Sealladh Prìseil bho Bhothan Fàs	View from a Deserted Bothy
"Bho Chluaidh gu Calasraid: from the Clyde to Callander - Gaelic Songs, Poetry, Tales and Traditions of the Lennox and Menteith" leis an Dr Mìcheal Newton; Acair, Gàidhlig / Beurla, £13.99 bog	"Bho Chluaidh gu Calasraid: from the Clyde to Callander - Gaelic Songs, Poetry, Tales and Traditions of the Lennox and Menteith" by Dr Michael Newton; Acair, Gaelic / English, £13.99 paperback
ri fhaighinn bho Chomhairle nan Leabhraichean	available from the Gaelic Books Council
lèirmheas le Tònaidh Dilworth, Dùn Èideann	review by Anthony Dilworth, Edinburgh
Tha mi 'm bothan 'am ònrachd 'S mi air còmhnard an rathaid, Dh'fheuch am faic mi fear fuadain Tighinn bho Chruachan a' cheathaich; No bheil sgeul air Cloinn Ghriogair No bheil fios cia 'n taobh a ghabh iad.	I am in the bothy all alone On the level space in the road, To see if there is a wanderer Coming from Cruachan of the mist; Or if there are tidings of the MacGregors, Or if it is known which way they went.
Siad sin na rannan leis a bheil an dàn Tha mi 'm Bothan 'am Ònrachd a' tòiseachadh, aon de na dàin a dhrùidh orm gu mòr nuair a leugh mi e air son a' chiad triob ann an clas na Ceiltis san oilthigh sa bhliadhna 1950. Agus ann an dòigh, 'se brìgh an leabhair air fad, domhsa co-dhiù, cà 'n deach Clann Ghriogair, agus a' Ghàidhlig, agus an dualchas, a bha cho làidir uaireigin cho fada deas, cha mhòr, ri stairsneach doras mòr Ghlaschu.	Those are the verses with which the poem I am in the Bothy all Alone" begins, one of the poems which greatly impressed me when I read it for the first time in the Celtic class at university in 1950. And in a way, the theme of the book entirely, for me at least, is where did Clan MacGregor go, and Gaelic, and the heritage, which were once so strong as far south, almost, as the threshold of Glasgow's front door.
Thug an leabhar beartach, cudromach seo toileachas mòr domh, agus bròn, oir bha mise air aon de na sgoilearan a fhuair "blasad den t-seann chainnt nuair a thòisich iad air dualchainntean na Gàidhlig a chlàradh anns a' bhliadhna 1950" (d286). Bha mise (thòisich mi fhèin ann an 1954), agus feadhainn eile leithid Fred MacAmhlaidh, aig leabaidh bhàis leug uabhasach prìseil. Agus tha mi duilich a ràdh gur gann a tha fhios aig Gaidheil 's Goill an là an--diugh, gu robh a leithid is Gàidhlig riamh deas air Madaigein na Mòn, mar a theireadh na Peairtich ri Mòinteach Raineach.	This rich, important book gave me great pleasure, and sadness, for I was one of the scholars who "were able to record samples of the old tongue when they were researching Gaelic dialects in the year 1950" (p286). I myself (I began in 1954) and others like Fred MacAulay were present at the death bed of this very precious jewel. And I am sorry to say that Highlanders and Lowlanders today hardly know that there was ever any Gaelic south of Madaigein na Mòn, as the Perthshire people called Rannoch Moor.
San fhacal toisich, tha Iain MacAonghuis ag ràdh: "Tha leabhar againn an seo anns a bheil saidhbhreas nach beag." Bu mhath leam beagan den t-saidhbhreas sin a chur fa'r comhair. Sa chiad àite, chuir an t-ùghdar stuth a' chuspair ann an òrdugh fìor fhreagarrach mar a leanas: Seann Eachdraidh; Dòigh--beatha nan Daoine; Cogadh agus Gaisgeachd; Linn nan Seumasach agus ' na Dèidh.	In the foreword, John MacInnes says: "We have here a book in which there are great riches". I would like to present you with a little of those riches. In the first place, the author has arranged the subject matter very appropriately as follows: Ancient History; Lives of the People; Heroism and Warfare; The Jacobite Period and Afterwards.
Thog an t-ùghdar an stuth cuspair seo aig a bheil bun-tanas ri taobh deas na Gaidhealtachd a iomadh tobar eòlais - làmh-sgrìobhainnean is leabhraichean eadar sean is ùr, Seann Ghàidhlig agus Gàidhlig gach linn bhon a-sin. Tha na tobraichean eòlais uile air an clàradh aig deireadh an leabhair, còmhla ri clàr ùghdaran agus clàr leabhraichean, faclair is liosta de dh'ainmean àite is ainmean daoine.	The author has taken this material, all of which belongs to the southern Highlands, from many sources - manuscripts and old and recent books, Old Irish and the Gaelic of every period since then. These sources are all listed at the end of the book, along with an index of authors and books, a glossary and a list of place and personal names.
Tha trì toinntein smaoine a' ruith tro na ceithir earrannan seo - eachdraidh an t-sluaigh, eachdraidh a' chànain agus eachdraidh shòisealta.	There are three threads running through these four divisions - the history of the people, the history of the language and social history.
