Important Events in Hebridean History
Life on North Rona (with audio)
Main Article
This island is our whole world. This is where I was born, and where I will die.
But I am never lonely here. As well as my family, there are four other families, nearly 30 people in all. We have everything we need here. We have sweet water, and rich soil. It is the finest sight to see the rippling oceans of lazybeds with their cargo of oats and barley. We have a good flock of sheep and some handsome cows. As long as we have our bull we will want for nothing.
Each family has a living-place too. Each one has a long room in the middle, and round stone chambers all around under a thick turf roof where we can sleep and store our harvest, while the winter storms rage above. And best of all, we have our chapel. St Ronan came here in ancient times on the back of a whale and built it with his own hands. He was a very holy man. My uncle teaches us all our prayers and shows us how to revere the holy things.
I am happy here. I hope I can stay here all my life and not be sent away as a stranger's wife if our numbers grow too many. I don't like strangers. There has never been one on the island since I was alive, but the others tell of visitors from ships, and even the minister from Ness. Sometimes I gaze out across the sea of the grey seals, to the south, and if the weather is very clear, a glimpse of Lewis comes to my eyes. It looks very small but I know it is a big place. Life there must be very strange.
'S e an t-eilean seo an saoghal againn. Rugadh mi an seo, agus bàsaichidh mi an seo. Ach chan eil mi uair sam bith aonaranach ann. A bharrachd air mo theaghlach, tha ceithir teaghlaichean eile ann, faisg air trithead duine gu lèir. Tha a h-uile càil air a bheil feum againn an seo. Tha uisge milis againn, agus ùir thorach. Tha e na thoileachas mòr a' coimhead nam feannagan loma-làn coirce agus eòrna. Tha treud mhath chaorach agus crodh brèagha againn. Cho fad 's a bhios an tarbh againn cha bhi dad a dhìth òirnn.
Tha àite-còmhnaidh aig gach teaghlach cuideachd. Anns gach fear tha rùm fada sa mheadhan, agus seòmraichean cruinn cloiche timcheall air fo mhullach tiugh de sgrathan far am bi sinn a' cadal agus a' stòradh ar n-arbhar, le fuaim stoirmean a' gheamhraidh os ar cionn. Agus 's e an rud as fheàrr buileach, tha an seapal againn. B' e Naomh Rònan a thàinig an seo sna seann làithean air druim muice-mara a thog e. B' e duine fìor naomh a bh' ann. Bidh m' uncail ag ionnsachadh ar n-ùrnaighean dhuinn agus a' sealltainn dhuinn ciamar a chuireas sinn urram air nithean naomha.
Tha mi sona an seo. Tha mi an dòchas gum faod mi fuireach ann fad mo bheatha agus nach tèid mo chur air falbh mar bhean coigrich ma bhios cus againn an seo. Cha toigh leam coigrich. Cha tàinig gin chun an eilein bho rugadh mise, ach bidh càch ag innse mu dhaoine a thàinig bho shoithichean, agus fiù 's am ministear à Nis. Uaireannan bidh mi a' coimhead tarsainn air muir nan ròn glas, gu deas, agus ma bhios latha soilleir ann, chì mi boillsgeadh de Leòdhas. Tha e a' coimhead glè bheag ach tha fios agam gur e àite mòr a th' ann. Saoilidh mi gum biodh e neònach a bhith a' fuireach ann.
Audio Interpretations
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Associated Locations
This event is associated with some locations in the Hebrides. For more details on these, see the list below, or go to the Interactive Explorer.
