Page 42 - Memories of Giant MacAskill In Gaelic from MacTalla, 1893

ISSUE : Issue 72

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1997/6/1

sin maille ri athair 's ri bhraithrean. Bu dhuine gle bheag athair, ach bha e gle lai- dir dhe mheudachd, agus bha mhathair rud- eigin nas airde na 'n cumantas. Rugadh iad le cheile air Eilean Leodhais, agus 'sann an sin mar an ceudna a rugadh am mac air a bheil mise toirt iomradh. Bha coignear mhac eile aca, agus dithis nighean, 's bha iad uile de neart 's de mheudachd chuimseach. Tha chuid a's mo dhiubh beo fhathast. Gus an robh e sia bliadhna deug a dh-aois, cha robh e fas air dhoigh neo-abhaisteach na neart no na mheudachd, ach an deigh sin thugadh fa near gu robh e fas gu bras, 's gu robh e anabarrachs laidir, Bha e gle chiuin na nadar agus car lunndach na ghlu- asad, agus cha chuireadh e a neart an ceill gus am biodh a nadar air a dhusgadh. Bha e seachd troidhean us naoidh oirlich a dh-airde, agus b' fheudar da athair lobhta 'n taighe a thogail traidh no dha gus co- throm a thoirt dha air coiseachd a stigh gun a cheann a chromadh. Chunna mise cota, botuinn, agus nithean eile a bh'aige, 's a tha air gleidheach gu curamach le bhraithrean. Dh-fheuch mi an cot umam, agus 'nuair nach b'urrinn domh a lionadh no faisg air, dh-iarr mi air di? this eile dhol comhlath rium, agus dhuin e umainn gun strith sam bith. Bha a bhotuinn ochd oirlich dheug a dh-fhad, agus rachadh agam air mo dha chois a chur innte gu • YOUR COMPLETE INTERIOR DECORATING CENTRE • Mr. Paint Ltd. "Drop in for personalized, friendly service." ' Free Computer Matching Service WALLCOVERINGS Simms - PIntar BRUSHES & PAINTING ACCESSORIES Complete line Of <''''~~in BENJAMIN MOORE PRODUCTS Vf'f'W (residential • commerciai • Industrial) '- : • (367 GEORGE STREET, SYDNEY, N.S. BIP 1K2 ?? 539-3422) W. J. DOOLEY FUNERAL SERVICE LTD. • Peter V. Walsh • Joseph A. Walsh • Daniel P. Campbell 107 Pleasant Street, North Sydney, N.S. Telephone; (902) 794-3418 • Over a Century of Service • strength, but after that he was observed to grow suddenly and that he was exceed? ingly strong. He was of a very gentle na? ture and was slow moving, and he would not use his strength -until his temper was aroused. He was seven feet and nine inches in height, and his father had to raise the loft of the house so that he could come in without bending his head. I saw his coat, boots and other things of his that are carefully saved by his broth? ers. I tried his coat on, and when I could not come near filling it, I asked two oth? ers to come in it with me and it closed around us without any difficulty. His boots were eighteen inches long and I could easily put my two feet in one of them. Although he was so big, he did not eat more than any other man. We will see from what follows that even in his youth he was very strong. One day he was plowing with a pair of oxen and they became tired before evening and required much urging. Finally, he became angry, he let the oxen go, grabbed the chain him? self, asked his brother to hold the plow, and started to work. He finished the plow? ing before nightfall. Another time, two men were trying to bring a boat full of codfish to shore but they weren't succeeding. Big MacAskill came along. He told the men to go one on each side of the boat to keep it level and he would bring it to land. He grasped the front end of the boat and with one pull took it to shore. One other time, he was coming to shore with a boat, and the waves were so strong that the boat went over very near the shore. The boys on land started to taunt him, saying that the Big Boy had plenty to do now. .But great was their sur- TAKE CHARGE Of Your Future Small business is now the number one source of job creation in Canada. We can help you become the next success story! We can offer loans to new or existing busi? nesses at competitive terms and interest rates. We can invest in your business by way of preferred or common shares. Technical Assistance We can help in many other ways, such as Incorporated business plan development, identification of additional sources of financing and day to day problem solving. COASTAL BUSINESS Opportunities 338 Charlotte Street, Sydney, N.S. 539-4332 Other Services We administer various self-employment as? sistance programs. For information on these programs, contact our office.

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