[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Carson a bha sibh ag iarraidh a dhol gu muir?
[Iain Fearchar Rothach, nach maireann] Uill, bha ùidh agam an-còmhnaidh anns a’ mhuir agus ann am bàtaichean agus anns an làithean samhraidh, bha mi a’ dol far an robh bràthair mo mhàthar ann an sin agus bha esan a’ ruith bus beag bho Loch Buidhe sìos gu Creagan Ùra a h-uile latha le na mailichean ‘s passengers agus bhiodh mise a’ falbh còmhla ris a h-uile latha agus leis an sin, bha mi a’ faicinn na h-obrach a bha a’ dol air adhart le na h-aithisgean aig Mac a’ Bhriuthain …
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Agus an tuirt sibh ribh fhèin “Ceart, tha mise a’ dol gu muir”?
[Iain Fearchar Rothach] Cha tuirt mar sin, ach bha mi toilichte leis an obair a bha a’ dol air adhart agus bha mi a’ toirt hand dhaibh air a’ chidhe agus bha mi uabhasach pròiseil às an obair a bha sin eadhon air an aiseig bheag a bha a’ dol a-mach gu Loch Earn. Ach, mar a thachair dhòmhsa, bhon a bha mi a’ gilidheachd, thàinig fear suas à Sasainn agus bha e a’ sealg airson seachdain còmhla rinn. Agus an latha mu dheireadh, bha e air an oighreachd ‘s bha e a’ falbh, is thuirt e, is thàinig e far an robh mise agus dh’fhaighneachd e dè bha mi a’ dol a dhèanamh, air robh mi a’ dol a leantainn air adhart leis a’ ghilidheachd? Uill, arsa mi, aon uair ‘s gu bheil an sealg seachad tha sinne a-mach à obair. Uill, thug e dhomh cairt bheag, thuirt e ma tha thu a’ smaointinn mu riamh a’ dol gu muir, leig fios dhomh. Cò bha seo, ach fear MacGillivray, Maighstir MacGillivray, Managing Director Furnace Lines, London. Companaidh mòr aig an àm. Companaidh mòr maraichean aig an àm. Co-dhiù, lean beagan sheachdainean, chuir mi litir thuige. Agus an ceann beagan sheachdainean, bha mi shìos ann an Gloucester ann am baile beag Sharpness far an robh Sgoil Maraiche ann an sin.
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] An dèidh mìosan a thoirt anns a’ cholaiste ann an Sasainn, chaidh sibh gu muir, chaidh sibh ann an soithichean, dè seòrsa saoghail a bha sin? ‘S ann air deic a bha sibh?
[Iain Fearchar Rothach] Bha mi air deic, bha. Saoghal math dha-rìribh, saoghal a bha a’ toirt toileachas dhòmhsa aig an àm. A’ tachairt ri daoine ùr’ agus daoine às a’ Ghàidhealtachd, daoin’ às na h-Eileanan agus a’ seòladh mun t-saoghal air fad agus bha sin a’ toirt toileachas dhòmhsa aig an àm.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2009.
[Donald Morrison] Why did you want to go to sea?
[John Farquhar Munro] Well, I always had an interest in the sea and in boats and in the summer days, I would go to where my mother’s brother was and he ran a wee bus from Loch Buidhe down to Creagan Ùra everyday with the mail and passengers and I would be away every day and with that I saw the work that was going on with MacBrayne…
[Donald Morrison] And did you say to yourself “Right, I am going to sea”?
[John Farquhar Munro] I didn’t say it like that, but I was happy with the work that was going on and I was giving them a hand on the quay and I was awfully proud of that work even on the wee ferry that was going out to Loch Earn. But as happened to me, from when I was game keeping, a man came up from England to hunt for a week with us. And the last day, he was on the estate and he was off and he said, he came where I was and he asked what I was going to do, was I going to carry on gamekeeping? Well, I said, as soon as the hunt is finished, we are out of work. Well, he gave me a wee card, he said that if you are thinking about going to sea, let me know. Who was this, but MacGillivray, Mr MacGillivray Managing Director Furnace Lines, London. A big company at the time. A big sailing company at the time. Anyway, a few weeks followed, I sent them a letter. And in a few weeks I was down in Gloucester in a wee town called Sharpness where the sailing school was at that time.
[Donald Morrison] After spending months in the college in England, you went to sea; you were in boats, what sort of world was it? You were on deck?
[John Farquhar Munro] I was on deck, yes. It was a good world, a world that brought joy to me at the time. Meeting new people and people from the Highlands, people from the Islands and sailing to all over the world and that brought me joy at the time.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2009.
