Transcript

Bhí fear ann fadó agus bhí rud éigin déanta as an slí aige. Ach ní bhfaighinn nisint[1] cad a bhí déanta as an tslí aige féin. Bhí namhaid á leanúint agus bhí sé ag dul i bhfolach arsna sléibhte an áit (a bhfuil) an (...), a nglaonn siad Cnoc Mhaol Donn air.

Bhí a mháthair ina fhochair agus nuair a bhí an namhaid ag teacht dúirt sé len-... dúirt a mháthair leis, "Tá an namhaid ag teacht!" ar sí sin lena mhac... lena mac.

"Má thá," ar sé sin léithi, "riothfaidh mise chun siúil."

"Cad déanfaidh tú liomsa?" ar sé sin... arsa a mháthair leis.

"Tabharfaidh mé liom tú ar mo dhrom," ar sé sin léithi. Chuir sé a dhá cois in airde ar a... cois léithi... leis léithi ar gach gualainn leis. Agus bhí siad ' liobarnadh siar síos leis. Agus nuair a tháinig siad go dtí bun Ghleann Gabhla bhí siad go lé-... bhí a cabhail[2] go léir scaipthe aige fraoch agus 'ge clocha as na gleannta mar ní raibh dada ar a ghualainn ach dhá chois a mháthar. Agus leag sé cois ar gach taobh den ghleann agus dúirt sé leis féineach, "Baistfidh mise Gleann Gabhla ortsa agus Gleann Bríde ar an ghleann eile."

Sin é agat é anois.

Translation

There was a man long ago and he had done something wrong. But I couldn't say what he had done wrong. An enemy was following him and he was going to hide in the mountains in the place where(?) the (...), they call Knockmealdown.

His mother was with him and when the enemy was coming he said to... his mother said to him, "The enemy is coming!" she said to her son.

"If so," he said to her, "I will run away."

"What will you do with me?" he said... his mother said to him.

"I will carry you with me on my back," he said to her. He put her two legs up on his... one of her legs... one of her thighs on each of his shoulders. And they were dangling down behind him. And when they came to the bottom of Gleann Gabhla they were all... his shirt front (?) was all destroyed by heather and stones from the valleys because he had nothing on his shoulders but his mother's two legs. And he set a foot down on both sides of the valley and he said to himself, "I will name you Gleann Gabhla and I will name the other valley Gleann Bríde."

There you have it now.

Footnotes

Commentary

This is a local legend, and is aetiological in function, describing the origin of the names for two valleys in the area. It is possibly based on a folk etymology, where the word cabhal, meaning cowl or bodice, is presented as the basis for the toponym Gleann Gabhla. Cabhal was originally a neuter-gender word, so the genitive structure could be something like Gleann gCabhla. More likely, however, is the idea that the name of the valley came from the word gabhal, meaning fork. The valley itself could be forked, or a river contained within may diverge. Compare Glengowla in county Galway, which is described as 'Glen of the Fork' in O'Donovan's OS Place Name Books for Galway. See http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/asp/fullresult.asp?id=52412 for details. The origin of Gleann Bríde is not apparent, but perhaps it is the woman in the story, who is not directly mentioned by name. It is possibly to be identified with Glenbreedy, a townland in Glenkeen Parish in county Tipperary.