Transcript

Bhí fear ann. Bhí beirt mhac aige. Labhair an mac ab óige: "A athair," ar sé, "tabhair dom an méid is ceart dom a dh'fháil dem[1] chuid." Roinn an t-athair eatarthu (é). I gceann beagán laethanta bhailigh an mac ab óige a chuid go léir. D'imigh sé leis go dúthaigh iasachta i bhfad ó bhaile. Chaith sé a chuid go léir.

Agus tháinig gorta (ana-mheirbhlitheach)[2] insa dúthaigh sin. Agus tháinig uireasa agus ocras air. Agus chuaigh sé go dtí fear (den áit) agus shocraigh sé leis chun a chuid muc a dh'aoireacht agus a dh'fhriotháil. Agus ba bhreá leis dá bhfaigheadh sé lán a bhoilg des na féithlíocha do dh'itheadh na muca. Ní thabharfadh éinne ann greim bia (dhó).

Mhachnaigh sé ina aigne. Dúirt sé leis féin, "(Feicim) lucht oibre i dtigh m'athar, a ndaothaint le n-ithe acu agus mise ag fáilt bháis den ocras anso. Raghaidh mé ag triall ar m'athair agus déarfad leis gur dhein mé peaca in aghaidh nimhe agus id láthairse. Ní fiú mé feasta go ndéarfaí gur mac duit mé."

Dh'éirigh sé agus chuaigh sé ag triall ar a athair. Chonaic an t-athair é agus é i bhfad uaidh. Ghlac ana-thrua (don) athair dó. Rioth an t-athair ina choinnibh agus phóg sé... Chaith sé é féin ar a bhráid agus phóg sé é. "A athair," ar sé sin, "dhein mé peaca in aghaidh nimhe agus id láthairse. Ní fiú mé feasta go nglaofaí nó go ndéarfaí gur mac duit mé."

Translation

There was a man. He had two sons. The youngest son spoke: "Father," he said, "give me my part of the inheritance." The father divided it (?) between them. In a few days the youngest son gathered all his share. He left and went to a far away foreign land. He spent all of his share.

And a very devastating (?) famine struck that land. He became needy and hungry. And he went to an inhabitant of the place (?) and arranged with him to mind and tend his pigs. And he would have liked to get his fill of the husks that the pigs were eating. Nobody would give him a morsel of food.

He thought to himself. He said to himself, "I see (?) the workers in my father's house with plenty to eat and I am dying of the hunger here. I will go to my father and I will tell him that I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. I am no longer worthy of being called your son."

He got up and went to his father. His father saw him while he was still far off. His father felt great compassion for him. His father ran towards him and kissed... He threw himself at him and kissed him. "Father," he said, "I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. I am no longer worthy of being called your son."

Footnotes

Commentary

This telling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) (together with parts 2 and 3 from the same speaker) is based on a version supplied to the speaker in advance. See Peadar Ua Laoghaire, Na cheithre Soisgéil as an dTiomna Nua (BÁC, 1915), 191-2. The speaker was encouraged to adapt the text to his own dialect.