[Dòmhnall] Bha na Leòdhasaich air an slighe gu taobh sear Quebec, dìreach air a' chrìch mar an robh Canada 's na Stàitean Aonaichte a-mach air a chèile. Bhiodh air a' cheann thall na coimhearsnachdan ris an canadh iad na Bailtean-An-Ear air àite cho Gàidhealach 's a bh' ann an Canada.
[Dòmhnall] Bha na sgìrean-sa air leth cudromach do riaghaltas Chanada 's an t-strì eadar iad fhèin agus na Stàitean Aonaichte mun fhearann, ach cha b' e na poilitigs sin idir a bha a' cur air eilthirich MhicMhathain no an fheadhainn eile a lean iad às dèidh sin.
[Aonghas Moireasdan] Thàinig iad a-nall air an eathar 's nuair a landaig iad ann an Quebec City chunnaic iad dè bha a’ fuireach riutha 's cha robh iad glè thoilichte. Cha robh càil ann ach coille. Nam biodh airgead aca bha iad air falbh air ais far an tàinig iad. 'S cha robh càil aca a ghearradh nan craobhan ach thug an government dhaibh làmhagain 's aon sàbh. Bha iad ag obair glè chruaidh.
[Dòmhnall] Bha iad air leth-cheud 's ceud acaire air a ghealltainn dhan chiad eilthirich. A rèir beul-aithris bhiodh iad a' tomhais na talmhainn leis an treas salm thar an fhichead. Dheigheadh duine ceithir thimcheall air an lot aige fhèin 's an salm ga seinn fhad 's a bhiodh e a' coiseachd. Bha fhios aige càite an stadadh e nuair a dheigheadh na h-uimhir dhan t-salm a sheinn. Ach bha na sailm cuideachd nan cofhurtachd spioradail dhaibh agus nan teisteanas air a' chreideamh a bh' aca. Bhiodh an dà chuid a dhìth anns a' choille dhlùith.
[Dòmhnall] Cha robh coltas sam bith aig na fhuair iad ri cluaintean glas an t-sailm ud.
[Mairead Bennett] Fhuair iad gealladh gun robh taigh air an talamh seo ach nuair a ràinig iad cha robh ach bothan 's bha sneachd a' tighinn tro na pìosan fiodha agus bha gaoth a' tighinn a-steach. Bha iad fuar. Ò bha e uabhasach, uabhasach cruaidh dhaibh.
[Mairead Bennett] Co-dhiù bha iad a' gearradh nan craobhan agus a' dèanamh achadh agus loisg iad an cuid pàirt dhe na craobhan a gheàrr iad agus bha iad a' dèanamh potash agus mar sin bha iad a' faighinn beagan airgid agus pìos air phìos, bliadhna às dèidh bliadhna rinn iad dìreach achadh às dèidh achadh. Ò bha e uabhasach doirbh dhaibh.
[Dòmhnall] Ach chaidh a' choimhearsnachd am meud tron chòrr den naoidheadh linn deug le tuilleadh eilthirich Ghàidhealach a' tighinn à Alba. Mar a bha riamh, bha nàbachd agus taic dha chèile bunaiteach dhaibh.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Na h-Eilthirich, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 1999.
[Donald] The Lewis folk were on their way to the eastern side of Quebec, just on the border before Canada and the United States fell out. These communities that they called the Eastern Towns would eventually be one of the most Highland places in Canada.
[Donald] These areas were extremely important to the Canadian government and the struggle between themselves and the United States over the land, but it wasn't that politics at all that bothered Matheson's emigrants or those who followed them after that.
[Angus Morrison] They came across on the boat and when they landed in Quebec City they saw what they were living with and they weren't very happy. There was nothing but a forest. If they had had money they would have gone back to where they came from. And they had nothing to cut the trees with but the government gave them small axes and one saw. They worked very hard.
[Donald] They had promised one hundred and fifty acres to the first emigrants. Accordingly to oral history they would measure the land with the twenty third psalm. A man would walk around his croft and the psalm was sung whilst he walked. He knew where to stop with the number of the psalms was sung. But the psalms were also a spiritual comfort to them and a testimony to their religion. Both were needed in the dense forest.
[Donald] What they got was nothing like what they had heard with the psalms,
[Margaret Bennett] They were promised a house on this land but when they arrived it was just a bothy and snow was coming through the pieces of wood and the wind was coming in. They were cold. Oh it was terribly, terribly difficult for them.
[Margaret Bennett] Anyway they cut the trees and made a field and they burnt their share of the trees that they cut and they made a potash and so they got a little money and piece by piece, year on year they just made field after field. Oh it was terribly difficult for them.
[Donald] But the community grew through the rest of the nineteenth century with more Highland emigrants coming from Scotland. As always neighbourhood and support for one another was fundamental to them.
This programme, Na h-Eilthirich, was first broadcast in 1999.
