Ceitidh Magaidh ni'n Aonghais Ailein
Margaree Valley, Inverness County
her dog
An Cù:
KM Agus bha cù agam.
S.W. Seadh.
KM Cù, bhiodh agam, bhiodhinn a rideadh leis 's an harness agam dha ‘san t-sleigh, agus bha mi faighneachd dhaibh "Dè as coireach nach eil an cù sin tighinn a-nuas suas dhan lobhtadh?" agus “ O’ tha , tha an cù dona dur a tha a’ ghriurach ort.
S.W. Seadh.
KM Ach nuair a dh’ éirich mise b’ fheudar dhaibh an fhirinn innse dhomh gun do, gun a dh’ fhalbh ‘n cù ‘s nach do thill e riamh. Ach channain... ‘se a chaidh e suas gu àite Peutanich, agus bha lady ac’ an-sin,
S.W. O seadh.
KM bhiodh a’ cù a’ dol suas , agus fhuair iad, cuideigin ag losgadh e.
S.W. An d’ fhuair ?
KM Agus thàinig an gille a-nuas, am brogach, thàinig e nuas agus thuirt e rium-sa “ Chaidh an cù-san agad-se ‘san trouble, chaidh e as, as ‘sa well,
S.W. Seadh.
KM Agus dur a thuirt esan sin tharraing mise e i agus dur a chuir mi anns a’ ghàrradh, ‘s e an geamhradh a bh’ann, chuir mi e ann an cuithe-sneachd e, is bha mi ‘g éirigh air agus b'fheudar m'aunt tighinn amach 's thoirt e bhuam. Cha chreid mi nach marbhainn e. Am spite a bh'agam dha.
S.W. O, tha mi creidsinn, tha mi creidsinn. Cà’ robh an cù ? An ann a’s an tobar a bha e ?
KM Chan ann. Loisg iad e.
S.W. Fhuair ‘ad às dha.
KM Fhuair, fhuair an duine aig mo phiuthar sin às an fhear a fhuair iad gu losgadh e. Fhuair e às,thug e, fhuair e botail, so gun ghabh e dram.
S.W. O seadh.
KM agus ( thoisiche e air) ‘falbh fad air falbh. Thuirt e “ cha robh fhios agam’s’ co leis a bha ‘n cù. Fhuair ‘ad, iarr ‘ad orm-s’ gu tinn leis a’ ghun is losgadh e .
S.W. Yeah, yeah, yeah. ‘S e seòrsa de leisgeul a bh’ ann tha mi ‘smaoineachadh.
KM Agus bhithinn-se ‘ga chur ‘son na caoraich aca. Bhiodh ‘ad a’ tighinn a-nuas . Bhiodh ‘ad ag innse an rathad far a bheil, bha a’ bhuntàta . Agus riamh as a dheoghaidh sin tha gràin agam air caoraich. Leis bha fhios ‘am gur e siud a thug dha gu losgadh e.
S.W. Yeah, yeah. Nuair a bha a’ ghriurach oirbh, Katie Maggie, a robh ‘ad, ‘robh ur pàrantan ‘gur cumail ann an seòmar a bha car dorcha?
KM Bha, agus bha mo bhràthair am fear a chaidh a' bhathadh ‘san ath leapa agus chan éireadh esan ‘son do chunnaic e riamh, ach dh’ éirinn ‘s bhithinn coimheadh a-mach air an uinneag , agus Dh'eibheadh dha ris an t-sean fheadhainn a' dol suas gu robh mise air mo chois, ‘s mi ‘coimhead a-mach air an uinneag. Agus nuair a dh’ fhairichinn-s iad a’ tighinn leumainn ‘sa leabaidh ‘s bheirinn-s’ “ tha e ag innse breug, oir mise ‘san leabaidh sin an-diugh.
S.W. Yeah. An cuireadh ‘ad bann m’ur sùilean no sian mar sin ? Pìos de dh’ aodach m’ ur sùilean…
KM Bhiodh ‘ad ag radhainn gum bithinn dall no rudeigin a bhiodh ort, ach mar sin, mar a bha Jimmy Burton agus Father Stanley MacDonald- tha cabin aige shios air a’ – Dùn Bheagan air a' cladachd agus thàinig an gille eile, Alec Burton, thàinig e dhachaigh às a West ‘s bha e Kyacig agus bha, chaidh e dhan eilean, ‘s bha ‘adsan, bha mise shìos comla ri Jimmy agus bha spying glass aca, bha gloineachan orra, bha iad a’ coimhead an deach i (an deachaidh e ?) suas an t-eilean fhathast.
“Tha e (I?) suas lethach” thuirt mise, “tha ceithir sùilean agaibh a nis, ‘s chan eil sibh ga fhaicinn!
The Dog:
KM And I had a dog.
S.W. Right.
KM The dog that I had, I would ride with him, in the harness I had for him in the sleigh, and I asked them, what’s the reason that the dog is not coming upstairs, and ...“Oh, the dog is bad for you when you have the measles.”
S.W. Yes.
KM But when I improved, they had to tell me the truth, that the, that the dog left and never returned. But they said he went to a place, the Beatons, and they had a lady-dog there.
S.W. Oh, right.
KM The dog would go up there, and they got, some people to shoot him.
S.W. Did they?
KM And a boy came down from there, the lad, he came down and he said to me. “Your dog got into trouble, he fell into the well”.
S.W. Right.
KM And when he said that, I pulled him, and when I got him in the garden, it was the winter, I put him in a snow drift, and I was rising on him. My aunt had to come out and take him from me. I do believe that I would have killed him. I had such for him.
S.W. Oh, I believe it, I believe it, where was the dog? Was he in the well?
KM No he wasn’t. They shot him.
S.W. They got away with it.
KM Yes they got away with it, my sisters man got that out of (was told that by) the man they got to shoot him. He got a, he gave, he got a bottle, so he could have a dram.
S.W. Oh right.
KM And (he walked) away, far away. He said, “I didn’t know who the dog belonged to”. They got a loan of me, to come with gun and shoot it.
S.W. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s just a sort of excuse, I think.
KM And I would put him to get (go after) their sheep. They would come down to ours. They would tell the road where the potatoes were (to eat them?). And ever since then I have disliked sheep. Because I know that that was the real reason that he wanted to shoot him.
S.W. Yeah, yeah. When you had measles, Katie Maggie, were they, did your parents keep you in a room that was quite dark?
KM Yes they did, and my brother, the one who drowned, in the next bed, and he wouldn’t get up, but I would get up and I would look out of the window, and he would shout at the old ones going up the stairs that I was up on my feet, and that I was looking out of the window. And when I would feel that they were coming I’d jump into the bed and I would say, he’s telling a lie, because I’ve been in this bed today.
S.W. Yeah. Would they put a bandage around your eyes or anything like that? A piece of cloth around your eyes.
KM They would say I would be blind, or something would affect me, but with that, there was Jimmy Burton and Father Stanley MacDonald- he has a cabin up in – Dunvegan on the shore and another boy came, Alex Burton, he came home from out West, and he was kayaking and he went to an island, and they were there, I was down, with Jimmy and they had a spying glass, they wore spectacles, they were watching to see if they had gone up to the island yet.
“He is up half way” I said, “you have four eyes now, and you still can’t see him!”
Transcribed and translated by Brenda Barclay and Màiri Sìne Parr.
