Lochlainneach

The Green Land

Featured Gaelic and Pronunciations:

- Ewan (yew-win) - Scottish form of 'Owen'

- Cò-la breith sona dhut (koh lah brey soh-nah yoot) - happy birthday to you

- Ceart ma-tà (kersht mah tah) - all right then

- Anam cara (ah-nahm kara) - Soul friend

- Laoimhe (lee-vah)

- Teann snas (chown snahs) - move over

- Na Cruithnich (nah kroo-neek) - the Picts

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19 January, 1751

Dunfanaghy, County Donegal, Ireland

CATRÌONA POV

We arrived in Dunfanaghy by ship and once again, Jamie was the first off of the ship. While Cailean went in search of our relative that, evidently, was waiting for our arrival, I helped Saoirse carry Cillian and Caoimhe down, Archie leading Brèagha by the hand down the plank. The twins were now three years old, Brèagha was four and Archie was seven, all of them already so big and growing so quickly. "Are ye excited te meet do sheantuismitheoirí ?" Saoirse asked her two children once we were off of the ship, asking them if they were excited to meet their grandparents in Irish.

" Sea!" said Caoimhe, responding 'yes' in Irish.

"Where is Dada?" Cillian asked, preferring to be in his father's arms rather than mine. He fussed as he tried to get out of my arms, but I only hiked him up higher on my hip.

"Yer no' goin' anywhere, a ghille ," I told him, earning a whine from him. "Oh, listen te that! Do ye want some cheese with that wine?" I asked him, and Saoirse laughed as she used one hand to brush a brown curl from Cillian's eyes.

"Cat!" I heard Cailean's voice call, and Cillian wiggled free and ran to his father, who was only too happy to pick him up. Cailean, along with Jamie, was being followed by an older man likely in his sixties, a younger middle-aged man who was in his thirties or forties, and a younger lad who was maybe fifteen or sixteen.

"Ah, ye mus' be Catrìona. Yer grandsire told me quite a bit about ye in his letters," said the oldest man. "Ah, yer the spit of him, ye are! And what a lovely reddish hue in yer hair!" Since we went to Ireland, I stopped colouring my hair with the walnut shells and the mahogany colour was fading, showing the red underneath.

"Aye, she does, doesnae she?" Jamie chimed in, moving to stand beside me.

"Jamie and Catrìona are married, and these are their children, Archie and Brèagha," Cailean explained to the man. "Cat, this is Grandsire's cousin, Ewan. Well, actually he's Grandsire's cousin's son."

"A pleasure te meet ye, Mistress - cousin, if I may," said Ewan, accepting my offered hand and kissing the back of it.

"And this here is my wife, Saoirse," said Cailean, referring to Saoirse. "And my children, Cillian and Caoimhe."

"Ah, a verra beautiful woman. A pleasure te meet ye, Mistress," Ewan said to her, repeating the action of kissing her hand as well.

"And this here is Ewan's son, Patrick, and his son, also Ewan," Cailean said, introducing the two younger men to me.

"Aye, 'Patrick' and 'Ewan' are family names. Ewan was my great grandsire and yer grandsire's uncle, as well as my Pa and my laddie, and 'Patrick' is my grandsire and me," Patrick said to me cheerfully.