[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Fàilte oirbh bhuamsa Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein a-rithist gu Aibisidh agus mi a’ feuchainn ri còrdadh a chumail eadar dà sgioba de shàr-fhaclairean. Dà sgioba de dh’ eòlaichean is a’ strì feuch cò as eòlaiche air toinneamhan agus tòisichean briathrachas na Gàidhlig. Tha na sgiobaidhean a’ cumail a-mach gu bheil iad fìor eòlach air faclairean leithid Dwelly agus leabhraichean foghlamaichte eile. Chì sinn. Dh'fhaodadh nach bi mi fhèin is tu fhèin, no sibh fhèin gu dearbha, càil nas eòlaiche aig deireadh an t-sreath, ach bidh sinn beò agus an dòchas gun toir iad gàire oirbh agus gun glac sibh facal no abairt no fiosrachadh as ùr anns an dol seachad.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Chun nan sgiobaidhean ma-thà! Agus air mo làimh chlì, sgiobair Iain Mac ‘ille Mhìcheil. Rugadh agus thogadh Iain ann an Ìle far nach cuala e facal Beurla gus an robh e faisg air sia bliadhna a dh'aois.
[Iain Mac’IlleMhìcheil] Gu dearbh, cha chuala.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Bha ùidh mhòr aige riamh ann am faclan ùra ged nach b’ e an fheadhainn a b’ fheàrr a bha e a’ togail. Agus e mas fhìor co-dhiù a’ cuideachadh timcheall na bàthcha air oighreachd Ìle còmhla ri sheanair. Cha robh sin a’ cur bacadh sam bith air bho bhith gan cleachdadh ann an suidhichidhean a bha gu math mì-fhreagarrach agus a’ faighinn dhroch chronachadh air an tàilleibh. Tha failte oirbh, Iain.
[Iain Mac’IlleMhìcheil] Nuair a bha sin fasanta. Ach, tha mise a’ dol a thoirt bacadh ortsa an-dràsta. Bha thu gar maslachadh Màiri-Anna ’s mi fhìn ri chèile air an turas mu dheireadh le bhith sealltainn seann dhealbhan dhìom. Uill, tha sinn air a bhith a’ sporghail agus a’ rùrachadh agus tha dealbh againne, seall, shaoileadh sibh gur e Woody Allen a th’ ann, ach chan e! ’S e dìreach Ùisdean nuair a bha e na oileanach.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Chan e… sin dh'fheumainn a ràdh, tha mi ag aideachadh gur e sin a’ chiad bhliadhna a thàinig mi a dh' obair dhan BhBC - agus tapadh leat Iain airson seacaid a thoirt dhomh air an dearbh latha…
[Iain MacIllFhinnein] Cuin a bha sin a-nise?
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Ò, ò ’s fhada on uair sin… ’S fhada on a chosg mi an seacaid. Co-dhiù, còmhla ri Iain an turas seo tha Angela NicEachainn. Nuair a thig e gu bhith sgrìobhadh eachdraidh thruagh na Gàidhlig tha an ath-thè gu bhith gu math ainmeil. Angela NicEachainn a tha an-diugh a’ fuireach ann an Dùn Èideann, far an deach i dhan oilthigh agus tha i a-nise ag obair na h-oifigear leasachaidh Gàidhlig. ’S e tha ga fàgail eachdraidheil, tha mi cinnteach, ann an craoladh, gun robh i a’ leughadh nan naidheachdan fiù ’s mus robh Màiri-Anna NicDhòmhnaill. Gu dearbh, ach nuair a dh'fhàg Angela aon dreuchd a bh’ aice, fhuair Màiri-Anna an cothrom a dhol air cùlaibh maicreafòn. Tha Angela air a bhith an sàs ann an iomadach dreuchd craolaidh thar nam bliadhnaichean agus tha i air a bhith a’ craoladh air feadh an t-saoghail. Angela, dè thug thu seo? Gu sealladh orm!
[Angela NicEachainn] Cha robh an còrr agam ri dhèanamh, ’s e a rud a bh’ ann an-diugh, feasgar an-diugh bha mi ag ràdh rium fhìn, tha e ceart cho math dhomh. Chuala mi cò bha dol a bhith ann, ’s bha mi “Hmm, OK. Thig mi ann.”
