_135 Dr John Macinnes "John MacInnes by Catriona MacInnes\r\nRugadh Iain MacAonghais ann am mansa Bhaile na Cille ann an \u00d9ige Le\u00f2dhais. \u2019S e fear do chlann Aonghais \u00e0s an Eilean Sg\u00ectheanaich a bha na athair, Ruairidh M\u00f2r agus bha a\u2019 mh\u00e0thair, M\u00f2rag NicAsgaill \u00e0 Cladach Circeaboist ann an Uibhist a Tuath. Nuair a bha m\u2019 athair ochd bliadhna dh\u2019aois ghluais an teaghlach a Ratharsaigh agus chuir e e\u00f2las air dualchas cultarail s\u00f2nraichte br\u00e0ithrean athair air taobh Chlann Aonghais. Nuair a bha e na dhuin\u2019 \u00f2g, a\u2019 f\u00e0s suas agus a mhothaich e air mar a bha G\u00e0idhlig a\u2019 b\u00e0sachadh agus an cultar ga chall air a\u2019 Gh\u00e0idhealtachd, dh\u2019fh\u00e0s miann l\u00e0idir ann beul-aithris a chruinneachadh. \r\nThug seo air sgeulachdan, \u00f2rain, creideamhan agus ainmean-\u00e0ite a chruinneachadh bho air feadh Alba agus bha \u00f9idh aige bho th\u00f9s ann an G\u00e0idhlig Shiorrachd Pheairt agus Ghallaibh. Bha \u00f9idh m\u2019 athair ann am beul-aithris Uibhist a Tuath riamh l\u00e0idir agus ch\u00f9m e air a\u2019 tadhal air cuideachd a\u2019 mh\u00e0thar air taobh an iar Uibhist a Tuath. \r\nAig toiseach na 1960an bha m\u2019 athair ag obair c\u00f2mhla ri luchd-falbhain le G\u00e0idhlig agus champaich an teaghlach againn c\u00f2mhla riutha ann an Solas an Uibhist a Tuath. Bha meas m\u00f2r aig m\u2019 athair agus mo mh\u00e0thair air an luchd-falbhain agus ch\u00f2rd an \u00f9ine a chuir iad seachad na measg le m\u2019 athair le \u201cleithid do dh\u2019uaisleachd, bl\u00e0ths is cultair.\u201d `S ann mun \u00e0m seo a chuir piuthar m\u00e0thair mo mh\u00e0thair, \u00e0 Be\u00e0rnaraigh, fios mu thogalach f\u00e0saichte agus croit gan reic, ann am B\u00e0gh a\u2019 Ch\u00e0ise air taobh an ear thuath Uibhist a Tuath. Bha na daoine a bha a\u2019 fuireach anns an sg\u00ecre air an ath-\u00e0iteach bho na h-eileanan ann an Caolas na Hearadh agus chuireadh f\u00e0ilte air mo mh\u00e0thair, bha m\u00e0thair fh\u00e8in \u00e0 B\u00e8arnaraigh, a dh\u2019aineoin cion G\u00e0idhlig.\r\nBha an c\u00f2mhnaidh beannachadh, deoch agus biadh an luib c\u00e8ilidh. Dh\u2019ionnsaich mi gu math \u00f2g cho luachmhor `s a bha an cleachdadh, a bhith roinn agus cho cudromach `s a bha am beul-aithris G\u00e0idhlig a bha mi a\u2019 cluinntinn. Uaireannan bheireadh m\u2019 athair a-mach uidheam cl\u00e0raidh agus, mar a bha an \u00f9ine a\u2019 ruith, a theip-chl\u00e0radair agus gheibheadh sgeulachd no \u00f2ran \u00e0ite agus urram ann an tasglann Sgoil E\u00f2lais na h-Alba, far an robh e air a bhith ag obair bho na 1950an. Gu tric bhiodh e a\u2019 c\u00f2mhradh ri seann daoine a bha e airson a chl\u00e0radh ann an Uibhist a Tuath agus Deas. Uaireannan bha e a\u2019 call an cothrom agus bhiodh e a\u2019 caoidh na bha air a chall de st\u00f2ras chultar a bha air s\u00ecoladh air falbh leis an t-seann ghinealach.\r\nBha meas m\u00f2r aig m\u2019 athair air an d\u00f9thaich, an saoghal n\u00e0darra eadar-fhighte le creideamh miotasach. Bha \u00f9idh mh\u00f2r aige cuideachd ann a bhith ag obrachadh na talmhainn ann an d\u00f2ighean thraidiseanta agus sheasmhach. Thionndaidh e a l\u00e0mh gu bhith a\u2019 feuchainn ri craobhan fh\u00e0s as d\u00e8idh dha na h-eich \u00c8irisgeach a chall, cha do mhair iad an droch gheamhradh. Chleachd e seann chas-chrom a\u2019 gearradh feamainn airson todhar air a\u2019 chroit, far an robh e s\u00ecor shabaid ris an t-s\u00ecde. Nuair a thill mi a dh\u2019fhuireach gu Na Ceannmhor ann an 2019, dh\u2019 iarr mi air sloinneadh cuideachd a\u2019 mh\u00e0thar a dh\u00e8anamh agus thug e dhomh sreath no dh\u00e0 air an d\u00e0 thaobh a\u2019 dol air ais coig no sia ginealaich, sgr\u00ecobhte air duilleagan mo leabhar-latha, mun do dh\u2019fhalbh mi. \r\nChaochail e gu h-aithghearr m\u00ecos \u00e0s d\u00e8idh sin air an 10mh den Ch\u00e8itean 2019 aig aois 89. Tha a spiorad maireannach fhathast ri fhaicinn aig ceann rathad Na Ceannmhor anns na craobhan \u00e0rda a tha a-nis a\u2019 cuartachadh an taighe a\u2019 toirt am fasgadh seachad a rinn e a dh\u00eccheal ri thoirt gu buil.