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09/04/2012

Tha litir bheag na seachdain aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain.
This week's short letter for learners is introduced by Ruaraidh MacLean.

5 minutes

Last on

Mon 9 Apr 2012 19:00

Clip

An Litir Bheag 361

Bidh seiche ann an Loch Nis bho àm gu àm. ’S e seiche facal à Fraingis na h-Eilbheis. Tha e a’ coimhead coltach ri seiche ann an Gàidhlig. Ach chan eil e a’ ciallachadh craiceann beathaich. Tha e a’ ciallachadh tuinn mhòra ann an loch.

            Chì sibh an aon seòrsa rud anns an amar aig an taigh. Putaibh an t-uisge gu aon cheann dhen amar. Thig an t-uisge air ais a-rithist. Bidh e a’ luasgadh a-null ’s a-nall airson ùine.

            Ann an loch, bidh a’ ghaoth ag adhbharachadh seiche. Ach bidh crith-thalmhainn cuideachd ag adhbharachadh seiche. Uaireannan, bidh a’ chrith fad air falbh bhon uisge anns a bheil an seiche.

            Anns an Litir an t-seachdain sa chaidh, bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Chrith-thalmhainn Mhòr Lisbon. Bha sin ann an seachd ceud deug, caogad ’s a còig (1755). Thug i buaidh air dùthchannan eile anns an Roinn Eòrpa. Bha seiche ann an Loch Nis.

            Dh’èirich uachdar an locha gu ìre àrd. Ann an Cille Chuimein, chaidh bàta a sguabadh às an loch. Chaidh am bàta fhàgail tioram air tìr.

            Ach dè mu dheidhinn crithean ann an Inbhir Nis fhèin? No anns a’ Ghleann Mhòr? Tha sgàineadh chreagan an sin ris an canar “The Great Glen Fault”. Chan eil crithean-talmhainn a’ tachairt gu tric, ge-tà. Tha sin fortanach oir tha mi fhìn a’ fuireach ann an Inbhir Nis!

            Mar as trice, bidh meadhan na crithe pìos a-mach às a’ bhaile. Ach corra uair bidh meadhan na crithe faisg air a’ bhaile.

            ’S iad an dà eisimpleir as fheàrr dhiubh – an fheadhainn a thachair ann an ochd ceud deug is sia-deug (1816) agus ann an naoi ceud deug ’s a h-aon (1901). Tha na h-eòlaichean dhen bheachd gun robh meadhan na ciad tè siar air Inbhir Nis. Tha iad ag ràdh gun robh meadhan na dàrna tè ann an Dabhach Gairbheach. Tha sin dìreach seachd cilemeatair a-mach às a’ bhaile. Rinn na crithean sin beagan millidh ann an Inbhir Nis. Ach cha do dh’fhuiling Inbhir Nis mar a dh’fhuiling Lisbon.

            Agus cuin a thig an ath chrith-thalmhainn a dh’Inbhir Nis? Uill, feumaidh sinn aideachadh nach eil fhios againn.

The Little Letter 361

There is a seiche in Loch Ness from time to time. Seiche is a word from Swiss French. It looks like seiche in Gaelic. But it doesn’t mean an animal’s hide. It means big waves in a loch.

        You’ll see the same sort of thing in the bath at the house. Push the water to one end of the bath. The water comes back again. It oscillates for a period of time.

        In a loch, the wind causes a seiche. But an earthquake also causes a seiche. Sometimes the quake is a long way from the water in which the seiche occurs.

        In the Litir last week, I was telling you about the Great Lisbon Earthquake. That was in 1755. It affected other countries in Europe. There was a seiche in Loch Ness.

        The surface of the loch rose to a high level. In Fort Augustus, a boat was swept from the loch. The boat was left [high and] dry on [the] land.

        But what about quakes in Inverness itself? Or in the Great Glen? There is a geological fault there called “The Great Glen Fault”. But earthquakes don’t happen often. That’s fortunate because I myself live in Inverness!

        Usually, the quake’s epicentre is a good bit out of the town. But occasionally the quake’s epicentre is close to the town.

        The best two examples of them are the ones that happened in 1816 and in 1901. Experts reckon that the epicentre of the first one was west of Inverness. They say that the epicentre of the second one was in Doch-garroch. That’s just seven kilometres outside the town. Those quakes did a bit of damage in Inverness. But Inverness didn’t suffer in the way Lisbon suffered.

        And when will the next earthquake hit Inverness? Well, we must admit we don’t know.

Broadcast

  • Mon 9 Apr 2012 19:00

All the letters

Tha gach Litir Bheag an seo / All the Little Letters are here.

Podcast: An Litir Bheag

The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners

An Litir Bheag air LearnGaelic

An Litir Bheag is also on LearnGaelic (with PDFs)

Podcast