[Dòmhnall Uilleam] Nuair a choimheadas sinn air Ailean Dòmhnallach agus gu dearbha air imrich nan Gàidheal a Charolina air fad chì sinn dà rud a tha gu math bunaiteach ann an eachdraidh nan eilthireach Gàidhealach.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam] An toiseach bhiodh na Gàidheil a’ falbh ann an coimhearsnachdan. Cha bhiodh iad a’ falbh, cha bhiodh dìreach na gillean òg’ a’ falbh, mar a thachair can ann an Lunnainn no ann am Bristol . ’S e bha a’ tachairt air a’ Ghàidhealtachd ach gum biodh sluagh gu lèir a’ togail orra. ’S e sin sean agus òg, fir, mnathan, agus an cuid cloinne. Agus cuideachd cho luath ’s a ruigeadh iad an tìr ’s ann a thòisicheadh iad an uair sin a’ cur litrichean air ais gu na càirdean a dh’fhàg iad aig an taigh. Bha iad a’ cantainn riuth’, can, “Tha am fearann a tha seo tòrr nas torraiche na an talamh a dh’fhàg sinn. Chan eil uachdaran againn an seo a bharrachd, carson nach tèid sibh a-nall?” Agus gu math tric ’s ann mar sin a thachair e. Agus far nach biodh ann ach aon choimhearsnachd Ghàidhealach an toiseach, dh’fhàsadh e gu bhith na cha mhòr na dhùthaich Ghàidhealach às dèidh, can, aon ghinealach.
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Le fios an dèidh fios a’ tilleadh dhachaigh à Carolina a’ dèanamh luaidh air an t-saoghal ùr thàinig nàdar de theasachair sluagh na Gàidhealtachd ag iarraidh falbh. Bha daoine a-nis a’ dèanamh imrich a dh’Ameireagadh nan sruth.
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] An dearbh bhliadhna a chuir Ailean ’s Flòraidh cùl ri Cinnseaborgh bha gu leòr eile a’ togail orra às an Eilean Sgitheanach cuideachd.
[Martha NicLeòid] My great-great grandfather, Neil MacLeod, came from the Isle of Skye in 1774 and he had four sons who came with him. One of them was married, the other three boys, Norman, Alexander and John came here with him and they built a house in 1777. The living room we have kept as it was and this window has the old glass in it, the other window somebody shot through and broke it so it had to have no glass. We intend to keep it this way and I told my nephews and nieces that if they ever change it then I’ll come back and haunt them and they have promised that they will not!
[Dòmhnall] Cinn t-Sàile air taobh siar na Gàidhealtachd.
[Dòmhnall] An aon bhliadhna ’s a dh’fhàg sinnsearan Mhartha NicLeòid an t-Eilean Sgitheanach ’s a chaidh Flòraidh ’s Ailean Dòmhnallach thar sàile, rinn am bàrd Iain MacMhurchaidh le a bhean ’s a theaghlach imrich a Charolina a Tuath cuideachd.
[Iain MacRath] Cho fad ’s a dh’fhiosraich mise, ’s e a Iain a’ chultair a bh’ aca air. Sia no seachd de thaighean, de làraichean taighe, eadar seo agus thall an siud. Agus cho fad ’s a dh’fhiosraich mi ’s ann an seo a rugadh Iain MacMhurchaidh, am bàrd. Bha sùim uabhasach aig na daoine an seo air Iain MacMhurchaidh fad an seo, eadar seo ’s Sròn Ghlais agus fad ’s farsaing bha iad uabhasach dèidheil air. Bhiodh e a’ dèanamh nan òran ’s gan seinn agus a’ gabhail drama ’s a’ dèanamh drama.
[Iain MacRath] Ach bha daoine airson, bha feadhainn, bha iad airson gluasad co-dhiù. Bha dealbh aca air an fheadhainn a chaidh a-null. Gu h-àraidh bha fear Beaton, Iain Beaton, mac a’ mhinisteir a bha air taobh thall an loch sin, agus bha esan thall agus thàinig e a-nall an seo agus bha e ag innse stòiridhean mu dheidhinn cho glan ’s a bha a h-uile rud, bradan gu leòr anns na h-aibhnean agus flùran a’ fàs. Tha e anns na h-òrain aig Iain MacMhurchaidh. Flùran a’ fàs agus a h-uile rud air dòigh ach, cha b’ ann mar sin a thachair e.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Na h-Eilthirich, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 1999.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam] When we look at Allan MacDonald and indeed at the Gaels’ migration to Carolina altogether we see two things that are quite fundamental in the history of Highland emigration.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam] Firstly the Gaels left in communities. They wouldn’t leave, it wasn’t just the young men that would leave, as happened in say London or in Bristol. What happened in the Highlands was that all the folk would set off. That is old and young, men, women, and their children. And also as soon as they would reach land they would then start sending letters back to the relatives that they left at home. They were saying to them, say, “The land here is much more fertile than the land that we left. We don’t have landlords here either, why don’t you come across?” And quite often it was like that that it happened. And where there would only be one Highland community at first, it would grow to be almost a Highland country after, say, one generation.
