Reference Number213
TitleBeatha agus Iompachadh Dhùghaill Bochannain a dh’eug ann an Ranach sa’ bhliadhna 1768 / (air a sgrìobhadh leis féin): maille r’a Laoidhean spioradail
AuthorBuchanan, Dugald
EditorMacKenzie, John
Date Of Edition1844
Date Of Languagemid 18c
Date Of Language Ed18th c.
DateMacroMid 18th c.
Date Of Language Notes
PublisherMacLachlan, Stewart and Co.
Place PublishedEdinburgh
VolumeN/A
LocationNational, academic, and local libraries
Geographical OriginsRannoch, Highland Perthshire
Geographical Origins EdPerthshire
GeoMacroPerthshire
GeoX-3.7953
GeoY56.3980
Geographical Origins Notes
RegisterReligion, Prose and Verse
Register EdReligion, Prose and Verse
GenreLiterature
MediumProse & Verse
RatingB (TBC)
One of the earliest examples of an autobiography written in Scottish Gaelic.
Buchanan was an excellent scholar and a man of the contemporary Enlightenment with a passionate commitment to the Gaelic culture.
This text is written in a religious register, and in an evangelical style.
There are frequent references to and quotes from the Bible.
Buchanan wrote in clear, communicative didactic Gaelic with a smattering of the key features of Perthshire Gaelic.
Buchanan touches on the nature of God, the life of Jesus, the day of judgement, the importance of being a spiritual person, and the need to prepare for death. He also criticises those who put too much emphasis on worldly goods.
Alternative Author NameDugald Buchanan
Manuscript Or EditionEd.
Size And Condition15.2cm x 10cm
Short TitleBeatha agus Iompachadh
Reference DetailsNLS: NG.1526.d.2
Number Of Pagesvi, 185
Gaelic Text ByN/A
IllustratorN/A
Social ContextDugald Buchanan (Dùghall Bochannan, 1716-1768) was preacher and schoolmaster in Kinloch Rannach. He was a spiritual poet of note as well as being a diarist. His autobiography offers an insight into his early years and how, through existential turmoil and plagued by doubts, he was converted to the Christian faith and became a fervent preacher and teacher. For more biographical information about the author, see Text 172.
ContentsAfter the bilingual title page, the volume opens with the contents (pp. v-vi) and then the main text follows, which is divided into 6 chapters of varying lengths as follows:
 
‘Caib. I. Anns a beil cunntas air mo chaithe-beatha o mo leanabachd gus an robh mi dà bhliadhna dheug ’a dh’aois’ (pp. 1-12)
 
‘Caib. II. Anns a beil cunntas air mo ghnàthachadh - bho ’nuair a’ bha mi dà bhliadhna dheug a’ dh’aois gus an robh mi ceithir bliadhna fichead’ (pp. 13-45)
 
‘Caib. III. Anns a bheil fàs dearbhaidh ann an anam ni’s faid air fhoillseachadh rè an dà bhliadhna so a leannas’ (pp. 46-81)
 
‘Caib. IV. Anns a beil ceud-fhàs dearbhaidhean ann am anam maile r’a na h-uile eagal agus theagamh fo’n robh mi bho cheud mìos an earraich 1742 gu ceud mìos an earraich 1743, àm anns an d’rinn an Tighearna ann an cuid de thomhas mo bhanntaibh fhosgladh agus mo leigeil as saor.’ (pp. 81-119)
 
‘Caib. V. Anns am beil cunntas n’s faide air a chur sìos m’n dhéighinn mo chleachdaidhean o mhìos a Mhàirt 1743, gu mìos meadhonach a Fhoghair an deigh sin’ (pp. 120-58)
 
‘Caib. VI. Anns am beil mairsineachd air déilig gràsmhor Dhé ri m’anam o cheud mìos an Fhoghair 1745, gu mìos mheadhonach a Gheamhraidh 1750’ (pp. 159-85).
Sources
LanguageBuchanan writes in commendably clear and communicative Gaelic with some traces of his Perthshire dialect still remaining. There is a clear Evangelical influence on the text as well as a Biblical one where quotes appear fairly often, for example: ‘“Tha amaideachd ceangailt’ ann an cruidhe leinibh,” agus “Tha na h-aingidh a’ claonadh o’n bhroinn; tha iad a’ dol air seacharan o’m breith, a’ labhairt bhreug,” Gna. xxii. 15. Salm. lviii. 3 (p. 2). Another example is as follows: ‘O Iehobha shiorruith! a Thighearna nan Tighearn, agus as Rìgh nan rìgh, a Chruithear mhòir néimh agus na talmhainn, a choimhideas cùmhnanta agus tròcair, eadhon, is tusa an Tighearna ’na t-aonar, agus tha uile shlòigh nan neàmh a’ deanadh aoradh dhut.’ (p. 131).
 
