Transcript

Thiar in (iarthar)[1] Chonamara ar fad bhí seanfhear is seanbhean, Caitlín Ó Crúisce agus Tomás Ó Bambairne. Bhíodar marbh tuirseach agus iad sean, na créatúir. Agus dúirt Tomás le Caitlín, "Mo chroí-sa ag Dia," ar seisean, "má fhaghaim-se aon stócach lúfar óg mara bpósa mé leis an iníon é."

"Muise, déan, a Thomáis, ó!" ar sise.

Bhí go maith is ní rabh go holc. Tráthnóna lá arna mháireach céard a bhí chucu aníos as tóin Chúige Uladh[2] ach scafaire óg ligthí dho stócach. Is nuair a tháinig sé isteach dúradar, "Á, muise, cáid ó ghluais tú?" (ar siadsan).

"Ó, muise, is dóichí," a deir sé, "go bhfuil mé anocht chomh fada agus ghabhfas mé."

Bhí go maith agus ní rabh go holc. D'fhan mar sin go rabh na fataí bruití thar éis na hoíche. Thosaigh Tomás ag caint leis. "Bhuel, cáil tú ag goil?" a deir sé.

"Ag goil thart ar mo shaothrú," a deir sé, "ar thoistiún sa lá agus (is ríbheag) an áit ina... a ghabhfaidh mé."

"Bhuel," ar seisean, "tabharfaidh mise an iníon[3] dhuit má phósann tú í."

"Muise, mh'anam gur mhaith liom í a fháil," a deir sé, "fairis mé a bheith ag goil thart mar tá mé."

Bhí go maith agus ní rabh go holc go dtí ar maidin lá arna mháireach. Ghabh seisean amach ag obair is dúirt sé le Tomás fanacht 'na chodladh. Agus nuair a d'éirigh an iníon séard a dúirt sí... Bhí maide trasnaí os cionn na tineadh. "Óró!" thosaigh sí ag caoineadh, "A stór!" 'Á mbeadh clann óg aici go mbeadh... go dtitfeadh an maide is go maródh sé í.

D'éirigh an mháthair is thosaigh sí ag caoineadh is d'éirigh Tomás agus thosaigh sé ag caoineadh. Agus ar deireadh tháinig an fear óg isteach. Agus nuair a tháinig sé isteach, "Dia dhár réiteach!" a deir sé. "Céard atá oraibh?"

"Deir sí seo, an cailín seo," arsa a máthair, "go mbeidh, nuair a bheas clann óg aici go dtitfidh an maide is go mbeidh sí marbh."

"Muise, mo chroí-sa 'on Deabhal," a deir sé, "má chodlaím-sa in aon leabaidh léithi," a deir sé, "nó má ithim aon bhlas in aon teach libse nó go bhfagha mé dhá óinseach eile agus amadán mar sibh."

Bhuail sé leis go dtí tíocht an tráthnónaí. Agus dheamhan i bhfad a bhí sé ag tíocht an tráthnónaí. Céard a casadh leis ach fear thuas ar theach agus rópa ar adharca na bó agus beirt mhná taobh thiar dhaoithe ag iarraidh í a sháthadh suas ar an teach.

"Céard atá sibh a dhéanamh?" arsa an buachaill óg.

"Bhuel," a deir sé, "tá muid ag iarraidh," a deir sé, "an bhó a chur suas ag ithe na féir."

"Bhuel, gabh isteach," a deir sé, "is tabhair corrán chugam."

Translation

Out in the west (?) of Conamara there were an old man and an old woman, Caitlín Ó Crúisce and Tomás Ó Bambairne. They were worn out and old, the creatures. And Tomás said to Caitlín, "My soul to God," he said, "if I find any young fit man and don't don't marry him to the daughter."

"Oh do indeed, Tomás!" she said.

All was well and good. The next evening what should come up to them from the bottom of Ulster but a strapping young loose-limbed lad. And when he came in they said, "How far have you travelled?" they said.

"Well, I suppose," he says, "I have gone as far as I will go tonight."

All was well and good. That's how things remained until the potatoes were boiled after nightfall. Tomás started talking to him. "Well, where are you going?" he said.

"I am going around labouring," he says, "for fourpence a day and there are very few places where... I will go."

"Well," he said, "I will give you our daughter if you marry her."

"Well, indeed, I would like to get her," he says, "instead of going around like I am."

All was well and good until the next morning. He went out working and told Tomás to stay asleep. And when the daughter got up she said... There was a stick across over the fire. "Oh!" she started crying, "My dear!" If she had a young family that... that the stick would fall down and that it would kill her.

The mother got up and started crying and Tomás got up and started crying. And in the end the young man came in. And when he came in, "God help us!" he said. "What is wrong with you?"

"This girl says," said her mother, "that when she has a baby the stick will fall and kill it."

"Well, my heart to the Devil," he says, "if I sleep in any bed with her," he says, "or if I eat any morsel in any house with you until I find two foolish women and a fool like you."

He left until the evening came. And the evening wasn't long coming. What did he meet only a man up on a house with a rope on the cow's horns and two women behind it trying to push it up on the house.

"What are you doing?" said the young boy.

"Well," he says, "we ary trying," he says, "to put the cow up eating the grass."

"Well, go in," he says, "and bring me a sickle."

Footnotes

Commentary

Parts one and two of this story combine to form a plot that contains four international folktales. The narrative begins with ATU 1450 Clever Elise. This tale concerns a suitor who visits the family of a marriageable girl, and she and her family start to cry about the harm that might come to some potential future child. The story is extremely popular throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Another folktale in the narrative is ATU 1384 The husband hunts three persons as stupid as his wife, where the man becomes exasperated at his wife's stupidity, and seeks three persons more foolish than she, which he manages to achieve easily. Again, this is a very popular tale, known all over Europe, Russia, India, China and the U.S. It often serves as a frame story, against which more tales of fools are introduced. Thus the story contains two more folktales, ATU 1210 The cow is taken to the roof to graze, a tale popular throughout Eurasia, and ATU 1540 The student from paradise. This last story usually concerns a person who tells a fool he is from Paris, which she mistakes for Paradise, and she gives him clothes, food or money to take to a recently deceased relative. It first appeared in print in the fifteenth century, and has since become popular throughout all of Europe and much of Asia and Africa. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004).

ATU 1450 is a relatively popular tale in Ireland, being found in all four provinces, with a mainly western distribution. ATU 1384 is a very popular tale, known all over the country. ATU 1540 was recorded in great frequency in Ireland, and also has a countrywide distribution. ATU 1210 too is immensely popular in Ireland, with a great number of examples having been recorded from all four provinces. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968).