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21/12/2009

Tha litir bheag na seachdain-sa aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain. This week's short letter for learners is introduced by Ruaraidh MacLean.

5 minutes

Last on

Mon 21 Dec 2009 19:00

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An Litir Bheag 241

An t-seachdain sa chaidh bha sinn ann聽am Bun Ilidh. Tha sin ann an Cataibh.聽Tha sinn a鈥 fuireach anns an sg矛re sin聽an-diugh. Tha mi ag iarraidh innse聽dhuibh mu rudeigin a thachair ann an聽Srath Chill Donain. Chan eil mi聽cinnteach cuin a thachair e. Tha e a鈥櫬爐ighinn bho bheul-aithris.聽Cha robh na croitearan a鈥櫬燾leachdadh gual anns na teintean aca.聽Bha iad a鈥 cleachdadh m貌ine. Bha iad聽a鈥 buain na m貌nach. Bha iad a鈥 cumail 聽nam f脿dan 鈥 na p矛osan m貌nach tioram聽鈥 ann an cruachan. Bha na cruachan聽faisg air na taighean aca.聽Ach bha aon chroitear na聽mh猫irleach. Bha e a鈥 goid nam f脿dan聽bho na croitearan eile. Bha e se貌lta,聽ge-t脿. Cha robh e a鈥 goid bho na聽cruachan faisg air na taighean. Bha e a鈥櫬爂oid fh脿dan d矛reach bho na cruachan聽nach robh faisg air na taighean. Agus聽chan fhaca duine e. 聽Bha cuid de na croitearan a鈥櫬爏maoineachadh gur e rud os-n脿darrach聽a bha ann. Bha iad a鈥 smaoineachadh聽gur iad na s矛thichean a bha ri m猫irle.聽Air s脿illibh sin, cha do rinn iad dad mu聽dheidhinn.聽Ach bha aon chroitear eadar聽dhealaichte bho ch脿ch. Cha robh esan聽a鈥 creidsinn gur e rud os-n脿darrach a聽bha ann. Bha esan dhen bheachd gur e聽cuideigin 脿s an 脿ite fh猫in a bha ri聽m猫irle. Chuir e plana an gn矛omh. Bha e聽ag iarraidh faighinn a-mach c貌 bha聽ann.聽Chaidh e don chruaich a b鈥櫬爁haide air falbh bhon taigh aige. Thug聽e a-mach grunn fh脿dan. Thug e am聽meadhan a-mach 脿s na f脿dan. Chuir e聽f霉dar-gunna anns na tuill. Chuir e na聽f脿dan air ais anns a鈥 chruaich. Taobh a-staigh聽beagan l脿ithean, mhothaich e聽gun robh cuid de na f脿dan a dh矛th. Bha聽am m猫irleach air a bhith ann.聽Air an oidhche sin, bha am聽m猫irleach na shuidhe aig an teine.聽Thilg e f脿d no dh脿 don teine. Bha聽spreadhadh m貌r ann. Bha am聽m猫irleach fortanach nach robh e air a聽mharbhadh. Bha e a鈥 smaoineachadh聽gur e 鈥淏reitheanas an Tighearna鈥 a bha聽ann! Agus cha do ghoid e aon fh脿d eile聽airson a ch貌rr de a bheatha!

The Little Letter 241

Last week we were in Helmsdale.聽That鈥檚 in [East] Sutherland. We鈥檙e聽staying in that area today. I want to聽tell you about something that聽happened in the Strath of Kildonan.聽I鈥檓 not sure when it happened. It聽comes from oral tradition.聽The crofters weren鈥檛 using coal聽in their fires. They were using peat.聽They were cutting the peat. They聽were keeping the 鈥減eats鈥 鈥 the dry聽pieces of peat 鈥 in stacks. The stacks聽were near their houses.聽But one crofter was a thief. He聽was stealing the peats from the other聽crofters. He was cunning, however.聽He wasn鈥檛 stealing from the stacks聽near the houses. He was stealing聽peats only from the stacks that were聽not near the houses. And nobody聽saw him.聽Some of the crofters were聽thinking that it was a supernatural聽thing. They were thinking that it was聽the fairies that were thieving.聽Because of that, they didn鈥檛 do聽anything about it.聽But one crofter was different聽from the others. He wasn鈥檛 believing聽that it was a supernatural thing. He聽was of the opinion that it was聽somebody from the place itself that聽was thieving. He put a plan into聽action. He was wanting to find out聽who it was.聽He went to the stack furthest聽from his house. He took out several聽peats. He took the middle out of the聽peats. He put gunpowder in the聽holes. He put the peats back in the聽stack. Within a few days, he noticed聽that some of the peats were missing.聽The thief had been there.聽That night, the thief was sitting聽by the fire. He threw a peat or two聽into the fire. There was a big聽explosion. The thief was lucky that聽he wasn鈥檛 killed. He was thinking聽that it was 鈥淭he Judgement of the聽Lord鈥! And he never stole another聽peat for the rest of his life!聽

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  • Mon 21 Dec 2009 19:00

All the letters

Tha gach Litir Bheag an seo / All the Little Letters are here.

Podcast: An Litir Bheag

The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners

An Litir Bheag air LearnGaelic

An Litir Bheag is also on LearnGaelic (with PDFs)

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