Transcript

Bhí rí in Éirinn fadó. Agus trí ráithe a bhí sé pósta nuair a rugadh iníon óg dhó. Bhí sé scríofta ar chlár a héadain, nuair a bheidh sí bliain agus fich' dh'aois go (dta-...) dtiocfaidh dhá ghaiscíoch ina coinne. Sé sin, Céideach mhac Rí na gCor as an Domhan Thiar agus an Lon Dubh as an Domhan Thoir. Nuair a bhí an aimsir anuas go dtí seacht lá sea bhí an Céideach ag brionglóidigh go ma-... go rabh a macasamhail in Éirinn agus go mbudh é an t-ainm a bhí uirthi Éadra[1] Ní Mhanannáin. Do ghabh sé chun seoil, é féin agus an criú, ina shoitheach. Nuair a bhí siad le bheith leaindeáilte ag a ceathair a chlog insa lá is ea a tháinig an Lon Dubh go dtí é.

"Mora dhuit, a Chéideach," a deir sé.

"Mora agus Muire dhuit," a deir an Céideach.

"Cá bhfuil tú ag goil?"

"Tá mé ag goil ar thuairisc na hóigmhnaoi i dteach an rí," a deir an Céideach.

"Bhuel, pébrí fear againn a mbeidh sí aige," a deir an Lon Dubh, "bíodh buille (feadhmna) ag an bhfear eile air."

"Ó, is cuma liom," a deir an Céideach. "Do ghabhdar suas ins an aibhinne.

Bhí fearadh na fáilte ag an rí mo-... rúthu. Sé sin, do rug sé i ngreim barr dhá láimh orthub. Do mhúch sé le póga iad. Bháigh sé le deora iad. Do thriomaigh sé le bratach fhíoruaisle agus le gruag a chinn féin iad. Thug sé isteach iad nó gur falaíodh ann boird agus (prionta) feola le (cupán an chaoinbhealaigh) agus beoir Lochrainneach. Bhlas na fir ar gach greim, agus gan greim ar bith tur, go rabh siad (mar a bhí) trí treana dhon oíche, trian le scéalaíocht, trian le fiannaíocht, ag caitheamh bídh, dí agus mórchodlata go dtí maidin lá arna mháireach.

Nuair a bhí siad trí oíche agus trí lá ar a (gcuartach), an ceathrú lá ag an deich a chlog insa lá dúirt an rí, "Tá a fhios a'm cá bhfuil sib ag goil," a deir sé, "agus ní féidir liom sib a choinneáil níos faide. Ach hébrí fear agaibh a bhfuil m'iníon i ndán dó bíodh sí aige agus míle fáilte ach ní fhéadfainn aon bhreithiúnas a dhéanamh eadraibh ach dhá dhoras na cúirte a oscailt agus hérbí fear agaibh a leanfaidh sí bíodh sí aige agus mo bheannacht."

Hosclaíodh an dá dhoras eidir a deich agus a haon ndéag a chloig. An doras ó dheas chuaigh an Céideach amach. Agus nuair a bhí an (chaifeach) bailithe aige do rug Éadra Ní Mhanannáin air (i ngreim sciorta) taobh thiar.

"Fan liomsa," a deir sí, "is tú m'fhear."

Isteach leis an (...). D'imigh an Lon Dubh. Ní rabh a fhios cá ndeachaigh sí, insa spéir, insa talamh nó insa bhfarraige.

Bhí sin acub ar ais arís, fleidh agus féasta, seacht n-oíche agus seacht lá.

"Bhuel," a deir an Céideach, "ní thiocfadh liom," a deir sé, "aon phósadh a dhéanamh go dtéigh' mé in m'oileán féin. Ach tiúrfaidh mé t'iníon abhaile."

"Cén spré a bheas mé ag goil a thabhairt duit?" a deir an rí.

"Á, cén chaoi a dtiúrfaidh mé spré dhuit?" a deir an Céideach.

Do ghabh sé abhaile. Agus ní rabh sé ag baile (...) nuair a tháinig (a chuid mac roimhe). (Gheiteadar láidir) isteach (as an) (...) (dheiridh) ag an rí nuair nár choinnigh sé a iníon dó féin go mbeadh sé aige ina leithide seo dho lá feistithe in arm agus in éadach le creach an oileáin a thabhairt leis go huile agus an cloigeann de féin.

"Dia sinn á réiteach," a deir sé, "céard a dhéanfas mé?"

Lá arna mháireach réitigh sé a shoitheach agus an criú. Níor chónaigh sé agus níor stop sé go ndeachaigh sé dhon Domhan Siar.