\r\n\r\nIain MacAonghuis \/ John MacInnes was born in Uig in Lewis in the manse at Baile na Cille. His father, Ruairi Mor, was a MacInnes from the Isle of Skye and his mother Morag, a MacAskill from Claddach Kirkibost in North Uist. The family moved to Raasay when my father was eight years old and he became familiar with his specific cultural heritage from his father's uncles on the MacInnes side. My father's desire to gather the oral tradition, as he grew into a young man, became increasingly important to him, as he realised and witnessed the demise of Gaelic and thus the loss of the culture in the Highlands of Scotland. This led him to gather stories, songs, beliefs and place names from all over Scotland and he cultivated an early interest in Perthshire and Caithness Gaelic. My father's interest in the oral tradition from North Uist, however, remained particularly strong and he continued to visit his mother's people on the west side of North Uist.\r\n\r\nIn the early 1960s my father worked with Gaelic speaking Travelling People and, as a family, we camped with them in Solas in North Uist. My father and mother had huge respect for the Travellers and my father described enjoying greatly their time spent with "such dignity, warmth and culture". It was then that my mother's aunt from Berneray drew attention to a derelict house for sale on a croft in Cheesebay \/ Bagh a Chaise in the North East of North Uist. The area had been re-settled by people largely from the islands in the Sound of Harris and my mother, whose mother was from Berneray, felt immediately welcomed despite her lack of spoken Gaelic.\r\n\r\nThe ceilidh was often a simple visit, but always involved a blessing, a drink and food. I learnt as early as I can remember the tremendous value of the ritual, the sharing and the importance of the Gaelic oral tradition I was hearing. At times my father would bring out his reel to reel and, as time passed, his tape recorder, to give a story or song its place and value in the Archive of the School of Scottish Studies, where he had worked since the 1950s. Often he would speak of older people across North and South Uist whom he wanted to tape. Sometimes he missed the opportunity and expressed his sadness at the passing away of a wealth of culture with the older generation.\r\n\r\nMy father passed on his love of place, the natural world and mythical belief interwoven. He also had a great interest in the practicalities of traditional ways of working in a sustainable way with the land. After what he described as a disastrous experiment with Eriskay ponies, who didn\u2019t survive a harsh winter, he turned to experiment with growing trees. He used an old cas-chrom to cut seaweed to fertilise the land on the croft, where he continuously battled with the weather. When I returned to live at Na Ceannmhor in 2019, I asked him to write the 'sloinneadh' of his mother\u2019s people and he gave me a few strands on both sides, going back five or six generations, which he wrote in the pages of my diary before I left. It was only one month later that he suddenly passed away on the 10th May 2019 at the age of 89. His enduring spirit remains at the end of the road at Na Ceannmhor in the tall trees that now encircle the house with the shelter he endeavoured to provide" eulac3d Organisation image/jpeg IMAGE "John MacInnes by Catriona MacInnes\r\nRugadh Iain MacAonghais ann