Scottish Gaelic Column August 1997

The Scottish Gaelic Column

	Tha an colbh Gàidhlig seo air a tharraing à "Cothrom", an ràitheachan dà-chànanach aig CLI. Thèid "Cothrom" fhaighinn an asgaidh le buill ChLI, an carthannas airson luchd-ionnsachaidh is luchd-taic na Gàidhlig.	This Gaelic column is drawn from "Cothrom", the bilingual quarterly magazine from CLI. "Cothrom" is distributed free to members of CLI, the charity for learners and supporters of Scots Gaelic
Ma tha thu ag iarraidh lethbhreac an asgaidh de sheann iris, cuir an seòladh puist agad gu cli@sol.co.uk ag innse gur ann tro "Scottish Radiance" a fhuair thu fios air CLI.	If you would like a free backcopy of "Cothrom", send your postal address to cli@sol.co.uk, saying that you heard of CLI through "Scottish Radiance".

A' Cur Cùl ris an Dùthchas "Clanship, Commerce and the House of Stuart 1603-1788" le Ailean MacAonghais; Tuckwell Press, Beurla, £16.99 bog	Neglecting the Clan Lands "Clanship, Commerce and the House of Stuart 1603-1788" by Allan Macinnes; Tuckwell Press, English, £16.99 paperback
San leabhar seo tha Proifeasair na h Eachdraidh aig Oilthigh Obar Dheathain a' sgrùdadh fear dhe na h amannan as iom-fhillte doilleire ann an eachdraidh na Gàidhealtachd. A dh'aindeoin an tiotail, chan eil ann an co-cheangal saoghal na Gàidhlig ris na Stiùbhartaich ach fo-sgeul chudromach dhen phrìomh sgeòil, 'se sin mar a chaidh urraidhean na fine Gàidhealaich bho bhith nan ceannardan treubha gu bhith nan uachdarain choimeirsealta.	In this book, the Professor of History at Aberdeen University surveys one of the most complex and challenging periods in Highland history. In spite of the title, the relationship of Gaeldom with the Stuarts is more of an essential subtext to the main theme, the transformation of the Highland clan elite from tribal leaders to commercial landowners.
Tha Proif MacAonghais a' tòiseachadh le tuairisgeul air an t seann chaidreabh Ghàidhealach, gu h àraid air an fhine a tha, aig bun dha rèir-san, na chomann tìreil de bhuidhnean cinnidh a tharraing còmhla airson co-dhìon tro ghnìomharan a' chinn-fhine is nam prìomh uaislean - seòrsa de chlas gaisgeil curanta. Tha e a' cur rir n eòlas le dà bheachd-smaoin air gleidheadh fearainn ris an can e "dùthchas" agus "oighreachd".	Prof Macinnes begins with a description of traditional social organisation in Gaeldom, focusing on "the clan" which he characterises as essentially a territorial association of kin-based groups, brought together for the purposes of mutual protection through the agency of the chief and leading gentry - a sort of heroic warrior class. His contribution is to identify two concepts of territorial claim, what he describes as "dùthchas" and "oighreachd".
Tha e a' mìneachadh "dùthchas" mar nàdar de dh'urrasaireachd dhualach a bh'aig uarraidhean na fine air tìr na fine do mhath na buidhne. Dhàsan 'se as ciall do "dh'oighreachd" ach còir dhualach fhiùdalach air fearann, còir a bha tighinn bho thùs bho chùmhnant a' Chrùin. Tha e a' dèanamh dheth gur e neo-ionannachd fearann an dùthchais agus fearann na h oighreachd a b'adhbhar do thòrr dhen aimhreit ann an co-dhiù an 17 linn. Barrachd is barrachd 'se an oighreachd seachd an dùthchas a bha cudromach do dh'urraidhean na fine, oir b'e an oighreachd a mhàin a dh'fhaodar cleachdadh airson buannachd choimeirsealta.	"Dùthchas" he defines as a sort of inherited trusteeship which the clan elite exercised over the clan territory for the mutual advantage of the group. "Oighreachd" he treats as the inherited feudal title to estates, a title that was ultimately derived through a Crown charter. He argues that much of the instability of the 17th century at least is due to the fact that the territories over which the clan elite exercised dùthchas and those which comprised their oighreachd did not overlap. Increasingly, it is oighreachd rather than dùthchas that is important to the clan elite, because only oighreachd could serve as a basis for commercial exploitation.
