Transcript

Bhí fear fadó ina chónaí i mBaile an Sceilg go nglaoidís Síoman na mBróg air. Agus duine beag deas éadrom aerach ab ea é agus rinceoir maith. Do bhí mac aige agus is é an ainm a ghlaoidís air Paidí Shíomain. Agus do bhí sé mar an athar, éadr-... mar an athair, éadrom aerach ar an slí chéanna agus rince aige chomh maith.

Do bhí sé aon oíche ag máirseáil siar chun Buaile Uí Chuill agus do bheir níosa mó dhon oíche air ná a cheap sé do bhí tagaithe. Ach do ghluaisigh sé ag teacht abhaile agus do bhí sé deireanach. Do bhí air teacht go dtí an tigh... gabháil trí pháirc go raibh leasachán inti. Agus é a ghabháilt thairis sin do chuala sé an ceol breá go léir insa leasachán. Do sheasaimh sé tamall ag éisteacht leis. Ní fada a dh'fhéad sé bheith ag éisteacht leis nuair a dhírigh sé ar rince. Agus do rinc sé babhta breá don cheol. Agus ansan nuair a bhí a bhabhta rincthe aige do ghluais sé agus do tháini' sé abhaile.

I gceann beagán aimsire ina dhiaidh sin do bhuail Paidí breoite agus ní raibh aon teacht chun cinn aige. Do bhí a athair agus a mháthair ag tabhairt aire dhó agus iad ag féachaint ina dhiaidh. Ach ní raibh sé ag teacht. Agus ba ghreannmhar leo é ná raibh aon chúis aige ach ní íosfadh sé agus ní ólfadh sé aon ní uathu. Do bhí sé mí-shásta leo. Ach nuair fhanadh fuíollach prátaí ina ndiaidh istoíche do thógaidís an fuíollach agus do chuiridís ar phláta síos ar an ndriosúr iad. Ar maidin ní bhíodh aon phráta le fáil pé áit 'á ngabhaidís. N'fheiceadh éinne ag imeacht iad in aon chor. Ach ní thindeálfadh an saol an mac.

Do bhí Síoman í-... bhí Síoman cortha dhe agus deireadh sé nár mhac dó in aon chor é. Deireadh sé nár mhac dó in aon chor é agus síofra do bhí aige. Ach do bhí sé ag faire ina dhiaidh (...). Do shín sé oíche ar an raca. Agus do bhí sé sin sínte ar shop insa chúinne agus an tine in aice leis agus Síoman sínte agus a cheann síos ar an raca is a chosa suas chun na tine. Ba ghearr gur éirigh sé aniar as an leabaidh (as an) gcúinne. Do shuigh sé agus do rug sé a dhá chois amach chun na tine. Agus sé an port a bhí ar siúl aige:

Díocha deácha deó, Síoman na mBróg,
Nách ró-bhreá a rinceann sé thíos ar an mbord!"

Scaoil Síoman leis ach ansan nuair ba mhaith le Síoman é do chorraigh sé é féinig. Agus níor (bheag san). Do shín an fear breoite... chaith sé é féin sa chúinne, agus do dhírigh sé ar a bheith ag gearán.

Translation

Long ago there lived in Ballinskelligs a man they used to call Simon of the Shoes. And he was a nice small light gay man and a good dancer. He had a son and the name they used to call him was Paddy Simon. And he was like the father... like the father, similarly light and gay and able to dance too.

One night he was walking back to Boolakeel and night fell on him quicker than he thought it would. But he continued coming home and it was late. He had to come to the house... go through a field that had a fairy fort in it. When he was passing it he heard all the beautiful music in the fairy fort. He stood a while listening to it. He couldn't have been listening for long when he started dancing. And he danced a fine tune. And then when he had danced his tune he moved on and came home.

A small while after that Paddy took ill and was not getting any better. His father and mother were minding him and looking after him. But he wasn't improving. And they found it strange that he had no reason but he wouldn't eat or drink anything from them. He was unhappy with them but when they had leftover potatoes after them at night they would take the leftovers and they would put them on a plate on the dresser. The next morning they could find no potatoes no matter where the went. No-one saw them going. But nothing in the world could care for the son.

Simon was... Simon was fed up with it and would say that he was no son of his at all. He would say that he was no son of his at all and that it was a changeling that was before him. But he was looking after him (...). He lay on the settle one night. And he was lying on hay in the corner with the fire beside him and Simon lying with his head on the settle and his feet up by the fire. It wasn't long before he rose up from the bed from the (?) corner. He sat down and he brought his two legs up to the fire. And this was what he was singing:

Deecha daycha dow, Simon of the Shoes,
How fine he dances down on the table!"

Simon let him off but then when Simon wanted he stirred himself. And that was no small thing (?). The sick man lay down... he threw himself in the corner, and began complaining.

Commentary

Parts one and two of this narrative combine to form one of a series of common stories in Ireland concerning changelings. These were supernatural creatures that took the place of a human. In Ireland it was common practice for people to believe that sick children or adults were actually changelings, and that the original person had been abducted by the fairies. Belief in changelings was not restricted to Ireland, and appears to be a European phenomenon. The above story is linked to a migratory legend ML 5085 The changeling. See Reider Th. Christiansen, The migratory legends (Helsinki, 1958). A more complete analysis of the story in an Irish context can be found in Séamus Mac Philib, 'The changeling (ML5058): Irish versions of a migratory legend in their international context', Béaloideas 59 (1991), 123-31. Sometimes extraordinary efforts were made to recover the person, which could result in their injury or death. One notorious case involved the burning to death of a woman by the name of Bridget Cleary in 1895, who was said to be a changeling. See Angela Bourke, The burning of Bridget Cleary (New York, 1999).