadh
Beinn Labhair no Beinn Mhrlaig
Loch Laomainn. Bha Samson ann
agus chuir e dbhlan ro fhir lidir na
dthcha. Thilg e a chlach astar mr.
Ach cha b urrainn do dhuine eile
eadhon a togail. Agus dhfhg sin i
far a bheil i chun an latha an-diugh.

Faclan na Litreach: nmhaid:
enemy; breug: lie (untruth); an
fhrinn: the truth; Gasa: Gaza; maille
ri: along with; clach-shiubhail:
glacial erratic; Beinn Lididh: Ben
Ledi; Beinn Labhair: Ben Lawers;
Beinn Mhrlaig Loch Laomainn:
Ben Vorlich near Loch Lomond.
Abairtean na Litreach: Thabhainn
na Philistich airgead mr: the
Philistines offered a lot of money; d
bh air cl neart Shamsoin: what was
behind Samsons strength; mar a b
urrainnear buaidh a thoirt air: how he
could be defeated; seachd goid ra
nach do thiormaicheadh: seven fresh
thongs that had not been dried;
falbhaidh mo neart uam: my strength
will leave me; fear a gherr dheth
seachd duail a chinn: a man who cut
off the seven braids of his hair
[head]; chuir iad na silean aige a-
mach gu borb: they barbarously
gouged out his eyes; airson fearas-
chuideachd a dhanamh dhaibh: to
entertain them; leig dhomh na puist
a limhseachadh a chum gun leig
mi mo thaic riutha: let me handle the
posts so that I can lean against
them; uile thighearnan nam
Philisteach: all the rulers of the
Philistines; bha na mairbh a mharbh
e aig a bhs na bu lonmhoire na
iadsan a mharbh e na bheatha: the
dead he killed at his death were more
numerous than those he killed during
his life; clach a bha na seasamh
leatha fhin: a stone that was
standing on its own; tha clach de a
leithid air mullach cnuic siar air
Calasraid: there is a stone of that type
on a hilltop west of Callander; chuir
e dbhlan ro: he challenged.
Puing-chnain na Litreach:
guidheam ort: literally let me
beseech you but translated as I
beseech you. This type of imperative
is rarely used in general speech but
is quite common in the Bible and
other older texts. The second person
imperative, singular and plural, is
commonly used, however, e.g. bi
smhach! be quiet!, bithibh
modhail be well-mannered; dan
air do shocair! take it easy! But
guidheam is an example of a first
person singular imperative form. The
am ending gives it away. It is
similar in form to the first person
singular tense verbal form in Irish
Gaelic and I suspect that in old
Scottish Gaelic it also carried a
basic present tense meaning i.e. I
beseech you. Here are some other
examples: na bitheam fadalach dont
let me be late ie may I not be late;
danam e let me do it. And, in the
Litir, faigheam bs let me die.
Gnthas -cainnt na Litreach: ma
bhearrar mi: if I [i.e. my head] is
shaved. This is a future passive form.
Tha Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA
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The stellar line-up on stage with Floraidh
Floraidh with Anne Lorne Gillies
The Life and Songs of Flora
MacNeil were celebrated at a
memorable concert in Glasgow,
as part of Celtic Connections. It
was an event which paid
homage to Floraidhs lifelong
contribution to Gaelic music and
her devotion to the old songs she
saved from oblivion.
Maggie MacInnes, the younger
daughter of Floraidh and Alasdair,
and an outstanding performer in her
own right, had assembled a great
line-up to do justice to these songs
and help her tell a story which had its
origins with Floraidhs Mingulay
forebears.
When they left Mingulay for
Barra and Vatersay, they took their
rich tradition with them. Growing
up on Barra, Floraidh assimilated
the songs of all three islands. She
learned them from her mother and
her aunt Mary and from the people
of that generation who were
constant visitors to the house in
Ledaig.
When she was 14, her father a
fisherman died. Floraidh had to
leave school and went to work in the
Post Office and telephone exchange
in Castlebay. Money was desperately
short but life was rich and constantly
enhanced by exposure to the music
which reached back into the mists of
history.
There were not many phones on
the island and plenty of spare time in
the Castlebay exchange. So The
Coddy would call and say: I know
youre not busy. You can sing me
Nighean Donn nan Gobhar and she
would sing it down the phone for
him.
In 1949, Floraidh moved to
Edinburgh through her employment
with the Post Office and carried on
singing. There was an eager audience
for her traditional songs with people
like Somhairle MacLean, Hamish
Henderson and William Matheson
appreciating the importance of what
they were hearing. The American
collector, Alan Lomax, was first to
record her.
When the Festival of Britain was
held in 1951, the organisers of the
Living Traditions Exhibition which
formed part of it rejected more
popular singers and opted for
Floraidhs traditional style as the
voice of Gaelic. That took her to new
heights of recognition and acclaim.
And from there she just carried on
singing concerts, ceilidhs, folk
festivals, tours of Ireland with the
Gaelic poets, more international
engagements, recording studios
she went indefatigably on for another
half-century.
Along the way, Floraidh and
Alasdair raised five children all of
whom were present for this very
special event. Their elder daughter,
Cairistiona, had arrived from Brazil
to join Maggie, Seumas, Kenneth
and Donald. Two of the grand -
children featured on stage Donald
Joe MacInnes playing the pipes and
Calum Park accompanying his mum,
Maggie, on guitar. Music continues
to run in the veins.
The line-up of musicians was
appropriately impressive. For many
years, Floraidh toured with that great
group of Scottish and Irish
musicians, Boys of the Lough, and
they were present in their current
incarnation Cathal McConnal,
Brendan Begley, Malcolm Stitt and
Kevin Henderson to join in the
salute to an old friend.
She has visited the West Cork
Gaeltacht on many occasions and
that strain of the shared tradition was
represented by Peadar O Riada and
members of Cor Chuil Aodha. Anne
Lorne Gillies and Arthur Cormack
were in top form, along with Maggie
(supported by Brian McAlpine and
Anna Massie), performing some of
the songs with which Floraidh is
particularly associated. All of them
admitted to some nervousness at
singing them with the maestro
herself sitting in the front row.
It all led to an emotional finale
when Floraidh appeared on stage to
lead two final songs Graidh Geal
Mo Cridh and Bheir Mo Shoraidh
Thar Gunnaidh. Her voice was as
radiant as ever and the Mitchell
Theatre, packed to capacity, rose in
tribute to a true star in the Gaelic
firmament. BW