Naidheachd agus Rann air Caisteal Shruighlea

GF222i06_223i02 NAIDHEACHD AGUS RANN AIR CAISTEAL SHRUIGHLEA

Beulaiche: Eòs Nìll Bhig | Joe Neil MacNeil
Tar-sgrìobhadh: Oighrig NicFhraing | Effie Rankin

Chuala mi naidheachd bheag air, mar a bha e fhéin—air Caisteal Shrùighlea. 'S ann aig fear Dòmhnall Mac 'Ill Eathainn, thall aig Gleann nan Éireannach, Dòmhnall Chaluim Nìll Mhóir 'ic Iain 'ic Lachlainn Ghobha, bha 'n naidheachd a bha seo bha e 'g innse dhuinn mu dheidhinn mar a chaidh Caisteal Shrùighl' a thogail . 'S e—tha e coltach gur ann aig an donas a bha cùram dhe 'n obair, gur e bha coimhead—deanamh na h-obrach; chosgadh e cho mór dhaibh tha mi cinnteach caisteal a dhèanamh ach dheanadh esan e air chùmhnant.Tha mi cinnteach gura h-e chùmhnant a bh' ann, gu feumadh e 'n t-uachdaran a thoirt leis mar dhuais air a shon mura biodh fhios aig air an ainm, nuair a bhiodh an caisteal réidh.
'S chaidh e a' sin gu duine glic—sin an t-uachdaran, chaidh e gu duine, 's e seòlt' air choireigin, tha mi cinnteach gur e, mar is minig a bheireadh iad, gur e Seann Dall Glic. Agus thuirt a' fear sin ris a bhith mu'n cuairt timchioll air an obair cho tric 's a b' urrainn dha fiach an cluinneadh e idir, idir ainm an fhir a bha cùram aige dhe 'n obair. Agus dh'amais dha gun cual' e cuideigin ag ràdh 'Tòmas Sheoc' is chùm e cuimhn' air an ainm sin; agus ma dh'fhaoidte gun cual' e turas eil' aig cuideigin dhe na bha—dhe na cosnaichean a bha 'g obair air a' chaisteal ag radhainn Tòmas Sheoc.

Ach cò dhiù, nuair a bha 'n caisteal réidh, thuirt an donas, oir tha e coltach gur e bh' ann, gum biodh e nist ag iarraidh a thuarasdal aige ri a phàigheadh. "Agus ma tà," ars esan, an t-uachdaran no 'n tighearna fearainn gu robh ann, " 'S e cùmhnant a bh' againn gum biodh—nam biodh fhios agam air d' ainm, nach ruiginn a leas pàigheadh."

"Seadh," ars esan.

Seadh, is mar a thuirt mi cheana anns a' sgeul, nuair a thuirt an donas gun robh sin fìor, gun robh na cùmhnantan ann, thionndaidh an t-uachdaran—an tighearna gu robh ann, agus thuirt e, "Is tusa Tòmas Sheoc."

Agus dh'fhalbh e 's e 'g èigheach, "Caisteal Shrùighl' ullamh agus Tòmas Sheoc bochd falamh!"

Agus thog e rithe 'is tha mi cinnteach gun do dh'fhalbh e 'na lasair no air dòigh air choireigin. Cha robh 'n corr mu dheoghainn agus sin agaibh an naidheachd a fhuair mise o Mhac 'Ill Eathainn air togail Caisteil Shrùighl'.

Chuala mi rithist aig fear—o, bliadhnaichean an deaghaidh bàs Mhic 'Ill Eathainn—chuala mi duine ag radhainn a 'rann a bha seo:

"Caisteal Shrùighl' ullamh agus Tòmas Sheoc falamh."

Ach cha robh naidheachd aige-san air, air—mu 'n chaisteal 's mu 'n dòigh a chaidh—a thàinig—a thòisich an seanchas a bha sin idir, ged a bha cuimhn' aig' air a bhith 'ga chluinntinn bho chuideachd; agus bha 'n duine' a bh' ann càirdeach do Mhac 'Ill Eathainn, air taobh màthair Mhic 'Ill Eathainn; 's e té de Chloinn Nìll a bh' innte, de Shìol Ruairidh Bhric mar a bheireadh iad a bh' aig—shìos aig an Abhainn Mhóir, agus 's ann dhiubh sin a bha a' fear a chuala mi ag ràdh a' rann a bha seo. Agus bha mi 'g innse dhaibh gun robh an naidheachd a bh' air a' sin—gun robh i agam fhìn bho charaide dha fhéin, agus sin mar a bha i dol.

Translation:
A Tale of Stirling Castle

I heard a short tale of, as he himself—about Stirling Castle. It was Donald MacLean over at Irish Vale who had this story which he told us about the building of Stirling Castle; Donald son of Malcolm Big Neil, son of John, son of Lauchlan the Blacksmith. It was, it seems that the devil was in charge of the work—that he was doing the work—I suppose it would cost them too much to erect a castle—but he would undertake it on contract. I believe the contract was that he could take the laird with him as payment, should he not know his name, once the castle was completed. Then he went to a wise man—that was the laird—he went to some clever man or other, I believe it was, as they often recounted, it was the Old Blind Sage. And that fellow told him to be around the work as often as he could, to see if he could at all hear the name of the one in charge of the enterprise. And he chanced to hear someone mention 'Thomas Jock' and he remembered that name; and perhaps he heard it again from someone among the—one of the workers who was involved in the castle saying Thomas Jock.

Anyhow, once the castle was completed, the devil said—for it seems that it was (indeed) he—that he was now looking for his payment—asking for his recompense. "And indeed," said he, the aforementioned laird or landlord, "Our contract was that—if I knew your name, I would not have to pay."

"Yes, yes," he answered.
And, as I said before in the story, once the devil agreed that that was true, that this was the contract, the laird, the landlord, retorted and said, "You are Thomas Jock!"

And off he took, crying, "Stirling Castle is complete but poor Thomas Jock is destitute!"

And off he went, and I suppose he took off in flames or somehow. That was the end of it, and there you have the tale which I got from MacLean about the building of Stirling Castle.

Another time I heard from one—oh, years after MacLean's death, I heard a fellow saying this rhyme:

"Stirling Castle is complete but Thomas Jock is destitute!"

But he did not have the tale about how it was—it came—how that story began at all, although he remembered hearing it from his people; and that man was related to MacLean—on his mother's side—she was a MacNeil of the family of Roderick Breac as they said, who was—down at Big river; and that man whom I heard reciting this rhyme was of these people and I told them that I had the story concerning that—that I had it from one of his own relatives and that was how it went.