Tha MacAonghais a' cur an aghaidh na barail gur ann an lorg Chùil Lodair as mò a ghabh an tionndadh bho cheann-cinnidh gu uachdaran coimeirsealta àite. 'Se bh'ann, dha rèir, ach atharrachadh a thòisich co-dhiù tràth san t 17 linn. 'Sann ri linn Sheumais VI a chaidh oidhirp dha-rìribh a dhèanamh leis a' Chrùn gus na h urraidhean fine a dhèanamh nan uachdarain Bhreatannach, agus tha e dhen bheachd gum bu chòir coimhead air Reachdan I gu h àraidh mar phàirt dhe seo seach mar ionnsaigh ladarna air cultar na Gàidhlig mar a bhios cuid a' cumail a mach.	Prof Macinnes challenges the view that this process of transformation of clan chief to commercial landlord occurred primarily in the wake of Culloden. Instead, he argues, this process dates at least to the early 17th century. It is during the reign of James VI that serious efforts are made by the Crown to transform the clan elite into members of the British landed classes, and he argues that the Statutes of Iona should be interpreted primarily in this light, rather than being seen as the frontal attack on Gaelic culture they are sometimes portrayed to be.
Bha aig na h urraidhean fine ri tòiseachadh air coimhead air gnothaichean coimeirsealta seach riaghladh fearainn traidiseanta, a bha do mhath na fine air fad, ri linn cron Cogaidhean Mhontròis sna 1640n, is iad a' fàgail nan urraidhean fo fhiachan a bha càrnadh suas. Cha deach an t aomadh seo ach a dhaingneachadh le fàs na fèille air crodh anmoch san t 17 linn agus leis an dròbhadh de bhuair mhòra a thàinig na chois.	The destructive effects of the Montrose wars of the 1640s which led to accumulating debts among the clan elites forced those elites to begin to consider commercial alternatives to the traditional basis of estate management, aimed as it was at the maintenance of the clan as a whole. The expansion of the market for cattle in the late 17th century and the resulting development of large scale cattle droving only reinforced these trends.
Fiachan a' sìor shreap, urraidhean a bha na bu trice bho bhaile agus a' fàs na bu chleachdte ri beatha baile is cùirte ann an Dun Eideann is Lunnainn, agus màl a bhiodh a' dìreadh; bha iad uile a' fosgladh sgàinidhean sòisealta am broinn na fine. Ach ma tha MacAonghais ag ràdh, fhuair am bruthadh furtachd agus nàdar de fhreagairt tro Sheumasachd. 'Se bh'ann an Cùil Lodair agus na thàinig na lorg, a rèist, ach an ceum mu dheireadh agus chan b'e a' chiad cheum air an t slighe gu cleachdadh coimeirsealta tìr na fine.	Spiralling debts, increasing absences of clan elites who increasingly came to identify with the urban and courtly life of Edinburgh and London, and upward pressures on rents all created social pressures within the clan. As Prof Macinnes suggests, however, such tensions found an outlet and something of a resolution in Jacobitism. Culloden and its aftermath, then, are the final and not the first step in the process by which clan lands are given over to commercial exploitation.
