Taigh-tasgaidh Gheàrrloch
Leis gun robh luchd-tadhail gun chrìoch agam am bliadhna, bha mi air an rathad còmhla riutha gu math tric, a‘ sealltainn dhaibh na Gàidhealtachd – beanntan is muir, bailtean iasgaich is croitearachd, caistealan agus taighean-tasgaidh. ‘S fhad o nach fhaca mi fhìn uiread den sgìre, agus lorg mi rud no dhà air nach robh mi eòlach roimhe.
‘S ann mu fhear de na h-ionadan-dualchais sgìreil a tha mi airson sgrìobhadh an-diugh, mu Thaigh-Tasgaidh Gheàrrloch. ‘S dòcha gun do leugh sibh mu dheidhinn san Ross-shire Journal o chionn ghoirid. Mar a tha sinne ann am Machair Rois, tha iadsan a‘ dèanamh maoineachadh-sluaigh gus barrachd airgid a thogail airson goireasan nas motha ‘s nas fheàrr fhaighinn – feumaidh iadsan gluasad gu togalach ùr ann an 2019. Ach tha na tha aca mar-thà fìor dhrùidhteach.
Tha iad fhathast ann an seann togalachan croitearachd ri taobh a’ bhaile, àite brèagha agus freagarrach dha na taisbeanaidhean nam broinn. Mar a chithear air a’ phlana agus anns na dealbhan, tha cuspairean eadar-dhealaichte ann, air an taisbeanadh ann an roinnean air leth timcheall air na rùmannan, is iad uile uabhasach math dèanta. Tha tòrr stuth dìreach tarraingeach aca, a’ toirt dhuinn dhealbhan beòthail de dhiofar dhreuchdan agus dhòighean-beatha san sgìre fad nan linntean, gu ruige meadhan an 20mh linn – innealan iasgaich, croitearachd is breabadaireachd, stail uisge-beatha neo-cheadaichte no poit-dhubh, agus ath-chruthachaidhean de sheòmar-sgoile (le leasan Gàidhlig air a’ bhòrd-dhubh), de sheann bhùth a’ bhaile à Mealbhaig, agus de sheòmar-suidhe taigh-croite. Tha taisbeanadh glè inntinneach mu chreag-eòlas Rois an Iar ann cuideachd. Taobh a-muigh tha seann bhàtaichean iasgaich rim faicinn agus iomadh ball-acainn eile.
Ach tha rudan eile ann a tha fìor shònraichte. Bha iongnadh orm gu bheil clach Chruithneach aca, a’ chiad tè air a lorg air taobh an iar na Gàidhealtachd. ‘S e clach gu math tràth a th’ innte, tè Clas 1, le iolaire agus bradan oirre, caran coltach ris an fheadhainn ann an Srath Pheofhair (Clach na h-Iolaire) agus Eadardan (a’ Chlach Bhiorach). Agus tha an lionsa mòr à taigh-sholais Stevenson aig an Rudha Rèidh ri fhaicinn, ann an ath-chruthachadh den t-seòmar as àirde den taigh-sholais. Fìor dhrùidhteach.
Rud eile a tha fiosrachail agus feumail – tha tasgaidhean agus clàraidhean ann de gach seòrsa, seann dealbhan, smsaa. Agus bùth le foillseachain ionadail, raon farsaing de leabhraichean eile, agus làmh-cheàrdan. Tha na daoine an sin (ag obair gu saor-thoileach) càirdeil agus cuideachail.
Bha mi toilichte cuideachd na h-uiread de shoidhnichean dà-chànanach fhaicinn air feadh an àite.
Uile gu lèir faodaidh mi an taigh-tasgaidh seo a mholadh gu mòr – tha stuth gu leòr ann a bhiodh fìor inntinneach do mhuinntir Machair Rois, agus ‘s dòcha gum biodh e a’ brosnachadh bheachdan ùra dhuinn cuideachd, is sinn airson ar dualchas fhèin a thaisbeanadh nas fheàrr san àm ri teachd. Tha barrachd fiosrachaidh ri fhaighinn, mun mhaoineachadh aca cuideachd, air an làraich-lìn: http://www.gairlochheritagemuseum.org
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As I’ve had a stream of visitors this last year, I’ve often been on the road with them, showing them the Highlands – mountains and sea, fishing and crofting villages, castles and museums. It’s a long time since I saw so much of the area, and I found several things I hadn’t been to before.
I want to write about one of the local heritage centres today – Gairloch Museum. You may have read about it recently in the Ross-shire Journal. They are, like ourselves on the Seaboard, trying to raise more funds via crowdfunding to improve and expand their facilities – they have to move to a new building in 2019. But what they have there already is truly impressive.
They are still in old crofting buildings close to the town, a lovely site and very appropriate to the displays inside. As you can see on the plan and in the pictures, there are many different subjects covered, all exhibited in separate sections around the rooms, and all very well put together. They have a lot of really fascinating material giving a lively picture of trades and lifestyles over the centuries, up to the mid-20th century – fishing, crofting and weaving implements, an illicit whisky still, re-creations of a schoolroom (with a Gaelic lesson on the board), the old village shop from Melvaig, and a croft-house living-room. There’s also a very interesting exhibition about the geology of Wester Ross. Outside old fishing boats can be seen, along with many other implements.
But there are other really special items. I was surprised to see they have a Pictish stone, the first to be found on the West Highland mainland. It’s a pretty early stone, a Class 1, with an eagle and a salmon on it, quite similar to those in Strathpeffer (the Eagle Stone) and Edderton (Clach Bhiorach). And the huge lens of the Stevenson lighthouse at Rudha Reidh can be seen in a reconstruction of the top room of the lighthouse. Stunning.
And they have something else informative and useful – there are archives and records of every kind there, old pictures etc. They also have a shop with local publications and a wide range of other books, and crafts. The people working there (volunteers) are friendly and helpful.
I was happy too to see so many bilingual signs all around the displays.
All in all I can highly recommend this museum – there’s plenty of material that will be of interest to Easter Ross folk, and maybe it will inspire us with new ideas as we aim to display our own heritage better in the future. Lots more information, including about their funding, on their website: http://www.gairlochheritagemuseum.org
Dealbhan agam fhìn, le cead bhon taigh-tasgaidh / own pictures, with permission from the museum.