Transcript

Bhí cailleach anseo in Éirinn fadó. Agus bhí (amuigh uirthi) go rabh go leor airgid aici. Is ní rabh aon oidhre aici a d'fhágfadh sí aige é... acu. Ach leag sí a ceann thairsti lá agus tháinig aisling aici gur rugadh mac óg dho Rí na Fraince. Agus níor stop sí is níor mhórchónaigh sí go ndeachaigh sí ansin. Fuair sí dháréag banaltra ar an gcéad (amharc) ag tabhairt aire dhon leanbh sin. Bhí sí ag faire orthu go bhfuair (sí a n-aghaidh ar a chéilí) ag ithe is ag ól. Agus bhuail sí (...) agus (rug) sí abhailí é. Is bhaist sí Céadach Mac Rí na Fraince air.

Dúirt sí go mba uaigneach an rud duine a bheith leis féin agus leag sí a ceann thairsti lá eilí agus tháinig aisling aici gur rugadh mac óg dho Rí na Spáinne. Níor stop sí is níor mhórchónaigh sí go ndeachaigh sí ansin, go bhfuair sí dháréag banaltra eile ar an gcéad (amharc) ag tabhairt aire dhon leanbh sin. Bhí sí ag faire orthu nó go bhfuair sí (...) orthu agus rug sí léithi é. Tháinig sí abhaile agus bhaist sí é, Marcas Mac Rí na Spáinne.

Bhí sí dhá dtógáil ansin agus dúirt sí dá dtagadh aon eadrascáin ariamh choíche eadarthu go (mbeadh siad níos) (...) (nach mbeadh) aon duine le ghoil eatarthu. Chuala sí gur... gur rugadh mac óg dho Rí Thír na Sorcha. Agus fuaigh sí ansin agus fuair sí dháréag banaltra mar an gcéad cheann ag tabhairt aire dhon, dhó sin. Agus bhí sí ag faire orthu mar an gcéanna go bhfuair sí iad ag ithe is ag ól agus bhuail sí (...) agus thug sí abhailí é agus bhaist sí é, Lon Dubh Mac Rí Tír na Sorcha.

Bhí sí... (Ba) (...) fúfa agus fuair... nó gur chuir sí ar scoil iad. Bhí siad lá ag tíocht as... as scoil ansin agus dúirt Céadach le Marcas - bhí siad (dul ó theach ceártaí) - a mhéar a leagaint ar an inneoin, go bhuailfeadh sé... mbuailfeadh sé buille dhon ord mór uirthi, agus nach mbuailfeadh sé buille choíche ina aghaidh ná g(...) ná ga(...). Bhuail... Leag Marcas a mhéirín ar an inneoin agus bhuail Céadach buille uirthi agus rinne sé bruán daoithe. Bhí sé sin ag caoineadh agus ag (rithe) go dtáinig sé abhaile aigeána mháthair. Agus thum sí an mhéar síos i (muigín íocshláinte) a bhí aici agus tharraing sí aníos í chomh slán is a bhí sí ariamh.

Bhí siad lá eilí ag tíocht ó scoil agus thoisigh siad ag imirt (cheataí). Agus chualaidh siad bean ag caoineadh in aird a cinn. Dúirt siad le... Dúirt an bheirt le chéile, "Sin í mo mháthair atá ag caoineadh. Céard insa domhan atá uirthi?"

Chuir siad faoi gheasa agus faoi (...) (na bliana) Céadach gan stop go dtáinig... go (dtagadh) sé abhaile agus go bhfeiceadh sé céard a bhí uirthi. D'imigh le Céadach agus tháinig sé (...) dhá mháthair. Agus, "A mháthair," ar seisean, "céard tá ort?"

"Nach cuma sin," ar sise, "dho dhaoiní óga. Nach iomaí rud a bhíonns ar sheandhuine nach mbaineann do dhaoiní óga!"

