Transcript

Fadó in Éirinn bhí fear agus a bhean. Agus bhí siad ag éirí sean. Bhídís go minic ag cuimhniú céard a dhéanfaidís mar gur dheacair dhóib iad féin a choinneál ag imeacht ó bhí an aimsir go dona agus ní rabh aon duine muintearach acub sa mbaile. Bhí aint leis an bhfear i Meiriceá. Agus bhí go leor airgid ag an mbean seo mar bhí sí i bhfad amuigh. Ach níor chuir sí aon leitir acub le fada an lá. Lá amháin agus iad ag caint mar seo agus iad ag ithe a mbéilí tháinig fear an phosta isteach agus shín sé leitir ag an mbean. Agus léigh an bhean an leitir. Agus céard a bheadh ach í ó aint an fhir agus céad punt inti. Agus í ag rá freisin go rabh fonn uirthi thíocht agus go bhfeilfeadh cuide dhon airgead le cuí a chur ar an teach roimpi.

Thug an fear leis cuide dhon airgead lá arna mháireach ag ceannacht beithígh ar an aonach. Agus chuir sé an chuid eile dhon airgead i bpóca seanchóta leis a bhí thiar faoin leaba. Agus d'imigh leis ag ceannacht na mbeithígh. Nuair a bhí an tráthnóna ag tíocht, agus bhí an tráthnóna fuar fliuch, bhíodh a bhean ag goil amach sa doras ag féachaint an mbeadh a fear ag teacht. Agus aon uair amháin chonaic sí fear ag déanamh uirthi. Ach céard a bheadh ann ach bacach. Agus d'iarr sé rud le n-ithe agus le n-ól. Thug sí sin dó cupán bainne te agus arán. Agus thug sí freisin (píosa) dhá scilling ina ghlaic dhó agus d'iarr sé seanchóta uirthi má bhí an tráthnóna ag báisteach. Thug sí seanchóta an fhir dhó a bhí thiar faoin leaba agus d'imigh leis.

Nuair a tháinig an fear abhaile san oíche d'inis sí an scéal ar fad dhó agus dúirt sí freisin gur thug sí a sheanchóta féin dhó. Chuaigh an fear siar agus chuartaigh sé faoin leaba. Agus céard a bheadh ach an seanchóta a rabh an t-airgead ann tugthaí ag an mbean dhon bhacach. Bhí... Bhí an-bhuille air. Agus amach leis ar thóir an bhacaigh. Agus nuair a bhí sé ag imeacht chonaic sé pluais a rabh solas inti agus isteach leis ag ligean na báistí thairis. Agus bhí fear istigh agus canna bainne aige dhá fhiuchadh ar thine cipíní agus briogadáin. Agus thairg an fear braon dhon bhainne dho mo dhuine nuair a bhí sé fiuchta. Ach ní(or) mhaith leis an bhfear seo blaiseadh dhe mar feicear dhó go rabh an canna salach agus dúirt sé sin le fear na pluaise.

"Bhuel," arsa fear na pluaise, "ní theastaíonn daoine galánta dho do shórtsa uaimse."

Agus chaith sé amach é. Agus bhuail sé é. Agus ní hé amháin gur bhuail sé é ach bhain sé dhe a chulaith agus chuir sé air féin í agus chaith sé a chuid balcaisí aige. (Cead aige) iad a chur air. Is ar éigean a bhí sé in ann a ghoil abhaile. Ach shroich sé an baile suarach go leor. Agus nuair a shroich bhí a bhean roimhe ansin agus í an-bhrónach ar fad. Nuair a baineadh dhe a chóta, pébí scéal é, fríothadh an t-airgead ann mar chuir sé ann é gan cor. Agus is follasach uaidh sin gurbh é an bacach céanna a fuair an déirce a bhuail é.

Sin é.

Translation

Long ago in Ireland there was a man and a woman. And they were getting old. They often used to think about what they ought to do because times were bad and they had no relatives at home. The man had an aunt in America. And this woman had plenty of money because she was there a long time. But she hadn't sent them a letter in a long time. One day when they were talking like this the postman came in and handed the woman a letter. And the woman read the letter. And it was from none other than the man's aunt and contained a hundred pounds. And she wrote as well that she wanted to return and that some of the money could be used to do up the house before she arrived.

The man brought some of the money with him the next day going to the fair to buy cattle. And he put the rest of the money in the pocket of an old coat of his that was in the back (of the house) under the bed. And he went off to buy the cattle. When the evening was approaching, and it was a cold wet evening, the woman kept going out to the door to see if her husband was coming. And one time she saw a man approaching her. And who was it but a beggar. And he asked for something to eat and drink. She gave him a cup of warm milk and bread. And she also gave him a two shilling piece(?) into his hand and he asked her for an old coat because it was a rainy evening. She gave him the man's old coat that was in the back under the bed and he went off.

When the man came home at night she told him the whole story and she also said that she had given him his own old coat. The man went back and searched under the bed. And what do you know, the old coat with the money in it had been given by the woman to the beggar. He was... he was furious. And out he went in pursuit of the beggar. And when he was on his way he saw a cave with light inside and in he went to let the rain pass. And there was a man inside and he was boiling a can of milk over a fire of sticks and straw. And the man offered our man a drop of milk when it was boiled. But our man didn't want to take a sip because he thought the can was dirty and he said so to the man in the cave.

"Well," said the man in the cave, "I have no time for an uppity type like yourself."

And he threw him out. And he hit him. And he not only hit him but he took off his suit of clothes and put it on himself and threw him his own rags. He was allowed (?) to put them on. He was barely able to go home. But he just about got home. And when he did his wife was there before him and was very sad. When they took his coat off, however, they found the money there as he had left it, untouched. And hence it was clear that it was the same beggar who received the alms who had hit him.

That's it.

Commentary

This appears to be a variant form of an international folktale, ATU 1424 Wife recovers what her husband first found and then lost. In this case, the roles are reversed, and it is the husband who must recover the money that his wife lost to a beggar. The story is not common in western Europe, with the closest example being found in France. It is, however, well known in northern and eastern Europe and the Middle East. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). It does not appear in Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen's The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). It is likely to be related to a folk motif, K266 New bags for old. Recovery of the old bag (containing money or having magic power) which the stupid wife has given away. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).

For an account of how the speaker came by this story, see Máirtín Ó Direáin, Feamainn Bhealtaine (Dublin, 1961), 136-8.