Glenmoriston

CLAG MEIRCHEARD

A-nise, an cuala sibh iomradh riamh air a’ chlag a bha an Clachan Meircheard? A-nise, chan eil fhios ’m ciamar a bha tòiseach an eachraidh aig a’ chlag, ach bha Suidhe Meiricheard ann anns a’ mhunadh eadar Baile an Tom Buidhe agus Giuthsachan, mullach a’ mhunaidh agus bha Fuaran Meiricheard glè fhaisg air an rathad an ceum a tha a’ dol a dh’ionnsaigh a’ chladh a’ tionndann dhen rathad mhòr aig Baile ’n Tom Buidhe agus bha Clachan Meiricheard far a bheil e gun teagamh. A-nise, tha clach – bha e air a ràdha an còmhnaidh – agus ’s tric a chuala mi sin aig Griogar, gum biodh an clag a’ bualadh nuair a bhiodh tìodhlaiceadh a’ dol a thighinn. Agus cho fad ’s a bheireadh iad brìgh as an fhuaim a bha an clag a’ dèanamh, “Falbh dhachaigh, falbh dhachaigh gu do dhachaigh bhuam,” a bheil sìbh a’ tuigsinn. Agus nuair a chluinneadh iad sin an ceann latha na dhà bhiodh tìodhlaiceadh bàs air choreigin glè fhaisg orra a’ tighinn a thìodhlaiceadh na chladh. A-nise, tha clach anns a’ chladh làmh ris an àite sa bheil Tobar a’ Bhàistidh mar a their iad – bheil sìbh a’ tuigsinn. A-nise, tha clach ann an sin, far am biodh an clag na shuidhe air. Agus tha cumadh a’ chlag ann agus gum biodh e ann an sin. A-nise, cha robh duine sam bith ann an Gleanna Mhoireasdainn aig an robh cuimhne, nuair a bha mise òg, air teangaidh a bhith sa chlag – a bheil sìbh a’ tuigsinn – ach bha cuimhne aca air a’ chlag fhèin. Agus an fheadhainn air an d’rinn sinn iomradh mar-tha, coigrich a bha ag obair mun a’ mhuileann a bha sin, chuala mise m’ athair ag ràdha tric gur h-e feadhainn dhiubh-san, nach robh a’ creidsinn anns an naidheachdan seo, a dh’fhalbh leis a’ chlag agus a thilg san abhainn e. Agus an ath-latha thuit air gun robh an abhainn ann an tuil uamhasach, agus gheàrr i pìos dhen a’ bhruaich mun cuairt is thuit e air a’ chlag is tha àit’ tollta ann fo Dhal Chreichard – nach robh sgeul riamh air a’ chlag an sin. A-nise, fear dhen fheadhainn a thug air falbh an clag b’ aithne dhomh-sa mi fhìn e. Tha cuimhne agam air na sheann-duine is mise nam bhrocach òg. Ach is suarach cho math is a dh’èrich dha aonan dhiubh. Ach tha feadhainn eile a bhuineas dha Gleanna Mhoireasdainn agus tha fhios aca air seo glè mhath. The fear Raghnall Dean ann. Tha e a’ fuireach sa Mhanachainn, agus tha fhios aige-s’ air an fhìrinn a tha seo gun deach falbh leis a’ chlag is a thilgeil san abhainn. B’ e sin deireadh a’ chlag. Chan fhacas bhuaith’ sin e. Tha e coltach rium-sa gun robh eaglais far a bheil an cladh.

Now have you ever heard mention of the bell in St Merchard’s Cemetery? Now, I don’t recall the story about how the bell begins but Suidhe Meiricheard [St Merchard’s Seat] is on the hill between Balintombuie and Giuthsachan, on top of the hill and Fuaran Meiricheard [St Merchard’s Spring] is near the road on the way towards the cemetery when leaving the highway from Balintombuie and St Merchard’s Cemetery is where it is without a doubt. Now the stone – they always said it – and often I heard Gregor say it, that the bell would ring when a funeral was coming. And as far as they could make sense of the noise that the bell made, “Go home, go home, to your own home,” you understand. And when they’d hear that in a day or two they’d bury some who died quite near them and they were going to be buried in the cemetery. Now there’s a stone near to the place where Tobar a’ Bhàistidh [The Well of Baptism] as they call it, you see. Now there’s a stone there where the bell would sit on. And the indentation of the bell is there as if it should be there. Now not anyone in Glenmoriston who remembers, when I was young, the bell had a tongue – you see – but they remembered the bell itself. And those whom we’ve mentioned already, a stranger was working over in that mill, I heard my father saying often that it was a few of them, if you believe in such tales, that removed the bell and threw into the river. And the next day it so fell out that the river was in a terrible spate, and a piece of the surrounding bank was swept away and it fell onto the bell and there is a holed place below Dalreicart – there was never any sing of that bell. Now one of those who had removed the bell I knew him myself. I remember him as an old man when I was but a young lad. But it’s just as well as what happened to one of them. But a few others who belong to Glenmoriston and they know fine well about this. There’s a man Ronald Dean and he stays in Beauly, and he knows the truth about how the bell was removed and thrown into the river. That was the end of the bell. From then on it was never seen again. It appears to me that there was a church where the cemetery now is.