Gun teagamh tha an leabhar seo aig MacAonghais glè chuideachail ann a bhith a' dèanamh ciall dhe na feartan eaconamach a thug uiread a bhuaidh air eachdraidh an ama. Gu sònraichte inntinneach tha an sgrùdadh aige dhe na leasachaidhean coimeirsealta an dèidh Aiseag an Rìgh an 1660. Ach tha mòran dhen argamaid stèidhte air na bha gabhail àite air fearann Sìol Dhiarmaid an Earra Ghàidheal. Air an iompachadh tràth gu Clèireachd, gu Cuigseachd agus gu prionnsabalan coimeirsealta ann an riaghladh fearainn, chan eil e soilleir gun ionann na Caimbeulaich ris a' chòrr dhen Ghàidhealtachd.	Without question, Prof Macinnes' book provides valuable insights into the economic forces which helped to produce significant changes in the period he studies. In particular, his analysis of commercial developments after the Restoration in 1660 is most interesting. Yet much of this discussion is based on events taking place on Campbell lands in Argyll. Early converts to Presbyterianism, Whiggism and the application of commercial principles to estate management, it is not at all clear that these Campbells are fully representative of wider Gaeldom.
Tha MacAonghais a' togail fianais eaconamach is eile ann a bhith a' cur an aghaidh a' bheachd gun robh na fineachan cogail fòirneartach neo-laghail san t 17 linn is tràth san 18 linn. Tha e a' dèanamh argamaid mhath gun robh is gu bheil na beachdan seo thar na còrach, gu ìre air an sgaoileadh leis a' Chrùn agus le Goill aig am biodh buannachd maoine ann a bhith a' cumail gnàth-bharail a' dol. Tha e a' nochdadh gum b'e polasaidh an riaghaltais fhèin gu ìre mhòr a bu choireach do na bh'ann de dh'aimhreit air a' Ghàidhealtachd.	Prof Macinnes uses economic and other evidence to challenge the notion that the clans were militaristic, violent and lawless during the 17th and early 18th centuries. He argues, convincingly, that such claims were and are overstated, in part the fabrication of the Crown and others outside of Gaeldom who had a material interest in perpetuating a stereotype. He shows that such instability as existed in Gaeldom was in no small part due to government policy itself.
'Se aon mhearachd mhòr a tha san leabhar an dòigh chumhang sa bheil e a' rannsachadh atharrachadh cultarach is cànanach nan urraidhean fine aig an àm; cha robh am filleadh a steach do ghnàth-bheatha Bhreatainn na chùis eaconamach a mhàin ach cuideachd cultarach. Chan eil an tionndadh bho chaidreabh treubhach gu caidreabh stèidhte air prionnsabalan coimeirsealta an còmhnaidh a' tachairt le tul-thionndadh cultarach is cànanach na chois; dè na feartan sònraichte a bha toirt buaidh air a' Ghàidhealtachd a b'adhbhar dha seo?	One serious criticism of the book is its limited treatment of the broader cultural and linguistic shift that took place amongst the clan elite during the period; this was not only a process of economic integration into the British mainstream, but also a cultural one. Transformation from a social organisation based on tribalism to one based on commercial principles is not always accompanied by comprehensive cultural and linguistic shifts; what were the special factors affecting Gaeldom that explain this?
Mar sin, mar eisimpleir, ged a tha MacAonghais a' bruidhinn tòrr mu na h atharraichean ann an riaghladh fearainn a chaidh an cur an gnìomh leis na Caimbeulaich am meadhan is deireadh na 17 linn, chan eil mòran sgrùdadh air na h atharraichean cultarach a bha gabhail àite nam measg aig an àm. Bha na h urraidhean seo a' gleidheadh bàird chùirte, Clann MhicEòghainn, a bha dèanamh fiù sna 1630n bàrdachd Chlasaigeach le cuspairean annasach ùra a' nochdadh barail nodha urraidhean an ama. Dè dh'èirich gus na leasachaidhean inntinneach cultarach seo a chur gu neoini agus carson? Chan eil a' chùis bhunaiteach seo ga sgrùdadh.	So, for example, while Prof Macinnes discusses at length the changes in estate management implemented by the Campbells of Argyll in the mid to late 17th century, there is little analysis of the cultural change taking place in this particular clan elite at the same time. These same Campbells retained court poets, the MacEwens, who were even in the 1630s producing Classical verse with startling new motifs which reflected some of the new values imbuing the clan elite at this time. What happened to derail these interesting cultural developments, and why? These fundamental issues are not addressed.
