Transcript

Tuairim le hocht míle fhichead siar aneas ó chuan na Gaillimhe, agus naoi míle trasna an chuain ó chéibh Chasla tá Inis Meáin, nó an tOiléan Lárnach mar tugtar go minic air.

Tá an t-oileán carraige seo suite i mbéal na mara eidir Inis Oírr agus Inis Mór. Is fiáin agus is fuarsceirdiúil[1] go deo an t-oileán é gan fascadh gan dídean, ach na farraigeachaí falcanta[2] ag folcadh aille agus carraige agus dá n-únfairt féin ar thrá an ghainimh nuair a bhíos aimsir bhriste ann. Is níl lá ins an mbliain a mbíonn an ghaoth ó dheas nach mbíonn súiteán farraige le tír agus brachlannacha[3] briste ar choraíochaí fiáine mar ritheann na sruthannaí níos déine timpeall an oileáin i ngeall ar é a bheith i lár báire na dá oileán[4] eile.

Is sclábhaithe agus fátallaí[5] móra iad muintir an oileáin sin agus ní mór[6] dhóib féin gurb ea, (arae) níl lá ins an mbliain nach bhfuil siad moch agus deireanach, fliuch agus tirim, amuigh ag iarraidh baint[7] slí mhaireachtála amach as na preabáin[8] talúna sin atá acu. Sin nó amuigh ar an muir mhóir ag iascaireacht[9] faoi fhuacht agus deartan. Agus deirim libh gu(r)b in í féin an iascaireacht fhalamh agus an iascaireacht anróiteach go minic.

Níl áit... Is beag áit nach bhfuil a dhonas agus a thrioblóid féin ag baint leis. Ach deirim nach bhfuil a fhios ag daoine, go háirid daoine atá ina gcónaí istigh i lár na tíre, céard é anró agus sclábhaíocht nó go dtiúrfaidh[10] siad cuairt ar Árainn. Níl mórán do shó an tsaoil seo ag fear, bean, leanbh ná páiste ann. Ó éiríos siad suas in oirbheart caithfidh siad ceird agus ealaín na háite sin a leanacht agus a chleachtadh más mian leob fuireacht ann agus a ghoil chun cinn insa saol. Tá an t-oileán seo tuairim le trí mhíle ar fad agus dhá mhíle go leith ar leithead[11].

Tá go leor dhon... dhon talamh, más talamh is cóir dhom a thabhairt air, faoi chreaga garbha lán do scailpreacha agus do leacrachaí gan (scraith bhuí)[12] ar bith ag bó, caora ná capall. Is lom, fuarsceirdiúil a fhéachann an t-oileán carraige seo i súile an strainséara agus ní bhíonn aige cén fáth a maireann duine ar bith istigh ann[13]. Ní i ngan fhios dá gcnámha é, arae tá siad moch agus deireanach ag réiteach agus ag stócáil, ag réabadh agus ag pléascadh, agus ag maolú uláin agus carraigeachaí cloch le ceann mionnáin. Sin agus ag baint fhóid agus scrathachaí agus dá dtarraingt i gcléibh thiar ar a ndroim agus dá scaradh amach aríst ar an mbreaclach gharbh sin ag iarraidh a bheith ag déanamh talún de.

Is mianach cloch aoil atá ar an oileán seo. Agus nuair a thagann teaspach an tsamhraidh agus (...).

Translation

Around twenty-eight miles southwest of Galway Bay, and nine miles across the sea from the quay at Costelloe lies Inishmaan, or the Middle Island as it is often called.

This rocky island is situated in the open sea between Inisheer and Inishmore. Inishmaan is an extremely wild, bleak and exposed island with no shelter whatsoever, only the strong seas washing over cliff and rock and rolling onto sandy beaches when the weather is broken. And there is not a day in the year when the wind is coming from the south that there isn't an undertow towards the land (?) and strong currents out to sea (?) because the currents are stronger around the island because it is in between the other two islands.

The people of that island are great labourers and foragers and it's just as well that they are, for there isn't a day in the year that they're not outside from early till late, wet and dry, outside trying to make a living from those patches of land they have. Either that or out on the open sea fishing in the cold and in rough weather. And let me tell you that it is often fruitless and wretched fishing.

There is no place... There are few places without their own difficulties and troubles. But let me tell you that people, people who live inland especially, don't know the meaning of hardship and drudgery until they visit the Aran Islands. Few of the comforts of life are to be had there for man, woman or child. From the time they reach maturity they must follow and practice the methods and skills of that place if they wish to stay there and get ahead in life. This island is about three miles long and two and a half miles wide [14].

Much of the land, if I can call it land, is covered in rough rocks full of fissures and hard surfaces without any growth(?) for cows, sheep or horses. This rocky island looks bare, bleak and exposed indeed to the eyes of a stranger and he does not know why anyone lives there[15]. They have to work hard for it, for they are from early till late getting ready and preparing, tearing and shattering, and breaking down boulders and stone rocks with stone crushers. That and removing sod and turf and dragging them in baskets on their back and spreading them out again on that rough stony ground trying to make arable land of it.

This island is made of limestone. And when the summer heat comes and (...).

Footnotes

Commentary

This personal account of the informant's experience of Inishmaan corresponds with sections from his own book, which was first published in the year following this recording. See Peadar Ó Concheanainn, Innismeadhoin, Seanchas agus Sgéalta (Dublin, 1931). A new edition, edited by Pádraig Ó Siadhail and entitled Inis Meáin: seanchas agus scéalta, appeared in 1993. There are minor differences between the recording and the published text, some of which have been footnoted here. For further information on this topic, see Leo Daly, Oileáin Árann: the Aran Islands (Mullingar, 1996) and Henry Cecil Watson, Inis Meáin images: ten days in August 1912 (Dublin, 1999).