Dùthchas na Mara Dúchas na Mara Belonging to the Sea

Sin am fear a dh’ionnsaich mi domhac mo mhic, nuair a thug mia-mach o chionn dà bhliadhn’ air aise. Agus tha e aige air a theanga a-nisaig aois seachd bliadhna…. Tha iadaige agus a Dhia tha e eòlach airna comharraidhean.An cruth air an àrainneachd muphoileasaidh ag atharrachadhSa chiad leth den fhicheadamh lin, chaidhgearan a thogail ann am Barraigh leiasgairean às na h-Eileanan Siar an aghaidhbriseadh-a-steach le iasgairean à taobha-muigh nan eilean a bha a’ milleadh naniollaidhean aca. Chaidh Dionnasg na Mara achur air bhonn leis an sgrìobhadair ComptonMacKenzie agus an sgoilear Fear Chanaighagus fhuair e taic làidir bho na h-iasgaireaniad fhèin. B’ iad na h-amasan a bh’ acadèanamh cinnteach gum biodh smachd aigiasgairean nan eilean air na còraicheanair uisgeachan nan eilean agus iasgaireannan eathraichean-sgrìobaidh a chumaila-mach. An-diugh chan e feadhainn thaiceila thàinig a-steach, mar a thàinig FearChanaigh is MacCoinnich, a tha an ceannnan iomairtean am measg iasgairean snah-eileanan Gàidhealach, ach iasgairean naneilean iad fhèin.Bha Fear Chanaigh den bheachd gun dodh’fhairtlich air Dionnasg na Mara sna1930an a chuid amasan a thoirt gu builseach gun robh beachd nàimhdeil mu nah-eileanan an taobh a-staigh Riaghaltasna Rìoghachd Aonaichte aig an àm. Andiughtha caochladh uallachaidheanis dhleastanasan air Riaghaltas naRìoghachd Aonaichte agus Riaghaltas nah-Eìreann fo lagh eadar-nàiseanta. Thamharcanna dúinn, fite le hiomrá ar stair,ghinealeolaíocht, an imirce isteach isamach, amhráin is seandálaíocht OileánBharra, diomaite de neart ainmneachaeile ar áiteanna ar farraige atá marchuid d’eolas éiceolaíoch traidisiúnta nan-iascairí.. Tá a lán de seo ceangailtelena scéal féin agus lena chuid eispéireascultúrtha go ginearálta.. Tá sé anois agtabhairt an eolais seo dá gharmhac a bhfuilseacht mbliain slánaithe aige.Agus é ag tabhairt dúinn cionn dá chuidmarcanna fá choinne sceire ar a dtugtarFiaclan a’ Mhìn [?], dúirt sé::Sin an cionn a d’fhoghlaim mé dongharmhac nuair a thug mé amachdhá bhliain ó shin é. Agus tá sé aigear a thoil anois in aois seacht mbliaindó…. Tá siad aige agus a Dhia tá namarcanna ar eolas aige.Cumadh timpeallachta beartaisag athrúSa chéad leath den 20ú céad, rinneadhagóid in Oileán Bharra le hiascairí snahOileáin Thiar in aghaidh trálaer agbriseadh isteach ón taobh amuigh a bhí agmilleadh a gcuid bráití. Cuireadh Conradhna Mara ar bun leis an scríobhneoirCompton MacCoinnich is an fhear léinn FearChanaigh agus fuair sé tacaíocht láidir ó nahiascairí iad féin. B’ iad a gcuid spriocthacinntiú go mbeadh smacht ag iascairí nan-oileán ar na cearta ar uiscí na n-oileánagus na trálaeir a choinneáil amach. Inniu,ní le dream tacúil a tháinig thar tír isteachar nós MhicCoinnich is Fear Coinnigh aThat is the one I taught thegrandson, when I took him out twoyear ago. And he knows itoff by heart now at seven….He’s got them and by God heknows the marks.The changing shape of thepolicy environmentIn the first half of the 20 th centuryBarra was the centre of a protest byfishermen in the Western Isles againstthe incursions of trawlermen fromoutside the islands who were destroyingtheir fishing grounds. The Sea Leaguewas set up by the writer ComptonMacKenzie and the scholar John LorneCampbell and received strong supportfrom the fishermen themselves. Theiraims were to ensure that the islandfisherman controlled the rights to islandwaters and to keep the trawlermen out.Today activism among fishermen onthe Gaelic speaking islands is not beingled by supportive incomers, such asCampbell and MacKenzie, but by islandfishermen themselves.John Lorne Campbell believed that thefailure of the Sea League of the 1930sto achieve its ambitions was becauseof hostile attitudes to the islands withinthe UK Government of the time. Todaythe UK and Irish Governments have arange of responsibilities and obligationsunder international law. Some ofthese international policy instrumentsexpressly recognise and support themore complex ‘way of knowing’ the39