[Dòmhnall] Bha na Leòdhasaich air an slighe gu taobh sear Quebec, dìreach air a' chrìch mar an robh Canada 's na Stàitean Aonaichte a-mach air a chèile. Bhiodh air a' cheann thall na coimhearsnachdan ris an canadh iad na Bailtean-An-Ear air àite cho Gàidhealach 's a bh' ann an Canada.
[Dòmhnall] Bha na sgìrean-sa air leth cudromach do riaghaltas Chanada 's an t-strì eadar iad fhèin agus na Stàitean Aonaichte mun fhearann, ach cha b' e na poilitigs sin idir a bha a' cur air eilthirich MhicMhathain no an fheadhainn eile a lean iad às dèidh sin.
[Aonghas Moireasdan] Thàinig iad a-nall air an eathar 's nuair a landaig iad ann an Quebec City chunnaic iad dè bha a’ fuireach riutha 's cha robh iad glè thoilichte. Cha robh càil ann ach coille. Nam biodh airgead aca bha iad air falbh air ais far an tàinig iad. 'S cha robh càil aca a ghearradh nan craobhan ach thug an government dhaibh làmhagain 's aon sàbh. Bha iad ag obair glè chruaidh.
[Dòmhnall] Bha iad air leth-cheud 's ceud acaire air a ghealltainn dhan chiad eilthirich. A rèir beul-aithris bhiodh iad a' tomhais na talmhainn leis an treas salm thar an fhichead. Dheigheadh duine ceithir thimcheall air an lot aige fhèin 's an salm ga seinn fhad 's a bhiodh e a' coiseachd. Bha fhios aige càite an stadadh e nuair a dheigheadh na h-uimhir dhan t-salm a sheinn. Ach bha na sailm cuideachd nan cofhurtachd spioradail dhaibh agus nan teisteanas air a' chreideamh a bh' aca. Bhiodh an dà chuid a dhìth anns a' choille dhlùith.
[Dòmhnall] Cha robh coltas sam bith aig na fhuair iad ri cluaintean glas an t-sailm ud.
[Mairead Bennett] Fhuair iad gealladh gun robh taigh air an talamh seo ach nuair a ràinig iad cha robh ach bothan 's bha sneachd a' tighinn tro na pìosan fiodha agus bha gaoth a' tighinn a-steach. Bha iad fuar. Ò bha e uabhasach, uabhasach cruaidh dhaibh.
[Mairead Bennett] Co-dhiù bha iad a' gearradh nan craobhan agus a' dèanamh achadh agus loisg iad an cuid pàirt dhe na craobhan a gheàrr iad agus bha iad a' dèanamh potash agus mar sin bha iad a' faighinn beagan airgid agus pìos air phìos, bliadhna às dèidh bliadhna rinn iad dìreach achadh às dèidh achadh. Ò bha e uabhasach doirbh dhaibh.
[Dòmhnall] Ach chaidh a' choimhearsnachd am meud tron chòrr den naoidheadh linn deug le tuilleadh eilthirich Ghàidhealach a' tighinn à Alba. Mar a bha riamh, bha nàbachd agus taic dha chèile bunaiteach dhaibh.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Na h-Eilthirich, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 1999.
[Donald] The Lewis folk were on their way to the eastern side of Quebec, just on the border before Canada and the United States fell out. These communities that they called the Eastern Towns would eventually be one of the most Highland places in Canada.
[Donald] These areas were extremely important to the Canadian government and the struggle between themselves and the United States over the land, but it wasn't that politics at all that bothered Matheson's emigrants or those who followed them after that.
[Angus Morrison] They came across on the boat and when they landed in Quebec City they saw what they were living with and they weren't very happy. There was nothing but a forest. If they had had money they would have gone back to where they came from. And they had nothing to cut the trees with but the government gave them small axes and one saw. They worked very hard.
[Donald] They had promised one hundred and fifty acres to the first emigrants. Accordingly to oral history they would measure the land with the twenty third psalm. A man would walk around his croft and the psalm was sung whilst he walked. He knew where to stop with the number of the psalms was sung. But the psalms were also a spiritual comfort to them and a testimony to their religion. Both were needed in the dense forest.
[Donald] What they got was nothing like what they had heard with the psalms,
[Margaret Bennett] They were promised a house on this land but when they arrived it was just a bothy and snow was coming through the pieces of wood and the wind was coming in. They were cold. Oh it was terribly, terribly difficult for them.
[Margaret Bennett] Anyway they cut the trees and made a field and they burnt their share of the trees that they cut and they made a potash and so they got a little money and piece by piece, year on year they just made field after field. Oh it was terribly difficult for them.
[Donald] But the community grew through the rest of the nineteenth century with more Highland emigrants coming from Scotland. As always neighbourhood and support for one another was fundamental to them.
This programme, Na h-Eilthirich, was first broadcast in 1999.