Sa chiad earrann - Seann Eachdraidh - sgrìobh an t-ùghdar aithisg mu Eachdraidh ann an Ainmeannan, gu h-àraid ainmean àite sa bheil ainmean nan naomh a bh'ann ri linn Chaluim Chille 's 'na dhèidh. Tha corra sgeulachd air naoimh, air Fionn is an Fhèinn agus dà phìos bàrdachd - Is Saor do Leannan, a Leamhain agus Laoidh do Amhlaoibh Àird nan Capall, le chèile air an ath-chruthachadh bho Ghàidhlig Chlasaigeach.	In the first section - Ancient History - the author has written a piece about History in Names, especially place-names in which are the names of saints in St Columba's time and after. There are some stories about saints, Fingal and the Fiann and two pieces of poetry - Your Lover is Noble, O Leven and A Lay to Amhlaoibh of Ardencaple, both translated from Classical Gaelic.
San dàrna earrann - Dòigh-beatha nan Daoine - tha sgeulachdan mu shìthichean, fuamhairean, an sgoil dubh is rudan a thachair san dùthaich; agus òrain ghaoil, cumhachan agus marbhrannan; agus iad uile a' toirt duinn dealbh de bheatha làitheil nan daoine.	In the second section - Lives of the People - there are stories about fairies, giants, black magic and events which took place in the district; and love songs, laments and elegies; all giving us a picture of the daily life of the people.
San treas earrann - Cogadh agus Gaisgeachd - tha sgeulachdan mu Raibeart Brus, cogadh eadar na fineachan a bha timcheall Loch Laomainn, deasbadan fuilteach eadar cinn chinnidh, agus òrain mu dheidhinn chreachan, leithid Togail nam Bò. Tha an sgeul Marbhadh Mhic a' Chombaich air leth inntinneach.	In the third section - Heroism and Warfare - there are stories about Robert the Bruce, warring between the clans around Loch Lomond, bloody feuds between chiefs, and songs about cattle raids, such as MacFarlane's Song to the Cattle Raid. The story Colquhoun's Death is particularly interesting.
Tha an ceathramh earrann - Linn nan Seumasach agus 'na Dèidh - ag innse dhuinn mar a thòisich cùisean a dhol clì san dùthaich seo. Tha an t-ùghdar ag innse dhuinn nach robh "...ach bliadhna no dhà an dèidh Chùil Lodair nuair a thòisich Bhaltar, ceann cinnidh nam Pàrlanach, air daoine fhuadach gus an àraicheadh e caoraich Ghallda air oighreachd agus gus an dèanadh e prothaid" (d250). Tha e doirbh gun a bhith a' smuaineachadh nach robh anns na fineachan ach feachdan prìobhaideach, agus cho luath 's nach robh feum tuilleadh orra, leig na cinn chinnidh leo' falbh leis an t-sruth. Rinn bard òran don ainm A Loch Laomainn nan Lùb sa bheil e ag ràdh:	The fourth section - The Jacobite Period and Afterwards - tells us how things began to go wrong in this district. The author tells us that "it was only a year or two after Culloden that the chieftain of the Mac-Farlanes, Walter MacFarlane, began evicting people so that he could reap the profits of rearing Lowland sheep on his estates" (p250). It is difficult not to think that the clans were merely private armies, and as soon as there was no more need for them, the chiefs got rid of them. A poet composed a song entitled O Loch Lomond of the Many Bends in which he says:
'S leasach' neònach air tìr Bhith ga fàsach' de dhaoin'! A thoirt sealbh innt' do chaoraich bhuig.	It is a strange improvement for the land To be cleared of its people! To give it over to delicate sheep.
Ghluais na daoine don Ghalldachd agus chuir iad air bonn comainn mar a chì sinn ann an Òran do Chomann Gaidhealach Uisge Leamhain.	The people moved to the Lowlands and set up societies as we see in A Song to the Water of Leven Gaelic Society.
Tha an leabhar seo a' tòiseachadh agus Gàidhlig is cultar Gaidhealach an taobh deas gu math beothail, agus a' crìochnachadh le bàs dùthcha, ach fàgaidh mi am facal mu dheireadh aig an Dr Newton fhèin.	This book begins with the Gaelic and the Gaelic culture of the south very lively, and it finishes with the death of a district, but I will leave the last word with Dr Newton himself.
"Is mòr am beud gun deach a' Ghàidhlig air chall, agus an t-uabhas den dùthchas 'na cois. Chan e sin a-mhàin, ach gur gann gu bheil sìon den t-seann dream air fhàgail. Biodh sin mar a bhitheas, tha an litreachas agus a' bheul-aithris seo airidh air tighinn beò as ùr air beul an t-sluaigh anns an là an-diugh."	"It is a terrible tragedy that Gaelic has been lost. It is also a matter of great regret that so few of the native inhabitants remain in the area. Be that as it may, this literature and tradition deserves to find a new lease of life among those alive in the present."
Ar taing don ùghdar air son an leabhair shnoig seo sa bheil dealbhan is mapaichean, sgeulachdan is bàrdachd, agus iad uile am broinn còmhdach grinn. Gum mair an dualchas beò sna duilleagan seo. Agus on a tha a h-uile nì ann an Gàidhlig is Beurla, aghaidh ri aghaidh, faodaidh a h-uile neach a cheannach is a leughadh - agus bu chòir!	Our thanks to the author for this attractive book with pictures and maps, stories and poetry, and all within a fine cover. May the heritage remain alive in these pages. And since everything is in Gaelic and English, face to face, everyone may buy it and read it - and they should!

You can find more articles in the archive under Gaelic Column and information on the organization at C.L.I.