am mansa Bhaile na Cille ann an \u00d9ige Le\u00f2dhais. \u2019S e fear do chlann Aonghais \u00e0s an Eilean Sg\u00ectheanaich a bha na athair, Ruairidh M\u00f2r agus bha a\u2019 mh\u00e0thair, M\u00f2rag NicAsgaill \u00e0 Cladach Circeaboist ann an Uibhist a Tuath. Nuair a bha m\u2019 athair ochd bliadhna dh\u2019aois ghluais an teaghlach a Ratharsaigh agus chuir e e\u00f2las air dualchas cultarail s\u00f2nraichte br\u00e0ithrean athair air taobh Chlann Aonghais. Nuair a bha e na dhuin\u2019 \u00f2g, a\u2019 f\u00e0s suas agus a mhothaich e air mar a bha G\u00e0idhlig a\u2019 b\u00e0sachadh agus an cultar ga chall air a\u2019 Gh\u00e0idhealtachd, dh\u2019fh\u00e0s miann l\u00e0idir ann beul-aithris a chruinneachadh. \r\nThug seo air sgeulachdan, \u00f2rain, creideamhan agus ainmean-\u00e0ite a chruinneachadh bho air feadh Alba agus bha \u00f9idh aige bho th\u00f9s ann an G\u00e0idhlig Shiorrachd Pheairt agus Ghallaibh. Bha \u00f9idh m\u2019 athair ann am beul-aithris Uibhist a Tuath riamh l\u00e0idir agus ch\u00f9m e air a\u2019 tadhal air cuideachd a\u2019 mh\u00e0thar air taobh an iar Uibhist a Tuath. \r\nAig toiseach na 1960an bha m\u2019 athair ag obair c\u00f2mhla ri luchd-falbhain le G\u00e0idhlig agus champaich an teaghlach againn c\u00f2mhla riutha ann an Solas an Uibhist a Tuath. Bha meas m\u00f2r aig m\u2019 athair agus mo mh\u00e0thair air an luchd-falbhain agus ch\u00f2rd an \u00f9ine a chuir iad seachad na measg le m\u2019 athair le \u201cleithid do dh\u2019uaisleachd, bl\u00e0ths is cultair.\u201d `S ann mun \u00e0m seo a chuir piuthar m\u00e0thair mo mh\u00e0thair, \u00e0 Be\u00e0rnaraigh, fios mu thogalach f\u00e0saichte agus croit gan reic, ann am B\u00e0gh a\u2019 Ch\u00e0ise air taobh an ear thuath Uibhist a Tuath. Bha na daoine a bha a\u2019 fuireach anns an sg\u00ecre air an ath-\u00e0iteach bho na h-eileanan ann an Caolas na Hearadh agus chuireadh f\u00e0ilte air mo mh\u00e0thair, bha m\u00e0thair fh\u00e8in \u00e0 B\u00e8arnaraigh, a dh\u2019aineoin cion G\u00e0idhlig.\r\nBha an c\u00f2mhnaidh beannachadh, deoch agus biadh an luib c\u00e8ilidh. Dh\u2019ionnsaich mi gu math \u00f2g cho luachmhor `s a bha an cleachdadh, a bhith roinn agus cho cudromach `s a bha am beul-aithris G\u00e0idhlig a bha mi a\u2019 cluinntinn. Uaireannan bheireadh m\u2019 athair a-mach uidheam cl\u00e0raidh agus, mar a bha an \u00f9ine a\u2019 ruith, a theip-chl\u00e0radair agus gheibheadh sgeulachd no \u00f2ran \u00e0ite agus urram ann an tasglann Sgoil E\u00f2lais na h-Alba, far an robh e air a bhith ag obair bho na 1950an. Gu tric bhiodh e a\u2019 c\u00f2mhradh ri seann daoine a bha e airson a chl\u00e0radh ann an Uibhist a Tuath agus Deas. Uaireannan bha e a\u2019 call an cothrom agus bhiodh e a\u2019 caoidh na bha air a chall de st\u00f2ras chultar a bha air s\u00ecoladh air falbh leis an t-seann ghinealach.\r\nBha meas m\u00f2r aig m\u2019 athair air an d\u00f9thaich, an saoghal n\u00e0darra eadar-fhighte le creideamh miotasach. Bha \u00f9idh mh\u00f2r aige cuideachd ann a bhith ag obrachadh na talmhainn ann an d\u00f2ighean thraidiseanta agus sheasmhach. Thionndaidh e a l\u00e0mh gu bhith a\u2019 feuchainn ri craobhan fh\u00e0s as d\u00e8idh dha na h-eich \u00c8irisgeach a chall, cha do mhair iad an droch gheamhradh. Chleachd e seann chas-chrom a\u2019 gearradh feamainn airson todhar air a\u2019 chroit, far an robh e s\u00ecor shabaid ris an t-s\u00ecde. Nuair a thill mi a dh\u2019fhuireach gu Na Ceannmhor ann an 2019, dh\u2019 iarr mi air sloinneadh cuideachd a\u2019 mh\u00e0thar a dh\u00e8anamh agus thug e dhomh sreath no dh\u00e0 air an d\u00e0 thaobh a\u2019 dol air ais coig no sia ginealaich, sgr\u00ecobhte air duilleagan mo leabhar-latha, mun do dh\u2019fhalbh mi. \r\nChaochail e gu h-aithghearr m\u00ecos \u00e0s d\u00e8idh sin air an 10mh den Ch\u00e8itean 2019 aig aois 89. Tha a spiorad maireannach fhathast ri fhaicinn aig ceann rathad Na Ceannmhor anns na craobhan \u00e0rda a tha a-nis a\u2019 cuartachadh an taighe a\u2019 toirt am fasgadh seachad a rinn e a dh\u00eccheal ri thoirt gu buil.