[Donald] With report after report coming home from Carolina praising the new world a sort of uprising came upon Highland folk wanting to leave. People were now emigrating to America in their droves.
[Donald] The very year that Allan and Flora left Kinsgburgh, there were plenty of others setting off from the Isle of Skye too.
[Martha NicLeòid] My great-great grandfather, Neil MacLeod, came from the Isle of Skye in 1774 and he had four sons who came with him. One of them was married, the other three boys, Norman, Alexander and John came here with him and they built a house in 1777. The living room we have kept as it was and this window has the old glass in it, the other window somebody shot through and broke it so it had to have no glass. We intend to keep it this way and I told my nephews and nieces that if they ever change it then I’ll come back and haunt them and they have promised that they will not!
[Donald] Kintail in the West Highlands.
[Donald] The same year that Martha MacLeòd’s ancestors left the Isle of Skye and that Flora and Allan Macdonald went across the sea, the bard John MacRae (Iain MacMhurchaidh), his wife and family emigrated to North Carolina too.
[Iain MacRae] As far as I know, they called him Cultured Iain, six or seven houses, of house sites, between here and over there. And as far as I know it is here that John Murchison, the bard, was born. The people here had a lot of respect for John Murchison all over, between here and Sron Ghlais and far and wide they were terribly fond of him. He would compose the songs and sing them and he would take a dram and offer a dram.
[Iain MacRae] But people wanted, there were some, they wanted to move anyway. They had an image of the ones that went across. Especially, there was a Beaton, John Beaton, the minister’s son that was on the other side of that loch, and he was over there and he came over here and he was telling stories about how clean everything was, plenty of salmon in the rivers and flowers growing. It is in John MacRae’s songs. Flowers growing and everything arranged but, it wasn’t like that that it happened.
This programme, Na h-Eilthirich, was first broadcast in 1999.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam] Nuair a choimheadas sinn air Ailean Dòmhnallach agus gu dearbha air imrich nan Gàidheal a Charolina air fad chì sinn dà rud a tha gu math bunaiteach ann an eachdraidh nan eilthireach Gàidhealach.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam] An toiseach bhiodh na Gàidheil a’ falbh ann an coimhearsnachdan. Cha bhiodh iad a’ falbh, cha bhiodh dìreach na gillean òg’ a’ falbh, mar a thachair can ann an Lunnainn no ann am Bristol . ’S e bha a’ tachairt air a’ Ghàidhealtachd ach gum biodh sluagh gu lèir a’ togail orra. ’S e sin sean agus òg, fir, mnathan, agus an cuid cloinne. Agus cuideachd cho luath ’s a ruigeadh iad an tìr ’s ann a thòisicheadh iad an uair sin a’ cur litrichean air ais gu na càirdean a dh’fhàg iad aig an taigh. Bha iad a’ cantainn riuth’, can, “Tha am fearann a tha seo tòrr nas torraiche na an talamh a dh’fhàg sinn. Chan eil uachdaran againn an seo a bharrachd, carson nach tèid sibh a-nall?” Agus gu math tric ’s ann mar sin a thachair e. Agus far nach biodh ann ach aon choimhearsnachd Ghàidhealach an toiseach, dh’fhàsadh e gu bhith na cha mhòr na dhùthaich Ghàidhealach às dèidh, can, aon ghinealach.
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Le fios an dèidh fios a’ tilleadh dhachaigh à Carolina a’ dèanamh luaidh air an t-saoghal ùr thàinig nàdar de theasachair sluagh na Gàidhealtachd ag iarraidh falbh. Bha daoine a-nis a’ dèanamh imrich a dh’Ameireagadh nan sruth.
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] An dearbh bhliadhna a chuir Ailean ’s Flòraidh cùl ri Cinnseaborgh bha gu leòr eile a’ togail orra às an Eilean Sgitheanach cuideachd.
[Martha NicLeòid] My great-great grandfather, Neil MacLeod, came from the Isle of Skye in 1774 and he had four sons who came with him. One of them was married, the other three boys, Norman, Alexander and John came here with him and they built a house in 1777. The living room we have kept as it was and this window has the old glass in it, the other window somebody shot through and broke it so it had to have no glass. We intend to keep it this way and I told my nephews and nieces that if they ever change it then I’ll come back and haunt them and they have promised that they will not!