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Uill, tha sinn toilichte gun tàinig thu. Agus air mo làimh dheis, bana-Bheàrnarach, Màiri-Anna NicDhòmhnaill. Greis a-nis bhon a chuir Màiri-Anna is mi fhèin eòlas air a chèile, ’s thuig mi gu bheil a cuid foghlaim le faclan agus briathrachas co-cheangailte ris na bha i ag ithe a’ chiad char dhen latha. Dh'fheuch mi fhèin an aon rud agus dh’ fhailich e orm. Còmhla ri buntàta a’ Phrionnsa Theàrlaich, ’s i as ainmeile riamh a thàinig à Bheàrnaraigh na Hearadh. Ciamar a tha fighe a’ dol?
[Màiri-Anna NicDhòmhnaill] Fighe? Bha mi a’ smaoineachadh gun robh thu a’ dol a chur ceist orm mun bhuntàta! Bha mi dìreach deiseil gus rudan innse dhut mu dheidhinn, mu dheidhinn “Kerrs Pinks” agus “Sharpes Express” agus cha tug thu dhomh an cothrom.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Uill, fàgaidh sinn na buntàta anns an talamh, tha mi a’ smaoineachadh. Còmhla ri Màiri-Anna airson taic a chumail rithe, tha Dòmhnall “Ryno” Moireasdan. ’S e Niseach, gu barail a’ bhrògan, a th’ ann an Ryno. Tha an sgioba rannsachaidh agam ag innse dhomh nach eil Rhino eile, beag no mòr, dubh, geal no liath, anns an t-saoghal a bhruidhneas Gàidhlig, ach e fhèin. Bha e air a thogail ann am baile Adabroic, baile a bh’ air a bheannachadh le deagh obair agus deagh bhothain. Nuair a bha Ryno na dheugaire, bha obair pàirt-ùine aige mar chù-chaorach do bhràthair a mhàthar. ’S tha nise gràin a’ mhuncaidh aige air caoraich, ach a-mhàin nuair a tha iad anns a’ bhrot. Eil thu fhathast ag ithe brot, a Dhòmhnaill?
[Dòmhnall “Ryno” Moireasdan] Tha, tha, tha… ach, chan eil mi èasgaidh na mo chù. Dh'òl mi cus dhen bhrot.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Cha robh thu a’ gabhail cus comhairle an uair sin na bu mhotha?
[Dòmhnall “Ryno” Moireasdan] Cha robh, woof!
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Sin agaibh Dòmhnall is Màiri-Anna.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Aibisidh, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2012.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] Welcome again, from me Hugh Dan MacLennan, to Aibisidh where I’ll be attempting to keep the peace between two teams of wordsmiths. Two teams of experts fighting it out to see who is the most skilled in the twists and turns of vocabulary. The teams make out that they are knowledgeable of dictionaries, such as Dwelly, and other academic books. We’ll see. Maybe, neither myself nor you, nor yourselves even, will be any the wiser by the end of the series, but we live in hope that they’ll give you a laugh and that you’ll catch a word or a phrase or new information on the way.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] To the teams, then! And on my left hand side, team captain John Carmichael. John was born and raised in Islay, where he didn’t hear a word of English until he was almost six years old.
[John Carmichael] Indeed, I didn’t.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] He was always very interested in new words, although it wasn’t necessarily the best ones he picked up. And he was allegedly helping out around the byre on the Islay estate with his grandfather. That didn’t hold him back at all from using them in highly unsuitable situations, where he would be rebuked because of them. Welcome, John.
[John Carmichael] When it was fashionable. But, now, I’m going to stop you. You were shaming both Mary Anne and me the last time by showing old pictures of me. Well, we have been rummaging and raking around and we have a picture, look, you’d think it was Woody Allen, but no! It’s just High Dan when he was a student.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] No… I must say, I admit that that is from the first year when I came to work for the BBC - and thank you, John, for giving me a jacket that very day…
[John Carmichael] When was that now?
