Transcript

Bhí fear fadó ann agus bhí an saol ag breith dian air agus gan aige ach aon mhac amháin. Agus do loirg sé cead ar a sheanamhnaoi imeacht chui(n) bóthair féachaint an ndéanfadh sé aon ní (amuigh). Do dhein. Thug a bhean cead dó. Seo chui(n) bóthair é. Agus do thug sé trí bliana aimsire ar thrí chomhairle.

Agus nuair a bhí na trí bliana suas seo chui(n) bóthair abhaile é. Agus do bhuail triúr traibhléirithe leis (...) is iad ag cur díbh an bhóthair. Dúradar leis gabháil cóngar coille seacht míle. Is dúirt sé ná déanfadh, gur cruaidh an bhliain a thug sé ar a chomhairle. D'imeodh sé is choimeádfadh sé an bóthar díreach. Do lean sé dhó is ní fada a bhí sé istigh ag gluaiseacht in aice cliathán na coille nuair a chuala sé an bhéiceach istigh. Bhí robálaithe á marú agus maraíodh iad.

Do tháini' sé go tigh feirmeora. Dúirt sé go raibh an méid sin go maith ach go háirithe. Do tháini' sé go tigh feirmeora. Bhí an fear trom críonna agus má bhí do loirg sé óstaíocht (a bheith istigh go lá). Is dúirt an feirmeoir go bhfaigheadh agus fáilthe. Agus nuair a tháinig an seibineach do bhean óg láidir a bhí aige dúirt sé dar lia gur dócha go raibh éileamh ar bhuachaillí éicint eile aici. Dar lia, dúirt sé leis féin ná raibh aon ghanntar, ná fanfadh sé féin sa tigh ón uair ná raibh aon (aimlí) ann.

Chuaigh sé amach (ar chruachaoireacht) i gcúrsa na hoíche. Do tháinig an marcach is a chapall iallaite.

Translation

There lived a man long ago and he had a hard life and only had one son. And he asked permission of his old wife to go on the road to see if he could do anything elsewhere(?). He did. His wife allowed him. Off he went. And he spent three years in service for three pieces of advice.

And when the three years had passed he took the road home again. He met three travellers (...) travelling along the road. They told him to take a seven mile shortcut through a wood. And he said that he wouldn't, that he had spent a hard year for his advice. He would leave and keep to the straight road. He continued on and he wasn't long moving along near the side of the wood when he heard screaming inside. Robbers were killing them (?) and they were killed.

He came to a farmer's house. He said that much [distance?] was good [enough] anyway. He came to a farmer's house. The man was quite elderly but, even so, he asked him for lodgings till morning. And the farmer said he would be more than welcome. And when his fine plump young strong wife came he said by God that she was probably interested in some other boys. By God, he said to himself that there wasn't any need, that he wouldn't stay in the house as there wasn't any (...).

He went out (...) during the night. A rider came on a saddle-horse.

Commentary

This is the beginning section of a longer folktale, namely ATU 910B The observance of the master’s precepts. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). It is well known in Irish tradition from all four provinces, and has been recorded and catalogued under an older title, AT 910B The servant’s good counsels, in Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968).