Transcript

Bhí fear ann agus bhí beirt mhac aige. Agus dúirt an mac ab óige acu leis an athair, "A athair orainn, tabhair domhsa an méid atá ag dul dom dod chuid." Agus do roinn sé é eatarthu. Agus i gcionn beagán laethanta do... d'imi-... bhailigh an mac óg chuige a chuid go léir agus d'imigh sé go dúthaigh iasachta. Agus do chaith sé a chuid le baois agus le rabairne.

Agus nuair a bhí deireadh caite aige do thosnaigh gorta mór insa tír sin agus ba ghearr go raibh sé ag tosnú in easpa. Agus d'imigh sé agus do réitigh sé le duine do mhuintir na tíreach[1]. Agus do chuir sé sin é amach ina chuid tailimh ag cothú muc. Is ba mhaith leis a bholg a líonadh dhos na féithleogaibh d'itheadh na muca ach ní thabharfadh aoinne dho... ní thabharfadh aoinne dho iad.

Do stad sé agus do mhachnaigh sé ina aigne: Cad a bhfuil do lucht tuarastail a thuilleamh i dtigh m'atharsa agus a ndóthain aráin acu agus mise anso ag fáil bháis don ghorta? Agus éireoidh mé agus raghaidh mé fé dhéin m'athar. Agus déarfaidh mé leis, "A athair, tá peaca déanta agam in aghaidh neimhe agus id láthairse agus leigfidh tú dhom bheith id do[2] dhuine dhod lucht tuarastail a thuilleamh."

D'éirigh sé agus d'imigh sé fé dhéin a athar. Agus dá fhaid a bhí sé amuigh do chonaic an t-athair é i bhfad uaidh agus do rith sé ina choinnibh. Do tháinig trua mhór aige dho agus do rith sé ina choinnibh agus do chaith sé é féin ar a bhráid agus do phóg sé é. "A athair," a dúirt a... an mac leis an athair. "A athair, tá peaca mór deanta agam in aghaidh neimhe agus id láthairse agus ní fiú mé feasta a rá[3] gur mac duit mé, agus leogfaidh tú... déarfaidh tú gur duine dhod lucht tuarastail a thuilleamh mé."

"Brostaig[4]," arsa an t-athair leis na seirbhíseachaibh, "agus tugaig amach an chulaith éadaigh is fearr agus cuirig uimis é. Agus cuirig fáinne ar a mhéir agus bróga ar a chosaibh agus tugaig libh an gamhain ramhar agus maraíg é. Agus bhíomair... bímis... ithimis agus bímis go súgair[5].

Do bhí an mac ba shine amuigh sa pháirc agus bhí sé ag teacht go dtí an tigh agus do chuala sé an ceol agus an rince. Agus do ghlaoigh sé ar dhuine dhá sheirbhíseachaibh cad a bhí ar siúl. D'fhreagair an seirbhíseach é agus dúirt sé leis, "Do tháinig do dheartháir agus do mharaibh t'athair an gamhain ramhar. Tháin-... d'éirigh fearg dó agus ní raghadh sé isteach.

Agus do tháinig an t-athair amach agus do bhí sé ag tathant air dul isteach. Agus dúirt sé leis an athair, "Táimse ag obair agus (ag gnáthamh) agat leis an fhaid seo blianta agus níor thugais dom oiread is mionnán a dhéanfadh suairceas dom chairde. Agus an mac so dhuit do tháinig tar éis a choda do chaitheamh le drochmhnáibh, do mharaís an gamhain ramhar."

"Ó, a stóir, ar ndóigh," arsa an t-athair, ar seisean, "ar ndóigh, (bhí-se) i gcónaí agam," ar seisean. "Agus is leatsa mo chuid go léir agus nár... ó tháinig do dheartháir nár chóir (go mbeifeá gáireatach) soilbhir? Do bhí sé marbh agus tá sé beo arís. Do cailleadh é agus do fuarthas é."

Translation

There was a man and he had two sons. And the youngest son said to the father, "Father, give me my share of the inheritance." And he divided it amongst them. And in a few days the young son went... gathered his entire share and he went to a foreign land. And he spent all he had with folly and extravagance.

And when he had spent the last of it a great famine arose in that country and it wasn't long before he was in need. And he went and struck a deal with a citizen of that country. And he sent him out on his land feeding pigs. And he would have liked to fill his belly with the husks which the pigs ate but none of... no one would give them to him.

He stopped and thought to himself: How many employees are earning in my father's house who have enough bread while I am here dying of the hunger? And I will get up and go to my father. And I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence and you will let me be one of your paid employees."

He got up and went to his father. And while he was outside his father saw him in the distance and he ran towards him. He felt great pity for him and he ran to him and threw himself at him and he kissed him. "Father," the son said to the father. "Father, I have sinned greatly against heaven and in your presence and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. And you will let... you will say that I am one of your paid servants."

"Hurry," the father said to the servants, "and bring out the best suit of clothes and put it on him. And put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet and take the fatted calf and kill it. And let us... let us eat and be merry.

The eldest son was out in the field and he was coming to the house and he heard the music and dance. And he called to one of his servants [asking] what was happening. The servant answered him and said to him, "Your brother came and your father killed the fatted calf." He became angry and he would not go in.

And the father came out and he beseeched him to go in. And he said to the father, "I have been working for you continuously all these years and you didn't give me as much as a kid goat so that I could make merry with my friends. And this son of yours who came after spending his share on bad women, you killed the fatted calf [for him]."

"Oh, my dear, of course," said the father, he said, "of course, I always had you," he said. "And all I have is yours and shouldn't... since your brother came shouldn't you be rejoicing and merry? He was dead and he is alive again. He was lost and was found."

Footnotes

Commentary

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