Chaith sé féin a (gharshúil). "Dar siod is dar seo, a mháthair," ar seisean, "ní fhágfaidh mé seo choíche go dtéigheann fear an chroiméil faoi mo ghruannaí ná mo ghruannaí fríd an talamh go n-insí tú dhom céard atá ort."

"Leag mé mo cheann tharam," ar sise, "ar ball agus tháinig aisling 'ugam go dtitfeadh sibhse ina dtriúr i ngrá le aon bhean amháin."

Chuaigh sé ar ais agus d'inis sé an scéal do na deartháireachaí agus tháinig siad abhaile agus chuir siad faoi gheasú é a ghoil agus an bhean sin a fháil amach. D'imigh leis agus bhí sé ag siúl le hais gáirdín pléisiúrtha. Agus chonaic sé bean óg istigh ins an ngairdín. Agus fuaigh sé isteach. Agus thóg sé faoina ascaill í agus (...).

Translation

There was a hag here in Ireland long ago. And she reputedly had plenty of money. And she had no heir to leave it to. Anyway, she lay down one day and had a vision that a little son was born to the King of France. And she didn't stop or delay until she was there. She found twelve nurses there at the first glance looking after that child. She was watching them until she found them facing each other, eating and drinking. And she struck(?) (...) and brought him home. She called him Céadach Son of the King of France.

She said it would be lonely for a person to be on their own and she lay down another day and she had a vision that a little son was born to the King of Spain. She didn't stop or delay until she was there, and found another twelve nurses at the first glance looking after that child. She watched them until she saw her chance (...) and she took him away with her. She came home and named him Marcus Son of the King of Spain.

Then she was raising them and she said that if any quarrel ever arose between them that they would be more (...) that there wouldn't be anyone to intervene. She heard that a little son was born to the King of Syria. And she went there and she found twelve nurses like the first one looking after him. And she was watching them the same way until she found them eating and drinking and she struck (...) and she brought him home and she named him Blackbird Son of the King of Syria.

She was... (...) till she sent them to school. One day they were coming from school then and Céadach said to Marcus – they were passing(?) a blacksmith's forge - to place his finger on the anvil, that he would strike it with the big hammer, and that he would never strike against him or (...). Marcus placed his finger on the anvil and Céadach hit it and he crushed it. Then he was crying and running until he came home to his mother. And she dipped his finger into a little healing mug she had and she pulled it out again as well as it ever was.

They were coming from school another day and they started playing games(?). And they heard a woman crying loudly. They said to... The pair of them said to one another, "That is my mother who is crying. What on earth is wrong with her?"

They put Céadach under a spell (...) not to stop until he came home and saw what was wrong with her. Céadach went off and he came (...) to his mother. And, "Mother," he said, "what's wrong with you?"

"That's of no importance," she said, "to young people. Don't old people have many things wrong with them that do not concern young people!"

He (...). "By this and by that, mother," he said, "I will never leave here as long as I live until you tell me what's wrong with you."

"I lay down," she said, "a while ago and I had a vision that the three of you would fall in love with one woman."

He went back and told his brothers the story and they came home and put him under a magical injunction to go and find that woman. He went off and he was walking by a pleasant garden. And he saw a young woman in the garden. And he went in. And he lifted her up and (...).

Commentary

This story is incomplete and therefore it is difficult to interpret accurately, but it may be related to a number of folktales that concern three brothers and their inheritance. Examples include ATU 654 The three agile brothers and ATU 655 The wise brothers. The title also suggests that there is a cat in the story, although it is not mentioned in the text. This may indicate a relationship with ATU 545 The cat as helper, which represents a series of folktales concerning a man who inherits a cat. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). It is impossible to say for sure which of the above, if any, is related to the current narrative. ATU 654 is known in Ireland in relatively limited numbers, but ATU 655 has not been recorded. ATU 545 is a scarce story in Ireland, but a variant, ATU 545B is better known, particularly in the west and south-east. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). Possible motifs found in the story include D1810.8.2 Information received through dream, R10.3 Children abducted, R10.1 Princess (maiden) abducted, R39.2 Abduction by old woman and M369.2 Prophecies concerning love and marriage. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).