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] Oh, oh a long time ago… It’s a long time since I wore that jacket. Anyway, along with John this time is Angela MacEachen. When it comes to writing the miserable history of Gaelic, the next woman will be very famous. Angela MacEachen, who today lives in Edinburgh, where she went to university, and is now working as a Gaelic development officer. What makes her historical, I’m sure, in broadcasting is that she didn’t read the news, even before Mary Anne MacDonald. Indeed, when Angela the same job, Mary Anne got the chance to get behind a microphone. Angela has been involved in many broadcasting roles over the years and she has been broadcasting around the world. Angela, what brought you here, for goodness’ sake?
[Angela MacEachen] I wasn’t going to do the thing was, today - this afternoon, I said to myself I might as well. I heard who was going to be here, and I was like “Hmm, OK. I’ll come.”
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] Well, we’re happy you came. And on my right hand side, a Berneray-woman, Mary Anne MacDonald. It’s been a wee while since Mary Anne and myself first got to know each other but I understand that the skills and knowledge she has when it comes to words and phrases is connected to what she’d eat the first thing in the morning. I tried the same thing and I failed. Along with Prince Charles potatoes, she is the most famous thing that has come out of Berneray [North Uist]. How is the knitting going?
[Mary Anne MacDonald] Knitting? I thought you were going to ask me a question about potatoes! I was all ready to tell you thing about them, about “Kerrs Pinks” and “Sharpes Express”, but you’ve not given me the chance.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] Well, we’ll leave the potatoes in the ground, I think. With Mary Anne, to help her is Donald “Ryno” Morrison. Ryno is a Ness-man from top to toe. My research team tells me that there isn’t another rhino, small or big, , black, white or grey, in the world who speaks Gaelic, but himself. He was brought up in Adabrog, a village that was blessed with good work and good bothies. When Ryno was a teenager, he had part-time work as a sheepdog for his mother’s brother. And now, he hates sheep, but only when they are in soup. Do you still eat soup, Donald?
[Ryno] Yes, yes, yes, … but I’m not as nimble as my dog. I drank too much of that soup.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] You didn’t take much advice then?
[Ryno] No, woof!
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] That's Donald and Mary-Anne.
This programme, Aibisidh, was first broadcast in 2012.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Fàilte oirbh bhuamsa Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein a-rithist gu Aibisidh agus mi a’ feuchainn ri còrdadh a chumail eadar dà sgioba de shàr-fhaclairean. Dà sgioba de dh’ eòlaichean is a’ strì feuch cò as eòlaiche air toinneamhan agus tòisichean briathrachas na Gàidhlig. Tha na sgiobaidhean a’ cumail a-mach gu bheil iad fìor eòlach air faclairean leithid Dwelly agus leabhraichean foghlamaichte eile. Chì sinn. Dh'fhaodadh nach bi mi fhèin is tu fhèin, no sibh fhèin gu dearbha, càil nas eòlaiche aig deireadh an t-sreath, ach bidh sinn beò agus an dòchas gun toir iad gàire oirbh agus gun glac sibh facal no abairt no fiosrachadh as ùr anns an dol seachad.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Chun nan sgiobaidhean ma-thà! Agus air mo làimh chlì, sgiobair Iain Mac ‘ille Mhìcheil. Rugadh agus thogadh Iain ann an Ìle far nach cuala e facal Beurla gus an robh e faisg air sia bliadhna a dh'aois.
[Iain Mac’IlleMhìcheil] Gu dearbh, cha chuala.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Bha ùidh mhòr aige riamh ann am faclan ùra ged nach b’ e an fheadhainn a b’ fheàrr a bha e a’ togail. Agus e mas fhìor co-dhiù a’ cuideachadh timcheall na bàthcha air oighreachd Ìle còmhla ri sheanair. Cha robh sin a’ cur bacadh sam bith air bho bhith gan cleachdadh ann an suidhichidhean a bha gu math mì-fhreagarrach agus a’ faighinn dhroch chronachadh air an tàilleibh. Tha failte oirbh, Iain.
