Glenmoriston

Dè mu dheidhinn Archie Tailleir a-nis rud a bha sibh ag innse Archie Tailleir agus brathair ur d' athair... ur seanair?

O mu dheidhinn Archie Tailleir, mu dheidhinn am bàrd a bha 'n Gleann Moireasdain. Chan eil cuimhne agam is a rach chaochail e bliadhna o chionn beagan bhliadhnachan mus do rugadh mi. Ach bha m' athair is mo mhàthair eòlach gu leòr air. Agus bha e a' fuireach suas mun cuairt a ceithir mìle tuthuath as an eaglais shaor ann an Gleann Moireasdain. Agus bha mo sheanair a' fuireach ann an àite ris an canadh iad Baile An Tom Buidhe. Bha sinn car mun aon astar air an taobh eile dhen abhainn. Agus bha na.... b'e sin àrd èildear an Gleann Moireasdain mo sheanair. Agus bha e glè chùramach an dèidh dha dh'oileadh e gu h-àraid dhe dheoch làidir ron ann an tric a bhos e ga idir air a-mach an àm a bhith a' toirt a-staigh a' bhliadhna ùr, ro oidhche na bliadhna ùr. Bha Archie bochd an rathad eile a bhith dha na thruaghan 's a gan bhitheadh 's an t-acras airse, gun goireasan, gun duine coimhead as a dhèidh. Dh'fhàg e mòran dhen deoch uile gu lèir airson a h-uile shasan ar gaoith. Bhiodh e... mo sheanair an còmhnaidh trod ris airson, nuair a bha, caith beatha a bh' aiges. An oidhche a bha seo, bha mo sheanair 'san taigh-òsda an Torra-ghoill 's an taigh fosgailte fad na h-oidhche an uair sin coltach ris a h-uile taigh eile dhen t-seòrs'. Agus, chaidh cuideigin a dh'ionnsaigh a' bhàrd a dh'innse dha gun robh an t-èildear mar a bh' fheàrr e anns an taigh-òsd'. An robh e coltach nach b'urrainn da a dhol dhan eaglais an àth latha. An robh fios is Disatharna a bh'ann is a' bhliadhn ùr a' tighinn a-staigh. Chaidh e... Thuirt Archie “O, 's e seo a feumas mi greasad orm mi sgiobladh fhìn 's mo ghlanadh 's chuir an ordugh feuchainn ri dhol dhan eaglais a-màireach 's an tachair mi air, feuch an tachair mi air eadar an drochaid Torra-ghoil agus an taigh-òsd”. So.. chaidh seo.... 's ann mar seo a bha e agus rudeigin bhàrd. Sgurrich e aig an drochaid gus am faca e mo sheanair a' tighinn a-mach as an taigh-òsd' a' tighinn dachaigh ceum math agus a-nun 's a-nall air an rathad mhòr. Uill, thachair iad an sin. Cha do sheas iad a' bruidhinn ri chèile idir, ach thuirt am bàrd ri mo sheanair; 's e Pàdraig Mac Alpein a theirig iad ri mo sheanair – Pàdraig Friseil. Thuirt am bàrd ris:

Fàilte ort fhèin a' Phàdraig mun 's duine gabhasal thu tha mi an dùil.
Ris a' mheud a chùm thu an t-Sàbaid ghabh thu sàcramaid a leann.

Cha do bhris mo sheanair a cheum ach chùm e air 's a' dol seachad air Archie thuirt e:

Fàilte ort fhèin 'Illeaspaig, duine teisteil thu tha mi an dùil
Nam bidh tu air an t-seisean, 's mise a sheasadh air do chùl

Mar sin e, tha mar sin a thug a phaigheadh thu a-staigh a' bhliadhn' ùr.

Calum: What about Archie Tàilleir now, you were telling me about Archie Tàilleir and your uncle, your great uncle.

Peter: Oh, About Archie Tàilleir, about the Glenmoriston bard. I don't remember, he died a few years befor I was born. But my father and mother knew him well enough. And he stayed up about four miles north of the Free Church in Glen moriston. And my grandfather stayed in a place known as Balintombuie. We were about the same distance on the other side of the river. My grandfather was a chief elder in Glen Moriston. And he was very God-fearing after he would drink, especially strong drink ????? bringing in the New Year, before Hogmanay. Poor Archie was the opposite, a poor soul, scarce of food, and hungry, without resources, and nobody to look after him. He left most of the drink altogether for every ???. My grandfather would always scold him for his way of life. This night, my grandfather was in the inn at Torgoyle; the place was open all night then as was every other inn like it. And somebody went up to the bard to tell him that the elder as he was known was in the inn. It looked like he wouldn't be able to go to church the next day. It was Saturday and the New Year coming in. Archie said: “Oh, I'll have to hurry to tidy myself up and wash myself and get things in order to go to church tomorrow and meet him, and see if I can meet him between Torgoyle bridge and the inn”. So this was how it was and ???? the bard. He stopped at the bridge so he would see my grandfather coming out of the inn coming home a good way and back and fore across the main road. Well, ther they met. They didn't stop to talk at all, but the bard said to my grandfather – they would call my grandfather Patrick MacAlpen, Patrick Fraser. The bard said to him:

Welcome Patrick
You're a fine man I expect
With the amount you took on Sunday
You took the sacrament of beer

My grandfather didn't break his step but he kept going and in passing Archie he said:

Welcome Archie
You're a credible man I expect
If you were in front of the session
I would be behind you.

So that was how ????? the new year.