Gàidhlig Ghall-Ghàidhealaibh

Tha sgeulachd bheag agam mun cuairt air Gàidhlig Ghall-Ghàidhealaibh, a rèir am fear gun do dh'innis i dhomhs' co-dhiù. Aig àm, tron 70an, bha 'n duine se ag ionnsachamh na Gàidhlig. Thachair an duine seo air bodach anns an Eilean Sgitheanach, ann an taigh-seinns'. 's tóisich ead a' bruidhinn na Gàidhlig ri chéile. Bha ead a' bruidhinn mun cuairt air na dualchainntean, 's dh'innis an duine don bhodach gum b' ann à Siorrachd Pheairt 's Loch Abar a bha a sheanair 's sheanmhair. Thóisich am bodach a' bruidhinn mun cuairt air a shinn-seanmhair aige fhéi', 's thubhairt e gu robh blas annasach aicese. Thubhairt an duine "Cò às a bha i?" 's thubhairt am bodach "B' ann à Gall-Ghàidhealaibh a bha i"

A wee story about Galwegian Gaelic, according to the guy who told it to myself at least. At the time of the story, in the 1970s, the guy was learning Gaelic. He met an old man in Skye in one of the pubs and they started to speak Gaelic to one another. They were speaking about the dialects, and the guy told the old man how his grandparents had been from Perthshire and Lochaber. The old man started to speak about his own Great-grandmother and the unusual dialect that she had had. The guy asked "Where was she from?" and the old man told him "She was from Galloway"

Bha 'n duine ag ràdh gum bitheamh sin sònraichte inntinneach a chluinntinn. Thubhairt am bodach, "Am bu mhath leat a bhith ga cluinntinn?" Thubhairt an duine "Bu mhath! Ach cha bitheadh ur sinn-seanmhair fhathast beò cha chreid mi." Le sin, thóisich am bodach a bhruidhinn le dualchainnt Ghall-ghàidhealaibh!

The guy said that this would be especially interesting to heard. The old man said "Would you like to hear it?" The guy replied "I would! But I doubt that you're Great-Grandmother is still alive." With this, the old man started speaking to the guy in Galwegian Gaelic.

Chuir an duine fòn bhon taigh-seinns' gu sgoilear na Gàidhlig air an robh e eòlach. Ach, aig an àm seo, cha robh e aig an taigh. Cuimhnich gu robh seo sna 70s, 's cha robh fònaichean-làimhe aig duine sam bith. Thubhairt bean an sgoileir cha bhitheamh e aig an taigh gu Diluain, agus b' e oidhche haoine a bh' ann.

The guy clled from the pub to a Gaelic scholar that he knew well. At the time he wasn't at home. Remember that this was in the 1970s and no one had any mobile phones. The scholars wife told him that her husband would not be back home until Monday, and this was a Friday night at the time.

Chuir an duine fòn don sgoilear a-rithist Diluain 's dh'innis e dha. Thóisich an sgoileir a' cur a h-uile rud air dòigh airson clàr a dhèanamh. Chan eil fhios agam far an robh an sgoilear a' fanachd, Dùn Èideann no Obar Dheathain theaga. Cha robh e a' fanachd fàisg air an Eilean Sgitheanach co-dhiù. Mar sin, thubhairt e gum bitheamh e ann tro na seachdainean roimhe.

The guy phone his friend again on the Monday and told him. His friend began to make arrangements to go out and make a recording. I'm not sure where his friend was living, Edinburgh or Aberdeen perhaps. He didn't live close to Skye at any rate. He had said that he would be there during the coming weeks.

Shin agaibh an rud mì-fhortanach. Eadar an àm san taigh-seinns' ud agus an t-seachdain nuair a bhitheadh an sgoilear san Eilean Sgitheanach, shiubhail am bodach.

Here's the unfortunate bit. Between that time in the pub and the week when the scholar was due to be on Skye, the old man passed away.

Mar a thubhairt mi, cuimhnich gu robh seo sna 70an aig àm. Bha 'n bodach mu 90 bliadhn' a dh'aois agus b' ann a shinn-seanmhair a bha à Gall-Ghàidhealaibh. Cha chreid mi nach robh e fìor. Shin agaibh mar a chualig mi fhéi' e.

As I said, remember that this was the 1970s at the time. The old man was about 90 years old and his Great-grandmother had been from Galloway. I don't believe that it wasn't true. That's how I heard it myself.