[Iain Mac’IlleMhìcheil] Nuair a bha sin fasanta. Ach, tha mise a’ dol a thoirt bacadh ortsa an-dràsta. Bha thu gar maslachadh Màiri-Anna ’s mi fhìn ri chèile air an turas mu dheireadh le bhith sealltainn seann dhealbhan dhìom. Uill, tha sinn air a bhith a’ sporghail agus a’ rùrachadh agus tha dealbh againne, seall, shaoileadh sibh gur e Woody Allen a th’ ann, ach chan e! ’S e dìreach Ùisdean nuair a bha e na oileanach.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Chan e… sin dh'fheumainn a ràdh, tha mi ag aideachadh gur e sin a’ chiad bhliadhna a thàinig mi a dh' obair dhan BhBC - agus tapadh leat Iain airson seacaid a thoirt dhomh air an dearbh latha…
[Iain MacIllFhinnein] Cuin a bha sin a-nise?
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Ò, ò ’s fhada on uair sin… ’S fhada on a chosg mi an seacaid. Co-dhiù, còmhla ri Iain an turas seo tha Angela NicEachainn. Nuair a thig e gu bhith sgrìobhadh eachdraidh thruagh na Gàidhlig tha an ath-thè gu bhith gu math ainmeil. Angela NicEachainn a tha an-diugh a’ fuireach ann an Dùn Èideann, far an deach i dhan oilthigh agus tha i a-nise ag obair na h-oifigear leasachaidh Gàidhlig. ’S e tha ga fàgail eachdraidheil, tha mi cinnteach, ann an craoladh, gun robh i a’ leughadh nan naidheachdan fiù ’s mus robh Màiri-Anna NicDhòmhnaill. Gu dearbh, ach nuair a dh'fhàg Angela aon dreuchd a bh’ aice, fhuair Màiri-Anna an cothrom a dhol air cùlaibh maicreafòn. Tha Angela air a bhith an sàs ann an iomadach dreuchd craolaidh thar nam bliadhnaichean agus tha i air a bhith a’ craoladh air feadh an t-saoghail. Angela, dè thug thu seo? Gu sealladh orm!
[Angela NicEachainn] Cha robh an còrr agam ri dhèanamh, ’s e a rud a bh’ ann an-diugh, feasgar an-diugh bha mi ag ràdh rium fhìn, tha e ceart cho math dhomh. Chuala mi cò bha dol a bhith ann, ’s bha mi “Hmm, OK. Thig mi ann.”
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Uill, tha sinn toilichte gun tàinig thu. Agus air mo làimh dheis, bana-Bheàrnarach, Màiri-Anna NicDhòmhnaill. Greis a-nis bhon a chuir Màiri-Anna is mi fhèin eòlas air a chèile, ’s thuig mi gu bheil a cuid foghlaim le faclan agus briathrachas co-cheangailte ris na bha i ag ithe a’ chiad char dhen latha. Dh'fheuch mi fhèin an aon rud agus dh’ fhailich e orm. Còmhla ri buntàta a’ Phrionnsa Theàrlaich, ’s i as ainmeile riamh a thàinig à Bheàrnaraigh na Hearadh. Ciamar a tha fighe a’ dol?
[Màiri-Anna NicDhòmhnaill] Fighe? Bha mi a’ smaoineachadh gun robh thu a’ dol a chur ceist orm mun bhuntàta! Bha mi dìreach deiseil gus rudan innse dhut mu dheidhinn, mu dheidhinn “Kerrs Pinks” agus “Sharpes Express” agus cha tug thu dhomh an cothrom.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Uill, fàgaidh sinn na buntàta anns an talamh, tha mi a’ smaoineachadh. Còmhla ri Màiri-Anna airson taic a chumail rithe, tha Dòmhnall “Ryno” Moireasdan. ’S e Niseach, gu barail a’ bhrògan, a th’ ann an Ryno. Tha an sgioba rannsachaidh agam ag innse dhomh nach eil Rhino eile, beag no mòr, dubh, geal no liath, anns an t-saoghal a bhruidhneas Gàidhlig, ach e fhèin. Bha e air a thogail ann am baile Adabroic, baile a bh’ air a bheannachadh le deagh obair agus deagh bhothain. Nuair a bha Ryno na dheugaire, bha obair pàirt-ùine aige mar chù-chaorach do bhràthair a mhàthar. ’S tha nise gràin a’ mhuncaidh aige air caoraich, ach a-mhàin nuair a tha iad anns a’ bhrot. Eil thu fhathast ag ithe brot, a Dhòmhnaill?
