Oidhche Bhàrdachd: an Giblean ’25

Poetry NIGHT: April ’25

[English further below]

Às dèidh soirbheas na h-oidhche bhàrdachd a bh’ againn tro Sheachdain na Gàidhlig 2025, thill sinn chun An Lòchrain airson seisean bàrdachd Ghàidhlig eile a chumail.

Bha còignear ann, nam measg fear à Leòdhas a thòisich le pìos air a bheil An Seann Chù Bochd, le Murchadh MacPhàrlain, bàrd ainmeil a bhuin do Mhealabost ann an Leòdhas fhèin. Seo blasad dhuibh:

An-dè thuirt m’ athair riumsa
“Bi falbh is bàth an seann chù;
Tha nis an cuilean air fàs mòr,
’S tha aon gu leòr bith ann dhiubh.”

Cha do dh’fhalbh mi deònach,
’S ann a dh’fhalbh mi brònach;
An seann chù bochd, is e de’n bheachd
a bhith dol chun na mòintich.

Gheibh thu an dàn air fad AN SEO. ’S e Seonaidh fear eile a thàinig a-steach agus a bhios gu tric aig An Lòchran; thogadh esan le iomadh òran a chaidh a sgrìobhadh mu thachartasan na sgìre ionadail. Nam measg, bha pìos dibhearsaineach ann mu phiàno a dh’fheumadh na daoine a ghluasad. Ged nach eil na h-òrain seo rin lorg – no furasta ri lorg – air-loidhne, abair gun do chuir iad ris an oidhche. Mar sin, mòran taing do Sheonaidh airson an gabhail dhuinn! Tha mi teagmhach gum bithinn comasach air cuimhneachadh air na rannan gu lèir 😁

Thug mise leam cruinneachadh beag de bhàrdachd Ghàidhlig, ’s dàin ann le bàrd fìor ainmeil mar Shomhairle MacGill-Eain, Ruaraidh MacThòmais agus Iain Mac a’ Ghobhainn. Leugh sinn pìosan còmhla leithid An Roghainn (MacGill-Eain), Achadh-bhuana agus Am Bodach-ròcais (MacThòmais), agus Na h-Eilthirich (Mac a’ Ghobhainn). Leugh diofar aoighean na dàin, ’s sinn a’ tairgsinn eadar-theangachaidhean gu Beurla a rinn na bàird fhèin. Tha na dàin seo rin lorg furasta gu leòr air-loidhne, ach SEO bhideo a chlàr sinn bliadhna no dhà air ais aig An Lòchran, ’s sinn uile ag ionnsachadh Am Bodach-ròcais le Ruaraidh MacThòmais fhèin. Is cinnteach gun còrd seo riut!

Chuir sinn crìoch air an oidhche shnog seo le dàn a sgrìobh mi fhìn, air a bheil Chan ann gun strì. Seòrsa de sheisean open mic a bh’ ann. ’S ann mu dheidhinn na Gàidhlig fhèin a tha am pìos:

Chan ann gun strì a ghabhas mi
ri nithean mar a tha iad
Le oidhirp ás ùr, togar tùr
is chithear cò an caraid.

Chan ann gun strì a ghabhas iad
an còrr de theanga mhagail
Le oidhirp fon ghrèin, togar teine –
Chithear cò an nàmhaid.

’S chan ann gun strì a ghabhas sinn
ri crìonadh na th’ againn fhìn –
crìonadh ar teanga.
Le oidhirp mu dheireadh,
togar dha na Hearadh
an cuid meanmna.

Bu toil leinn Taing Mhòr! a ràdh dhan fheadhainn a thàinig a-steach airson na h-oidhche seo fhàgail sònraichte 🙂 Cuiridh sinn oidhche bhàrdachd eile air dòigh anns na mìosan a tha romhainn – ’s ann air an Òg-mhios a tha sinn ag amas.

Andy agus sgioba An Lòchrain xx

[English]

Following the success of our Poetry Night during World Gaelic Week 2025, we returned to An Lòchran to hold another poetry session.

Five people were there, among them a chap from Lewis who started us off with a piece entitled An Seann Chù Bochd (lit. ‘The Poor Old Dog’) by Murdo Macfarlane, the well-known Melbost bard. Here’s a sample for you:

The full poem can be found HERE. Seonaidh was another of those who came in, and who comes to An Lòchran often; he grew up with many songs and poems that were written about local goings-on. Among them was an entertaining piece about a piano that needed shifted. Although these pieces cannot be found – or aren’t easy to find – online, they really contributed something to the evening. As such, many thanks to Seonaidh for reading them to us! I doubt I’d be able to remember all the verses, that’s for sure 😁

I brought a wee collection of Gaelic poetry with me, featuring poems by very well-known bards like Sorley MacLean, Derick Thomson and Iain Crichton Smith. We read pieces together such as The Choice (MacLean), Harvest Field and The Scarecrow (Thomson), and The Exiles (Crichton Smith). Different people read them out, with the poets’ official English translations offered as well. These pieces are easy enough to find online, but HERE you’ll find a video we recorded a year or two back at An Lòchran where we learned The Scarecrow by Derick Thomson together. You should like this!

We finished the evening off with one I wrote myself, entitled Chan ann gun strì. A kind of open mic session, if you will. This piece is written about the Gaelic language itself:

We would like to say a Big Thanks! to those who came in to participate in this nice evening 🙂 We’ll put on another poetry night in the coming months – we’re looking at doing so in June.

Andy and the An Lòchran team xx