Obair gun Duais?

Obair gun Duair? Alasdair MacGilleMhìcheil a' tional ainmean Gàidhlig eun

by Tristan ap Rheinallt

Everyone who has an interest in Gaelic culture and tradition will be familiar with the folklore collector Alexander Carmichael and with his masterwork, Carmina Gadelica. Plenty of evidence can be found within this work for how Carmichael took a keen interest in words and expressions related to natural history. It is known too that he collected large numbers of Gaelic bird names and sent lists of them to the ornithologists of the day. But how well qualified was he for this kind of collecting work? How reliable are the names he collected? Was he correct when he wrote that he was engaged in ‘a thankless task’? These are just some of the questions addressed in this book.

A thankless task?  Alexander Carmichael as a collector of Gaelic bird names

Bidh a h-uile neach aig a bheil ùidh ann an dualchas agus cultar nan Gàidheal eòlach air a’ chruinniche beul-aithris Alasdair MacGilleMhìcheil agus air a shàr obair, Carmina Gadelica. Gheibhear fianais gu leòr am broinn na h-obrach seo air mar a ghabh MacGilleMhìcheil ùidh mhòr ann am faclan agus abairtean ceangailte ri nàdar. Tha fios cuideachd gun do chruinnich e tòrr ainmean Gàidhlig eun agus gun do chuir e liostaichean dhiubh gu eun-eòlaichean an latha. Ach dè na comasan a bh’ aige a thaobh obair cruinneachaidh den leithid? Dè cho earbsach ’s a tha na h-ainmean a thionail e? An robh e ceart nuair a sgrìobh e gun robh e an sàs ann an ‘obair gun duais’? Seo feadhainn de na ceistean air a bheilear a’ beachdachadh anns an leabhar ùidheil seo.

Published: 2010