Main content

An Litir Bheag 1029

Litir Bheag na seachdain sa le Ruairidh MacIlleathain. Litir 脿ireamh 1029. This week's short letter for G脿idhlig learners.

Available now

4 minutes

Last on

Sun 2 Feb 2025 13:30

Clip

An Litir Bheag 1029

Tha Naomh Ceasag ainmeil ann an dualchas nan Tr貌isichean agus Loch Laomainn. Rugadh e ann an 脠irinn anns an t-siathamh linn. Tha sgeulachdan ann mu dheidhinn ann an 脠irinn agus Alba. Tha iad ceangailte ri uisge agus b脿thadh.

Ann an 脠irinn, nuair a bha Ceasag 貌g, bha cuirm aig athair. Bha Ceasag na phrionnsa. Th脿inig prionnsachan eile. Dh鈥檉h脿g na balaich am baile agus chaidh iad gu loch. Bha a h-uile duine aca, ach Ceasag, air am b脿thadh.聽

Bha athraichean nan gillean dhen bheachd gun robh a鈥� ch霉is amharasach. Bha iad ag r脿dh gun do dh鈥檃dhbharaich Ceasag b脿s nan gillean. Mhaoidh iad air athair Cheasaig gun loisgeadh iad an caisteal aige gu l脿r. Ge-t脿, rinn Ceasag 霉rnaigh fad na h-oidhche. Anns a鈥� mhadainn, bha na gillean uile be貌 a-rithist.

Th脿inig Ceasag a dh鈥橝lba. Bha e a鈥� fuireach air Innis Taigh a鈥� Mhanaich air Loch Laomainn. Tha Ceasag aithnichte cuideachd fada gu tuath air Loch Laomainn 鈥� ann an Inbhir Nis agus san Eilean Dubh. Tha bailtean air gach taobh dhen chaolas ainmichte air Ceasag 鈥� no Kessock ann am Beurla.

Thathar ag r脿dh gun robh Ceasag air a鈥� bh脿t鈥�-aiseig an sin. Bha e a鈥� dol gu tuath. Bha am b脿ta l脿n daoine. Bha Ceasag a-nise na bhodach. D矛reach mus do r脿inig iad an cladach, dh鈥櫭╥rich a鈥� ghaoth gu h-obann mar sg脿l.聽

Chaidh am b脿ta fodha. Chaidh a h-uile duine air b貌rd a bh脿thadh. A h-uile duine ach Ceasag. Ach rinn Ceasag 霉rnaigh. Th脿inig na daoine b脿thte be貌 a-rithist. Air sg脿th na m矛orbhaile, chaidh an t-脿ite ainmeachadh 鈥楢iseag Cheasaig鈥� no 鈥�Kessock Ferry鈥�. Tha an t-ainm be貌 fhathast.

Tha caochladh shoithichean air daoine aiseag a-null 鈥檚 a-null thar a鈥� chaolais. Bha seirbheis aiseig ann eadar an c貌igeamh linn deug agus naoi ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1982). 始S ann an uair sin a dh鈥檉hosgail Drochaid Cheasaig.

Ann an ochd ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a ceithir (1894) bha droch thubaist ann. Chuir stoirm B脿t鈥�-aiseig Cheasaig fodha. Rinn maoir-chladaich cobhair air na daoine. Chaill sianar am beatha 鈥� criutha agus maoir-chladaich 鈥� anns an tubaist. Is m貌r am beud nach robh Naomh Ceasag ann airson an s脿bhaladh.

The Little Letter 1029

Saint Kessock is famous in the heritage of the Trossachs and Loch Lomond. He was born in Ireland in the sixth century. There are stories about him in Ireland and Scotland. They are connected to water and drowning.

In Ireland, when Kessock was young, his father had a feast. Kessock was a prince. Other princes came. The lads left the settlement and went to a loch. They were all drowned, with the exception of Kessock.

The lads鈥� fathers reckoned that the matter was suspicious. They were saying that Kessock caused the death of the lads. They threatened Kessock鈥檚 father that they would burn his castle to the ground. However, Kessock prayed all night. In the morning, the lads were all alive again.

Kessock came to Scotland. He was living on Inchtavannach on Loch Lomond. Kessock is also known far to the north of Loch Lomond 鈥� in Inverness and the Black Isle. Settlements on either side of the channel are named for Ceasag 鈥� or Kessock in English.

It鈥檚 said that Kessock was on the ferryboat there. He was going to the north. The boat was full of people. Kessock was by now an old man. Just before they reached the shore, a blast of wind suddenly arose.

The boat sank. Everybody on board was drowned. Everybody except Kessock. But Kessock prayed. The drowned folk came alive again. Because of the miracle, the place was named 鈥楢iseag Cheasaig鈥� or 鈥楰essock Ferry鈥�. The name lives on.

Various vessels have ferried people across and back over the narrows. There was a ferry service there between the fifteenth century and 1982. That鈥檚 when the Kessock Bridge opened.

In 1894 there was a bad accident. A storm sank the Kessock Ferry. Coastguards assisted the people. Six people lost their lives 鈥� crew and coastguards 鈥� in the accident. It鈥檚 a great pity that Saint Kessock wasn鈥檛 there to save them.

Broadcast

  • Sun 2 Feb 2025 13:30

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)

Podcast