\r\n\r\nIain MacAonghuis \/ John MacInnes was born in Uig in Lewis in the manse at Baile na Cille. His father, Ruairi Mor, was a MacInnes from the Isle of Skye and his mother Morag, a MacAskill from Claddach Kirkibost in North Uist. The family moved to Raasay when my father was eight years old and he became familiar with his specific cultural heritage from his father's uncles on the MacInnes side. My father's desire to gather the oral tradition, as he grew into a young man, became increasingly important to him, as he realised and witnessed the demise of Gaelic and thus the loss of the culture in the Highlands of Scotland. This led him to gather stories, songs, beliefs and place names from all over Scotland and he cultivated an early interest in Perthshire and Caithness Gaelic. My father's interest in the oral tradition from North Uist, however, remained particularly strong and he continued to visit his mother's people on the west side of North Uist.\r\n\r\nIn the early 1960s my father worked with Gaelic speaking Travelling People and, as a family, we camped with them in Solas in North Uist. My father and mother had huge respect for the Travellers and my father described enjoying greatly their time spent with "such dignity, warmth and culture". It was then that my mother's aunt from Berneray drew attention to a derelict house for sale on a croft in Cheesebay \/ Bagh a Chaise in the North East of North Uist. The area had been re-settled by people largely from the islands in the Sound of Harris and my mother, whose mother was from Berneray, felt immediately welcomed despite her lack of spoken Gaelic.\r\n\r\nThe ceilidh was often a simple visit, but always involved a blessing, a drink and food. I learnt as early as I can remember the tremendous value of the ritual, the sharing and the importance of the Gaelic oral tradition I was hearing. At times my father would bring out his reel to reel and, as time passed, his tape recorder, to give a story or song its place and value in the Archive of the School of Scottish Studies, where he had worked since the 1950s. Often he would speak of older people across North and South Uist whom he wanted to tape. Sometimes he missed the opportunity and expressed his sadness at the passing away of a wealth of culture with the older generation.\r\n\r\nMy father passed on his love of place, the natural world and mythical belief interwoven. He also had a great interest in the practicalities of traditional ways of working in a sustainable way with the land. After what he described as a disastrous experiment with Eriskay ponies, who didn\u2019t survive a harsh winter, he turned to experiment with growing trees. He used an old cas-chrom to cut seaweed to fertilise the land on the croft, where he continuously battled with the weather. When I returned to live at Na Ceannmhor in 2019, I asked him to write the 'sloinneadh' of his mother\u2019s people and he gave me a few strands on both sides, going back five or six generations, which he wrote in the pages of my diary before I left. It was only one month later that he suddenly passed away on the 10th May 2019 at the age of 89. His enduring spirit remains at the end of the road at Na Ceannmhor in the tall trees that now encircle the house with the shelter he endeavoured to provide" image/jpeg Image "" image/jpeg Image "" image/jpeg Catriona MacInnes Image "" image/jpeg Norman Macleod Image "" application/pdf Catriona MacInnes Text "" application/pdf Catriona MacInnes Text