Transcript

Bhí fear ann fadó agus sé an t-ainm a bhí air[1] Páidín gan Mhacdam[2]. Ní rabh Páidín ar faoistin le blianta fada. Chuala sé go rabh na sagairt le bheith ar an mbaile agus dúirt sé go ngabhfadh sé ar faoistin. Dúirt sé leis na comharsanaí dul isteach tráthnóna agus go mbeadh scéalta nua aige dhóibh le insin.

Chuaigh[3] Páidín go teach na sagart agus nuair a bhí sé ar a ghlúiní ag an sagart d'fhiafraigh an sagart dhó cáid ó bhí sé ar faoistin cheanaí[4].

"Níl a fhios a'm," arsa Páidín.

"Déan iarracht," arsa an sagart.

"Ní rabh mé ar faoistin ó rugadh an ceann beag."

"Agus cáid ó rugadh an ceann beag?"

"Tá sé póstaí ó inné."

"Céard a rinne tú ó shoin?" arsa an sagart.

"Ghoid mé lámh scadán as eangach."

"B'fhéidir gur ghoid tú dhá láimh?" arsa an sagart.

"Fágaim in do dhá láimh é," arsa Páidín.

"B'fhéidir gur ghoid tú trí lámh?"

"B'fhéidir," arsa Páidín.

"B'fhéidir gur ghoid tú ceithre lámh?" arsa an sagart.

"Fágaim in do cheithre láimh é," arsa Páidín.

"B'fhéidir go dtug tú leithchéad leat," arsa an sagart.

"Sin é anois," arsa Páidín, "an rud céannaí a thug mé liom, comh[5] maith agus dá mbeifeá ag amharc orm."

Tháinig Páidín abhailí tráthnóna agus chruinnigh na comharsanaí isteach.

"Sea, a Pháidín, cén scéal é?"

"Scéal maith," arsa Páidín. "Ní gá dho cheachtar agaibh a ghoil ar faoistin. Tá a fhios ag an sagart é féin céard a rinne sibh. D'inis sé dhomsa an méid scadáin a ghoid mé as an eangach, agus mar ghioll air[6] sin déanfaidh mé breithiúnas aithrí."

Translation

There was a man long ago and his name was Thoughtless Páidín. Páidín hadn't been to confession for years. He heard that the priests were to be in the town and he said that he would go to confession. He told the neighbours to go in in the evening and that he would have new stories for them to tell.

Páidín went to the priests' house and when he was on his knees at the priest the priest asked him how long it had been since his last confession.

"I don't know," said Páidín.

"Make an effort," said the priest.

"I haven't been to confession since the little one was born."

"And how long is it since the little one was born?"

"He is married since yesterday."

"What have you done since?" said the priest.

"I stole a hand of herring (i.e. three) from a net."

"Maybe you stole two hands?" said the priest.

"I leave it in your two hands," said Páidín.

"Maybe you stole three hands?"

"Maybe," said Páidín.

"Maybe you stole four hands?" said the priest.

"I leave it in your four hands," said Páidín.

"Maybe you took fifty," said the priest.

"That's it now," said Páidín, "that's the amount I took, as sure as if you were watching me."

Páidín came home in the evening and the neighbours gathered in.

"Yes, Páidín, what's the story?"

"A good story," said Páidín. "None of you have to go to confession. The priest himself knows what you have done. He told me how many herring I stole from the net, and because of that I will do penance."

Footnotes

Commentary

This humorous anecdote may possibly be related to an international folktale, ATU 1806 Tales of confessions. This is a miscellaneous type and includes accounts involving witty remarks by the penitent. It is mainly found in southern and eastern Europe. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). This folktale does not appear in an Irish context in Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen's The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). Therefore, if the current narrative is related to the folktale, it should be considered a rare example. A similar type of tale, ATU 1800 Stealing only a small amount, has been recorded in Ireland, but only in limited numbers, further suggesting the rarity of this tale type in the country.