Bhí an Céideach ar shiúlóid ar an gcéibh nuair a chonaic sé an soitheach strainséartha ag tíocht aige. "Tá soitheach strainséartha ag tíocht ar an gcósta," a deir sé, "nach bhfaca mé ariamh roimhe siar. Ní fhágfaidh mé seo go mbaine mé caint as an gcaiptín nó as an mbád seo."

Translation

There was a king in Ireland long ago. And he was married nine months when a little daughter was born to him. It was written on her forehead that when she was twenty-one years old that two warriors would come for her. That is, Céideach son of the King of of the Twists(?) from the Western World and 'The Blackbird' from the Eastern World. When it was seven days before this time, Céideach was dreaming that there was such a woman in Ireland and that her name was Éadra (Deirdre) Marrinan. He set sail, with his crew, in his vessel. It was when they were about to land at four o'clock in the day that the Blackbird came to him.

"Greetings, Céideach," he said.

"Greetings to you," said Céideach.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to visit the young woman in the king's house," said Céideach.

"Well, whichever one of us gets to have her," says the Blackbird, "let the other man have a good(?) shot at it(?)."

"Oh, I don't mind," says Céideach. "They went up the avenue.

The king gave them a warm welcome. That is to say, he seized them by the hand. He smothered them in kisses. He drowned them in tears. He dried them with a fine cloth(?) and with the hair of his own head. He brought them in and tables were covered and a portion(?) of meat with the cup of (...) and Scandinavian beer. The men tasted each morsel and no morsel was bland, and they spent the night in three parts, a third telling tales, a third telling stories of the Fianna, and eating, drinking and sleeping soundly until the following day.

When they were three nights and three days on their quest, the fourth day at ten o'clock in the day the king said, "I know where you are going," he said, "and I can't keep you any longer. But whichever one of you my daughter is fated to have may he have her and most welcome but I couldn't decide between you but open the two doors of the court and whichever man she follows let him have her and my blessing."

The two doors were opened between ten and eleven o'clock. Céideach went out the southern door. And when he had collected the coiffed woman (?) Éadra Marrinan caught him by the skirt (?) from behind.

"Wait for me," she said, "you are my man."

He went into the (...). The Blackbird left. No one knew where she had gone, in the sky, on the ground or on the sea.

They had the same again, banqueting and feasting, seven nights and seven days.

"Well," said Céideach, "I couldn't," he says, "get married until I go to my own island. And I will bring your daughter home."

"What dowry will I be giving you?" said the king.

"Ah, how will I give you a dowry?" said Céideach.

He went home. And he wasn't at home (...) when his sons came to him. They (...) to the king when he didn't keep his daughter for himself that he would receive him on such and such a day dressed in armour and kitted out to take the spoils of the island and his own head (?).

"God help us," he said, "what will I do?"

The next day he got his vessel and his crew ready. He made no delay until he reached the Western World.

Céideach was strolling on the quay when he saw the strange vessel coming towards him. "There's a strange vessel on the coastline," he said, "that I never ever saw before. I won't leave here until I get to hear from the captain or from this boat.

Footnotes

Commentary

This story is similar to a number of different folktales that have been recorded in various parts of Ireland. The common feature to the story is the episode at the beginning where the girl must choose between two suitors, and eventually goes away with one of them. This introductory narrative is then combined with other plots, usually international folktales and/or stories of Fionn and the Fianna that involve a quest. For example, a version from county Sligo leads into international folktale ATU 613 The two travellers, where the hero in the story overhears cats speaking about a supernatural cure, and goes on a quest to retrieve it. See An Craoibhín, 'Mac Rí Solla', Béaloideas 3:3 (1932), 304-8. For information on the international folktale, see Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). 'The two travellers' is a well-known story in Ireland, with examples coming from all four provinces, primarily in the west, and particularly in county Galway. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). A county Galway example of the current story, along with a list of other Irish versions of the tale, can be found in Micheál Ó Flaithile, 'Céideach, Mac Rí na gCor', Béaloideas 6:1 (1936), 61-71: 71. There are a great many motifs in international folklore regarding suitors, and the current story might be broadly related to examples such as H315 Suitor test: to whom the princess turns. Also, the motif of the girl's future written on her forehead could be compared to A189.7 Deity ascertains destiny of newborn babe and inscribes it upon his forehead. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).

A list of printed versions can be found in Micheál Ó Flaithile, 'Céideach, Mac Rí na gCor', Béaloideas 6:1 (1936), 61-71: 71. A further example was published by Edmund Rusby Quiggan, A dialect of Donegal (Cambridge, 1906), 215, under the title 'Scéal ghiolla na gcochall craicionn'. Another was published by An Seabhac and Séamus Ó Duilearga, Béaloideas 14:1/2 (1944), 156-61, under the title 'Giolla an Fhiugha'. An example from Achill Island was recorded by William Larminie, West Irish folk tales and romances (London, 1893), 64-84, under the title 'King Mananaun'.