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Carson a bha sibh ag iarraidh a dhol gu muir?
[Iain Fearchar Rothach, nach maireann] Uill, bha ùidh agam an-còmhnaidh anns a’ mhuir agus ann am bàtaichean agus anns an làithean samhraidh, bha mi a’ dol far an robh bràthair mo mhàthar ann an sin agus bha esan a’ ruith bus beag bho Loch Buidhe sìos gu Creagan Ùra a h-uile latha le na mailichean ‘s passengers agus bhiodh mise a’ falbh còmhla ris a h-uile latha agus leis an sin, bha mi a’ faicinn na h-obrach a bha a’ dol air adhart le na h-aithisgean aig Mac a’ Bhriuthain …
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] Agus an tuirt sibh ribh fhèin “Ceart, tha mise a’ dol gu muir”?
[Iain Fearchar Rothach] Cha tuirt mar sin, ach bha mi toilichte leis an obair a bha a’ dol air adhart agus bha mi a’ toirt hand dhaibh air a’ chidhe agus bha mi uabhasach pròiseil às an obair a bha sin eadhon air an aiseig bheag a bha a’ dol a-mach gu Loch Earn. Ach, mar a thachair dhòmhsa, bhon a bha mi a’ gilidheachd, thàinig fear suas à Sasainn agus bha e a’ sealg airson seachdain còmhla rinn. Agus an latha mu dheireadh, bha e air an oighreachd ‘s bha e a’ falbh, is thuirt e, is thàinig e far an robh mise agus dh’fhaighneachd e dè bha mi a’ dol a dhèanamh, air robh mi a’ dol a leantainn air adhart leis a’ ghilidheachd? Uill, arsa mi, aon uair ‘s gu bheil an sealg seachad tha sinne a-mach à obair. Uill, thug e dhomh cairt bheag, thuirt e ma tha thu a’ smaointinn mu riamh a’ dol gu muir, leig fios dhomh. Cò bha seo, ach fear MacGillivray, Maighstir MacGillivray, Managing Director Furnace Lines, London. Companaidh mòr aig an àm. Companaidh mòr maraichean aig an àm. Co-dhiù, lean beagan sheachdainean, chuir mi litir thuige. Agus an ceann beagan sheachdainean, bha mi shìos ann an Gloucester ann am baile beag Sharpness far an robh Sgoil Maraiche ann an sin.
[Dòmhnall Moireasdan] An dèidh mìosan a thoirt anns a’ cholaiste ann an Sasainn, chaidh sibh gu muir, chaidh sibh ann an soithichean, dè seòrsa saoghail a bha sin? ‘S ann air deic a bha sibh?
[Iain Fearchar Rothach] Bha mi air deic, bha. Saoghal math dha-rìribh, saoghal a bha a’ toirt toileachas dhòmhsa aig an àm. A’ tachairt ri daoine ùr’ agus daoine às a’ Ghàidhealtachd, daoin’ às na h-Eileanan agus a’ seòladh mun t-saoghal air fad agus bha sin a’ toirt toileachas dhòmhsa aig an àm.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2009.
[Donald Morrison] Why did you want to go to sea?
[John Farquhar Munro] Well, I always had an interest in the sea and in boats and in the summer days, I would go to where my mother’s brother was and he ran a wee bus from Loch Buidhe down to Creagan Ùra everyday with the mail and passengers and I would be away every day and with that I saw the work that was going on with MacBrayne…
[Donald Morrison] And did you say to yourself “Right, I am going to sea”?
[John Farquhar Munro] I didn’t say it like that, but I was happy with the work that was going on and I was giving them a hand on the quay and I was awfully proud of that work even on the wee ferry that was going out to Loch Earn. But as happened to me, from when I was game keeping, a man came up from England to hunt for a week with us. And the last day, he was on the estate and he was off and he said, he came where I was and he asked what I was going to do, was I going to carry on gamekeeping? Well, I said, as soon as the hunt is finished, we are out of work. Well, he gave me a wee card, he said that if you are thinking about going to sea, let me know. Who was this, but MacGillivray, Mr MacGillivray Managing Director Furnace Lines, London. A big company at the time. A big sailing company at the time. Anyway, a few weeks followed, I sent them a letter. And in a few weeks I was down in Gloucester in a wee town called Sharpness where the sailing school was at that time.
[Donald Morrison] After spending months in the college in England, you went to sea; you were in boats, what sort of world was it? You were on deck?
[John Farquhar Munro] I was on deck, yes. It was a good world, a world that brought joy to me at the time. Meeting new people and people from the Highlands, people from the Islands and sailing to all over the world and that brought me joy at the time.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2009.