Transcript

Do bhí rí fadó in Éirinn agus sé an áit gur chónaigh sé i dTír Eoghain i gCúige Uladh. Agus sé an ainm a bhí air Maonas Ó Ruairc. Agus san am céanna do bhí rí eile i gCúig' na Mumhan agus is é an ainm a bhí air sin Murchadh Ó Conaill.

Dúirt Murchadh Ó Conaill go dtabharfadh sé cuireadh dinnéir do Mhaonas Ó Ruairc agus dá sheirbhíseachaibh. Agus do cheap sé lá dhóibh ansan. Do thánadar an lá do cheap sé é. Agus do bhí rí Chúig' na Mumhan agus a sheirbhísigh ullamh rompu. Thugadar isteach iad go seomraí agus do chuireadar chun suite iad. Do thugadar bia agus deoch ansan dóibh. Do bhí rince agus ceol acu. Do bhí amhráin agus scéaltha fiannaíochta acu.

Do bhí rí Chúige U-... Chúig' na Mumhan... fear críonna ab ea é. Agus do bhí sé pósta le bean óg. Agus do bhí rí Uladh 'na fhear breá ach ní raibh sé pósta in aon chor. Do chonaic bean rí na Mumhaineach é agus - rí Uladh - agus do thit sí i ngrá leis. Dúirt sí léi féin go dtabharfadh sí nimh dá fear agus go gcuirfeadh sí chun báis é. Agus go bpósfadh rí Uladh ansan í. D'imigh sí agus do chuir sí nimh sa fíon dó. Do thug sí chuige lán a ghloine dhon fhíon agus do bhí nimh ann agus d'ól sé é. Agus i gcionn dhá uair a chloig 'na dhiaidh san do bhí a fear marbh.

Ar maidin amáireach do bheartaigh rí Uladh é féin agus a chuid seirbhíseach chun gluaiste. D'fhiafraigh bean rí na Mumhan de an bpósfadh sé í. Agus dúirt sé léi go dána ná déanfadh. Do bhí sí ansan gan Mhurchadh gan Mhaonas.

Translation

There was a king in Ireland long ago and the place he lived was Tyrone in Ulster. And his name was Manus O'Rourke. And at the same time there was another king in Munster and his name was Murrough O'Connell.

Murrough O'Connell said he would invite Manus O'Rourke and his servants to dinner. And then he appointed a day for them. They came on the appointed day. And the king of Munster and his servants were prepared for them. They brought them into rooms and sat them down. They then gave them food and drink. They had dancing and music. They had songs and Fenian stories.

The king of Munster was an old man. And he was married to a young woman. And the king of Ulster was a handsome man but he wasn't married at all. The wife of the king of Munster saw him and – the king of Ulster – and she fell in love with him. She said to herself that she would poison her husband and kill him. And that the king of Ulster would marry her then. She went and put poison in his wine. She brought him a full glass of the wine and there was poison in it and he drank it. And two hours after that her husband was dead.

The following morning the king of Ulster got himself and his servants ready to leave. The wife of the king of Munster asked him if he would marry her. And he told her boldly that he would not. She was then without Murrough or Manus.

Commentary

The phrase 'gan Mhurchadh gan Mhánas' (lit. 'without Murrough or Manus'), or variants of it, is popular in the Irish language. It means to be without option or resource, according to Énrí Ua Muirgheasa in Seanfhocla Uladh (Dublin, 1907), 182-3. The example above is one of several legends, often differing greatly from one another, that account for the origin of the phrase. Consider a story from Erris, county Mayo, which says the phrase originated in the killing of a werewolf-type character named Mánas Ó Murchadha. See Séamas Ó Catháin, 'The robbers and the captive girl', Béaloideas 62-3 (1994-5), 109-46: 121-24. Another example can be found in Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Idir shúgradh is dáiríre (Dublin, 1939), 153-64. A recent story and proverb from Corca Dhuibhne, county Kerry, recounts a woman who was in love with two men named Murchadh and Mánas, but took so long in deciding which one to be with that she lost both. See Irish proverbs / seanfhocail (CD-ROM, Fios Feasa, 1998).