[Dòmhnall “Ryno” Moireasdan] Tha, tha, tha… ach, chan eil mi èasgaidh na mo chù. Dh'òl mi cus dhen bhrot.
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Cha robh thu a’ gabhail cus comhairle an uair sin na bu mhotha?
[Dòmhnall “Ryno” Moireasdan] Cha robh, woof!
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] Sin agaibh Dòmhnall is Màiri-Anna.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Aibisidh, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2012.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] Welcome again, from me Hugh Dan MacLennan, to Aibisidh where I’ll be attempting to keep the peace between two teams of wordsmiths. Two teams of experts fighting it out to see who is the most skilled in the twists and turns of vocabulary. The teams make out that they are knowledgeable of dictionaries, such as Dwelly, and other academic books. We’ll see. Maybe, neither myself nor you, nor yourselves even, will be any the wiser by the end of the series, but we live in hope that they’ll give you a laugh and that you’ll catch a word or a phrase or new information on the way.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] To the teams, then! And on my left hand side, team captain John Carmichael. John was born and raised in Islay, where he didn’t hear a word of English until he was almost six years old.
[John Carmichael] Indeed, I didn’t.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] He was always very interested in new words, although it wasn’t necessarily the best ones he picked up. And he was allegedly helping out around the byre on the Islay estate with his grandfather. That didn’t hold him back at all from using them in highly unsuitable situations, where he would be rebuked because of them. Welcome, John.
[John Carmichael] When it was fashionable. But, now, I’m going to stop you. You were shaming both Mary Anne and me the last time by showing old pictures of me. Well, we have been rummaging and raking around and we have a picture, look, you’d think it was Woody Allen, but no! It’s just High Dan when he was a student.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] No… I must say, I admit that that is from the first year when I came to work for the BBC - and thank you, John, for giving me a jacket that very day…
[John Carmichael] When was that now?
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] Oh, oh a long time ago… It’s a long time since I wore that jacket. Anyway, along with John this time is Angela MacEachen. When it comes to writing the miserable history of Gaelic, the next woman will be very famous. Angela MacEachen, who today lives in Edinburgh, where she went to university, and is now working as a Gaelic development officer. What makes her historical, I’m sure, in broadcasting is that she didn’t read the news, even before Mary Anne MacDonald. Indeed, when Angela the same job, Mary Anne got the chance to get behind a microphone. Angela has been involved in many broadcasting roles over the years and she has been broadcasting around the world. Angela, what brought you here, for goodness’ sake?
[Angela MacEachen] I wasn’t going to do the thing was, today - this afternoon, I said to myself I might as well. I heard who was going to be here, and I was like “Hmm, OK. I’ll come.”
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] Well, we’re happy you came. And on my right hand side, a Berneray-woman, Mary Anne MacDonald. It’s been a wee while since Mary Anne and myself first got to know each other but I understand that the skills and knowledge she has when it comes to words and phrases is connected to what she’d eat the first thing in the morning. I tried the same thing and I failed. Along with Prince Charles potatoes, she is the most famous thing that has come out of Berneray [North Uist]. How is the knitting going?
[Mary Anne MacDonald] Knitting? I thought you were going to ask me a question about potatoes! I was all ready to tell you thing about them, about “Kerrs Pinks” and “Sharpes Express”, but you’ve not given me the chance.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] Well, we’ll leave the potatoes in the ground, I think. With Mary Anne, to help her is Donald “Ryno” Morrison. Ryno is a Ness-man from top to toe. My research team tells me that there isn’t another rhino, small or big, , black, white or grey, in the world who speaks Gaelic, but himself. He was brought up in Adabrog, a village that was blessed with good work and good bothies. When Ryno was a teenager, he had part-time work as a sheepdog for his mother’s brother. And now, he hates sheep, but only when they are in soup. Do you still eat soup, Donald?
[Ryno] Yes, yes, yes, … but I’m not as nimble as my dog. I drank too much of that soup.
[Hugh Dan MacLennan] You didn’t take much advice then?
[Ryno] No, woof!
[Ùisdean MacIllFhinnein] That's Donald and Mary-Anne.
This programme, Aibisidh, was first broadcast in 2012.