There is a also a clear influence of prayer or petitioning such as, ‘Glòir dhut O Athair mo Thighearna Iosa Criosd ris an dean mi o’n latha an diugh a mach m’ Athair a ghairm air son do ghaoil siorruidh taghta, fhoilleachadh ann an lànachd na h-aimsir, le do Mhac siorruidh a’ chur a dh’ionnsaidh an t-saoghail a’ thearnadh pheacach agus mise gu sònraichte’ (pp. 140-41).
 
The copula is realised as follows: se iad (p. 4), gur h-e (p. 4), gur ann (p. 14), se (p. 31), gu’m a h-ann (p. 158), be (p. 166).
 
Very occasional use of hyphen rather than an apostrophe in some spellings, e.g. Dh-éisd (p. 14).
 
Possessive determiner appears somewhat erratically with or without an apostrophe, e.g. a m’ dhleasanas (p. 4), am nàdur (p. 9), am chiontach (p. 12), na seasamh (p. 29), ’nam aonar (p. 33), ’na dhuine (p. 37), na dhuine (p. 38).
 
Epenthetic vowels are very occasionally realised, such as anamoch (p. 24).
 
Of interest is the use of subject pronouns with initial s-, e.g., Spion se (p. 164).
 
Very occasional use of dative plural endings may also be noted, such as oibribh (p. 11), piantaibh (p. 16), nithibh (p. 29), lubaibh (p. 35), leithidibh (p. 75), sagartaibh (p. 85), lathaibh (p. 139), sgiathaibh (p. 164).
 
Occasional use of the second plural imperative, e.g., thigibh (p. 101), gabhaibh (p. 101), deanaibh-sa (p. 156), bithibh (p. 156).
 
Very occasional use of plural imperatives, e.g., feòraicheamaid (p. 9), dheanamaid (p. 15).
 
There is a tendency, which is probably indicative of Perthshire Gaelic, to miss out do, as in the following phrases: gun shruth (p. 9), gu’n thuit (p. 145), gu’n thaisbean.
 
There appears a rather unusual tendency to lenite words after uile e.g. uile chùram (p. 1) and uile shluagh (p. 4).
 
Irregular verbs are occasionally used, such as urrainnear (p. 1), chuirear (p. 7), cualas (p.122).
 
Others spellings of note: beil rather than bheil (p. 1) and throughout the text; na h-uile dhìcheall (p. 1), air son (p. 1), smaointeachadh (p. 2), so (p. 2), fearr (p. 2), a bhi (p. 2), mu’n (p. 2), e féin (p. 2), tuillidh (p. 2), air bith (p. 3), Mu thiomchioll (p. 3), ga’m fhaicinn (p. 4), fadheireadh (p. 4), Fadheòigh (p. 4), m’a (p. 4), fathast (p. 6), fainear (p. 6), Cia mar (p. 6), a tha (p. 6), gum beil mi (p. 6), Fòs (p. 6), ga mo leanmhuinn (p. 6), ciod (p. 7), do réir coltais (p. 8), uapa (p. 8), osbàrr (p. 8), cia (p. 8), riabh (p. 8), dara (p. 8), aobhar (p. 9), uam (p. 9), cionnas (p. 10), de’m (p. 12), an deigh (p. 12), a dh’ionnsaidh (p. 13), gu’n robh (p. 14), comh-fhurtachd (p. 14), da-rìreadh (p. 15), air teachd (p. 15), fuathas (p.16), cùig (p. 16), còladh (p. 16), cunnard (p. 16), aig a beil (p. 17), a’ laidhe (p. 18), adhaidh-san (p. 21), drochait (p. 22), Sruidhleadh (p. 22), fagus (p. 24), ge be air bith (p. 25), tro ’n (p. 27), ga mo chur (p. 27), domh (p. 29), anabharrach (p. 30), oidheirp (p. 33), m’u (p. 33), rudaigin (p. 35), mo leith (p. 37), thubhairt (p. 39), bitheadh (p. 39), daibh (p. 40), dara (p. 44), ainbhidh (p. 46), ea-comasach (p. 47), friothaladh (p. 48), soilear (p. 48), Gàëlach (p. 49), deimhin (p. 49), dut (p. 50), diom (p. 52), bu dàcha (sp. 54), diaghachd (p. 55), sonraite (p. 57), solus (p. 61), troimhpe (p. 63), deth (p. 65), diaghaidh (p. 70), ma ta (p. 80), mar eil (p. 82), mar gu’m b’eadh (p. 98), sè-amh (p. 106), mu dhéighinn (p. 111), nach b’uirrte (p. 116), bithchionta (p. 128), ceudna (p. 145), talbhuinn (p. 146), a’ gul (p. 146), reull (p. 146), urrad (p. 147), uaithe (p. 148), nìdh (p. 148), Uaidh (p. 150), air leam (p. 154), as urrainn mise (p. 155), c’arson (p. 155), dùlan (p. 167), faide (p. 168), iomadaidh (p. 171), suigheachadh (p. 174), stiùradh (p. 182).
 