[Dòmhnall] Cinn t-Sàile air taobh siar na Gàidhealtachd.
[Dòmhnall] An aon bhliadhna ’s a dh’fhàg sinnsearan Mhartha NicLeòid an t-Eilean Sgitheanach ’s a chaidh Flòraidh ’s Ailean Dòmhnallach thar sàile, rinn am bàrd Iain MacMhurchaidh le a bhean ’s a theaghlach imrich a Charolina a Tuath cuideachd.
[Iain MacRath] Cho fad ’s a dh’fhiosraich mise, ’s e a Iain a’ chultair a bh’ aca air. Sia no seachd de thaighean, de làraichean taighe, eadar seo agus thall an siud. Agus cho fad ’s a dh’fhiosraich mi ’s ann an seo a rugadh Iain MacMhurchaidh, am bàrd. Bha sùim uabhasach aig na daoine an seo air Iain MacMhurchaidh fad an seo, eadar seo ’s Sròn Ghlais agus fad ’s farsaing bha iad uabhasach dèidheil air. Bhiodh e a’ dèanamh nan òran ’s gan seinn agus a’ gabhail drama ’s a’ dèanamh drama.
[Iain MacRath] Ach bha daoine airson, bha feadhainn, bha iad airson gluasad co-dhiù. Bha dealbh aca air an fheadhainn a chaidh a-null. Gu h-àraidh bha fear Beaton, Iain Beaton, mac a’ mhinisteir a bha air taobh thall an loch sin, agus bha esan thall agus thàinig e a-nall an seo agus bha e ag innse stòiridhean mu dheidhinn cho glan ’s a bha a h-uile rud, bradan gu leòr anns na h-aibhnean agus flùran a’ fàs. Tha e anns na h-òrain aig Iain MacMhurchaidh. Flùran a’ fàs agus a h-uile rud air dòigh ach, cha b’ ann mar sin a thachair e.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Na h-Eilthirich, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 1999.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam] When we look at Allan MacDonald and indeed at the Gaels’ migration to Carolina altogether we see two things that are quite fundamental in the history of Highland emigration.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam] Firstly the Gaels left in communities. They wouldn’t leave, it wasn’t just the young men that would leave, as happened in say London or in Bristol. What happened in the Highlands was that all the folk would set off. That is old and young, men, women, and their children. And also as soon as they would reach land they would then start sending letters back to the relatives that they left at home. They were saying to them, say, “The land here is much more fertile than the land that we left. We don’t have landlords here either, why don’t you come across?” And quite often it was like that that it happened. And where there would only be one Highland community at first, it would grow to be almost a Highland country after, say, one generation.
[Donald] With report after report coming home from Carolina praising the new world a sort of uprising came upon Highland folk wanting to leave. People were now emigrating to America in their droves.
[Donald] The very year that Allan and Flora left Kinsgburgh, there were plenty of others setting off from the Isle of Skye too.
[Martha NicLeòid] My great-great grandfather, Neil MacLeod, came from the Isle of Skye in 1774 and he had four sons who came with him. One of them was married, the other three boys, Norman, Alexander and John came here with him and they built a house in 1777. The living room we have kept as it was and this window has the old glass in it, the other window somebody shot through and broke it so it had to have no glass. We intend to keep it this way and I told my nephews and nieces that if they ever change it then I’ll come back and haunt them and they have promised that they will not!
[Donald] Kintail in the West Highlands.
[Donald] The same year that Martha MacLeòd’s ancestors left the Isle of Skye and that Flora and Allan Macdonald went across the sea, the bard John MacRae (Iain MacMhurchaidh), his wife and family emigrated to North Carolina too.
[Iain MacRae] As far as I know, they called him Cultured Iain, six or seven houses, of house sites, between here and over there. And as far as I know it is here that John Murchison, the bard, was born. The people here had a lot of respect for John Murchison all over, between here and Sron Ghlais and far and wide they were terribly fond of him. He would compose the songs and sing them and he would take a dram and offer a dram.
[Iain MacRae] But people wanted, there were some, they wanted to move anyway. They had an image of the ones that went across. Especially, there was a Beaton, John Beaton, the minister’s son that was on the other side of that loch, and he was over there and he came over here and he was telling stories about how clean everything was, plenty of salmon in the rivers and flowers growing. It is in John MacRae’s songs. Flowers growing and everything arranged but, it wasn’t like that that it happened.
This programme, Na h-Eilthirich, was first broadcast in 1999.