Transcript

Uair amháin bhí buíonshlua in Éirinn i gCúige Uladh dar... a dtugaidís mar ainm orthub Curaidh Crua na Craoibhe Ruaidh'. Ins an am céanna bhí buíonshlua i gCúige Mumhan ar a dtugtaí mar ainm orthub Gaiscígh na Mumhan. Bhí muintir na Craoibhe Ruaidhe an-tabharthaí dho throid, dho bhruín agus dh'achrann. Agus nuair nach rabh sin le fáil acu ina dtír féin bhí faisean acu a bheith ag goil anonn 'uig tíorthachaí coibhthíoch thar farraige ag lorg bruín agus achrainn. Ag baint (...) dhaofa agus talúna.

Uair amháin ar chaoi ar bith bhí muintir... bhí Éirinn socair. Agus nuair a bhí, ba mhian leofa ghoil thar farraige i (i dtír eicínt). Bhí go maith. Chuadar chomh fada le caladh na mbád. Réitíodar suas iad féin. Agus thugadar faoi ndeara bád as Cúige Mumhan i measc na mbád. Níor bhacadar leofa. Foirinn as Cúige Mumhan agus seanphort a sheinm darbh ainm... dá dtugaidís mar ainm air An (Bradán) Liath. Nuair a bhí chuile shórt rud réidh acub sheol siad amach. Thug siad cúl ar thír agus aghaidh ar mhuir. D'ardaigh siad suas a gcuid seolta bocaideacha bacóideacha ag treabhadh agus ag réabadh barr na mara fuaire fulfanda falfanta. Níor fhág siad cró ar bith gan leagan, ná (...) gan crapadh, (...) gan casadh, (...) gan tarraingt nó gur aimsigh siad amach an domhan mór.

An fharraige ghorm rompu agus dearg ina ndiaidh le fuil míolta broca is míolta breaca, míolta beaga agus míolta móra, míolta dubha agus míolta ceannann, míolta buí agus míolta cróna. Bhí go maith. Shiúil siad leofa. Agus sheol siad leofa, iad ag cur (clocha) mór agus gaineamh mín go barr láin ó ghrinneall farraige dá mhéad agus (...) a gcuid seoil.

Tháinig siad trasna ar oileán rompu ins an bhfarraige. Oileán nach bhfacadar ariamh roimhe.

"Tarraingíomais ar an oileán," arsa Cú Chulainn.

Nuair a tharraing siad chomh fada leis an oileán chuir Cú Chulainn forrán ar an bhfear istigh. D'fhiafraigh sé cén t-ainm an t-oileán nó cén rí nó ceannphort a bhí air.

D'fhreagair an guth amach é: "Is mise ceannphort an oileáin," a deir sé, "Rí Nimhe. Agus sé ainm an oileáin Oileán na (bhFir Fallda). Agus más mian leatsa thíocht i dtír ann is féidir leat ach i dtír ní thiocfaidh tú go brách nó go dtiocfaidh tú ann in ainneoin domhsa."

Leis sin thosaigh an preabadh agus an steannadh, an choscairt is an treascairt. Macalla (...) (claimhí) ag goil naoi léig i bhfarraige. Mhair an troid scaitheamh maith.

Translation

At one time in Ireland there was a company (of warriors) in Ulster whom they used to call The Hardy Warriors of the Red Branch. At the same time there was a company in Munster who were called The Heroes of Munster. The people of the Red Branch were very given to fighting, quarrelling and feuding. And when they could not have it in their own country they had a habit of going overseas to foreign countries looking for fights and feuds. Taking (...) and land from them.

Anyway, at one time, the people... Ireland was calm. And when it was, their wont was to go overseas to a certain country (?). All was good. They went to the boat harbour. They readied themselves. And they noticed a boat from Munster amongst the boats. They did not bother with them. A team from Munster playing an old tune called... which they used to call The Grey Salmon (?). When they had gotten everything ready they sailed out. They gave her stern to shore and her prow to sea. They raised up their bellying sails while ploughing and tearing through the cold strong sea (?). They left no outhouse without knocking it, no (...) without bending it, no (...) without overturning it, no (...) without pulling it until they found the great world.

They sea was blue before them and red behind them with the blood of dirtied creatures and speckled creatures, small creatures and whales, black creatures and white-faced creatures, yellow creatures and brown creatures. All was good. They went on. And they sailed on, bringing large stones (?) and fine sand to the top from the sea bed with the size and (...) of their sail.

They came across an island in front of them in the sea. An island which they had never seen before.

"Let us go towards the island," said Cú Chulainn.

When they came to the island Cú Chulainn he addressed the man who was on it. He asked him what the name of the island was or who was its king or chief.

The voice answered him: "I am the chief of this island," he said, "King of Poison. And the name of the island is The Island of the (...) Men. And if you want to come ashore on it, you can, but you will never come ashore in spite of me."

With that started the hopping and the beating(?), the struggle and the felling. The echo of (...) swords going nine leagues to sea. The fight lasted a good while.

Commentary

This story appears to be based on characters from the Ulster Cycle of Irish tales, which is often referred to as the Red Branch Cycle or An Rúraíocht. It is a very significant series of stories, and like the current narrative, often features the warrior Cú Chulainn as the central character. For more on the origin and development of these tales, see Cecile O'Rahilly, Táin Bó Cúailnge from the Book of Leinster (Dublin, 1970), 131. The plot concerns a group of warriors going overseas in pursuit of combat, and it is in this regard similar to another cycle of stories, namely the Fenian Cycle. These were hero tales that involved the exploits of a warrior named Fionn mac Cumhaill and his troop of soldiers, the Fianna. See Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, Fionn mac Cumhaill (Dublin, 1988), 263. In addition to parallels in plot, there are further similarities to Fenian tales, as seen in the stylistic elements of the storytelling. The alliterative adjectives and rhetorical style used to describe the voyage are strongly reminiscent of contemporary Fenian tradition and similar hero tales. For more on the use of such elements in Irish oral tradition, see Kevin O'Nolan, 'The use of formula in storytelling', Béaloideas 39-41 (1971-3), 233-50: 236. The figure of An Rí Nimhe ('King of Poison') is likely to be a stock character in folk tradition. For example, he is found in a story called 'The King of Ireland's Son', in Douglas Hyde's anthology of stories entitled Beside the fire (Dublin, 1910), 39.