Occasional appearances of rare or unusual words, such as cìocras (p. 32), connbhall (p. 34), amladh (p. 35), so-mhaiteach (p. 52), càlach (p. 63), mùireach (p. 69), aiteam (p. 84), stròghail (p. 86), ciomachas (p. 151), suthainn (p. 158), an t-seilch-chreige (p. 178).
 
Other than the fairly inconsistent use of acute accents or graves, there appear quite a few typographical errors, but they do not detract from comprehending the text: òidhche (p. 3), breth (p. 3), thubairt (p. 7), eìle (p. 9), co-dhunadh (p. 13), stòirm (p. 16), cuinteach (p. 17), aìr (p. 24), oìr (p. 24), m’anm (p. 57), màrbh (p. 66), orn (p. 68), miorbhiulean (p. 69), cir mar (p. 76), staìd (p. 93), deimin (p. 100), dhom (p. 127), Sàlm (p. 145), sioìruidh (p. 160), ìs (p. 167), fhàgal (p. 172), denòach (p. 172).

The language reflects the Gaelic dialect of Perthshire.
OrthographyThe spelling conforms generally to the orthography of mid nineteenth century. Acute and grave accents are both retained. Accents appear on capital letters.
EditionFirst edition.
Other Sources
Further ReadingBuchanan, Dugald, The Diary of Dugald Buchanan (Edinburgh, 1836: [n. pub.]).
MacBean, Lachlan, Buchanan: Sacred Bard (London, 1919: [n. pub.]).
MacInnes, Rev. John, The Evangelical Movement in the Highlands of Scotland, 1688 to 1800 (Aberdeen. 1951: Aberdeen University Press).
Meek, Dòmhnall E., ‘Ath-sgrùdadh: Dùghall Bochanan’, Gairm, 147 (1989), 269-70, and 148 (1989), 319-31            .
Meek, Donald E., ‘Imagery of the Natural World in the Hymnology of Dugald Buchanan and Peter Grant’, Scottish Gaelic Studies, 17 (1996), 263-77.
Meek, Dòmhnall E., Laoidhean Spioradail Dhùghaill Bhochanain (Glasgow: Scottish Gaelic Texts Society, 2015).
Ó Murchú, Mairtín, East Perthshire Gaelic: social history, phonology, texts, and lexicon (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1986).
Sinclair, James, Reminiscences of Dugald Buchanan (Edinburgh, 1875: Religious Tract and Book Society).
Sutherland, A. C., ‘The Poetry of Dugald Buchanan, the Rannoch Bard’, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, III/IV (1873/75), 101-15.
Thomson, Derick S., ‘Dùghall Bochanan’, An Gaidheal, 53 (1958), 87-89.
Credits
Link LabelDigital version created by National Library of Scotland
Linkhttp://digital.nls.uk/rare-items-in-gaelic/pageturner.cfm?id=102005787
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