Mar an ceudna tha MacAonghais a' cumail a mach nach ann air na bàird chùirte a bha cronachadh Reachdan I ag amas ach air "Cliar Sheanachain", na còmhlain allabanach de dh'fhilidhean. Ach chan eil mìneachadh no sgrùdadh aige air carson a dh'fhalbh bàrdachd chùirte aig an àm seo, gun luaidh air an sgoilearachd nach robh ri fhaighinn ach am measg luchd foghlaim is litreachais na Gàidhlig.	Similarly, Prof Macinnes makes the claim that strictures in the Statutes of Iona were directed not so much at the court poets but at the wandering minstrel bands, the "Cliar Sheanachain". He fails, however, to explain or analyse the reasons that do underlie the demise in this period of court poetry or of the broader Gaelic learning that was the preserve of the disappearing Gaelic learned orders and literati.
'Se duilgheadas eile mar a bhios an t ùghdar a' cur feum air briathrachas is bàrdachd Ghàidhlig. Ann a bhith a' deasbad dàimhealachd shòisealta na Gàidhlig, mar eisimpleir, tha MacAonghais a' cleachdadh is a' mìneachadh mòran bhriathran Gàidhlig. Gu mì-fhortanach, tha iomadh tuar cèille aig facail leithid "fine", "dùthchas", "uachdaran" is eile. 'Se pròiseact air leth inntinneach a ghealladh soillse mhòr a bhiodh ann an sgrùdadh dhe na briathran seo ann an sgrìobhainnean Gàidhlig thar tìme. Mar an ceudna, ged a tha bàrdachd Ghàidhlig uaireannan ga cleachdadh gu math, tha i dìreach a' cur solas air cùisean eaconamach is tionndadh sòisealta gun sgrùdadh mionaideach ann.	Another problem is the author's use of Gaelic terminology and Gaelic poetry. In his discussion of traditional social relationships in Gaeldom, for example, Prof Macinnes uses and interprets many Gaelic terms. Unfortunately, words such as "fine", "dùthchas", "uachdaran" and so forth have many shades of meaning. An analysis of the uses of these terms in Gaelic sources over an extended period would be an extremely interesting project and might render considerable insights. Similarly, while Gaelic poetry is sometimes used to good effect, it is primarily to illustrate the points made about economic and social transformation without a more systematic analysis.
'Se as coltach gun deach tòrr sgoilearachd is comhairle bho eòlaichean Ceiltis fhàgail a thaobh, agus cha bu chòir Gàidhlig a bhith ga cleachdadh ann an leabhraichean mura 's urrainnear a dhèanamh ceart neo neach-deasachaidh math le Gàidhlig fhaighinn. Chan fhaigheadh comharra san deuchainn as fhasa airson "An Gaidhealtachd" no "uachadaran", mar eisimpleir!	Much valuable scholarship and advice of Celticists seems to have been left aside, and a piece of advice to those who wish to use Gaelic in books such as this would be to do it properly, or get a competent Gaelic editor. One would get no marks in even the most basic of exams for "An Gaidhealtachd" and "uachadaran", for example!
Sin ann no às, tha MacAonghais air toirt dhuinn sgrùdadh de dh'àm dhoilleir ann an eachdraidh na Gàidhealtachd a tha feumail is inntinneach agus, coltach ri leabhraichean Mhic an t Sealgair air an 19 linn is an 20mh, tha e a' cur gu mòr rir n eòlas agus gar stiùireadh gu tuilleadh leughaidh is sgoilearachd.	Nonetheless, Prof Macinnes has provided us with a useful and interesting survey of a most difficult period in Highland history, and like James Hunter's books on the 19th and 20th centuries, is a valuable contribution in itself and a starting point for further reading and scholarship.

Rob Dunbar

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