Transcript

Bhí iascaire fadó ann agus bhí mac aige. Bhíodar amuigh ag iascaireacht (g)o maróidís ag Cuan na Gaillmhe ansin. Agus an lá breá (an)san bhíodar... Bhí an lá go ana-bhreá agus chuaigh soitheach aniar an fharraige chucu. Agus chu(ir)[1] sí suas díreach chuig an gcurach.

"By gor," a dúirt an mac leis an athair, "(ragham uime) go bhfeice mé cad athá ar an soitheach," a dúirt sé.

Chuaigh. Agus ní raibh éinne f-... Síneadh anuas corda chuige agus ní raibh éinne beo i... sa soitheach nuair a chuaigh sé suas ach cat. By gor, ní rabh a fhios aige cad a dhéanfadh sé. Is d'imigh an soitheach leis ar an nóiméad céanna. D'imigh sí léithi mar a raghadh sí isteach thiar go... go dtí... go Conamara. Agus bhí sé ann. Ní rabh a fhios aige cad a dhéanfadh sé. Chuaigh sé suas insa chrann féachaint cad a bhí... an bhfeicfeadh sé (áit ar domhan). Agus chonaic sé tigh i bhfad uaidh isteach. Agus chuaigh sé isteach, suas go dtí an dtigh móir. Agus oscailíodh an doras dó. Agus ní raibh éinne beo istigh nuair a chuaigh sé isteach ach cat. By gor, ní rabh a fhios aige cad a dhéanfadh sé. (Ach) chuaigh sé siar i seomra is bhí gach aon rud leagthaithe ar bord ann go d'fhéadfadh, leaga-... go dtí tigh, i dtigh ar domhan. Agus duaidh[2] sé a leordhóthaint. Agus nuair a tháinig an oíche theaspáin an cat seomra dhó agus chuaigh sé siar agus chodlaigh sé... chuaigh sé a chodladh. By gor, nuair a bhí sé amach san oíche d'airigh sé an toirt ag luí leastuas de. Agus chuir sé suas a lámha is níorbh fhéidir leis aon rud a fheiscint. By gor, ní rabh a fhios aige cad a dhéanfadh sé. Chodail sé an chuid eile ansin go maidin.

By gor, 'stoíche lá arna mháireach dhein sé an cleas céanna agus níorbh fhéidir leis aon rud a fheiscint. Thaibhrigh sé caoi tine a bhí ag a athair sa churrach ag baile. Agus níor stop sé ná níor chónaigh sé riamh gur chuaigh amach sa soitheach agus sheol sé féin is an cat agus níor stop sé gur tháinig sé abhaile go dtí an athair[3] agus gur thug sé caoi thine a bhíodh insa churaichín acu leis.

Agus chuaigh sé insan áit chéanna 'stoíche lá arna mháireach. Agus chuaigh sé a chodladh. Agus amach san oíche d'airigh sé an toirt ag luí leastuas de. Chuaigh sé agus la(s)... shleaiceáil sé an solas. Agus bhí an bhean ba bhreátha ar las solas ná grian riamh uirthi ina luí leastuas de. Chuir sí liú aisti.

"Éirigh anois," a dúirt sí, "chomh tapa in Éirinn agus is féidir leat é agus ta-... téirigh amach sa choill i bhfolach. Tá na fathaigh, tiocfaidh siad fé do dhéin sa tigh seo. Tá mise fé dhraíocht acu."

D'éirigh sé agus chuaigh sé amach a chodladh... nó i bhfolach insa... insa choill nó go dtí maidin lá arna mháireach. By gor, tháini' sí... fuair sí chance ansan ar a theacht chun cainte leis ar maidin lá arna mháireach. Agus bhí sí ar an mbean ba bhreátha le fáil. Agus bhí ciarsúr síoda aici agus dhein sí dhá leath de agus thug sí a leath dhó agus choinnigh sí féin an leath eile.

"Seo!" a dúirt í. "Níl aon fháil agam tú a fheiscint go brách," a dúirt sí, "mara bhfeice tú i mbarr... mara bhfeice mé i mbarr Seacht Sléibhte an Óir tú."

"Cá mbí-... Cail siad san?" a dúirt sé.

"Ó, níl aon chúntas agam orthu," a dúirt sí. "Caithfidh tú iad a fháil amach tú féin."

By gor, ní rabh a fhios aige cad a dhéanfadh sé is d'imigh sé leis. Bhí sé ag imeacht thríd an dtalamh nó gur thit tamall maith dhon lá agus casadh capall marbh ar an mbóthar leis agus seabhac, fiolar agus siogán[4] ag troid mar gheall air.

"Cad athá sibh ag déanamh?"

"Aha," a dúirt an seabhac, a dúirt sé, "seo fear a dhéanfaidh an plé sin[5] eadrainn."

"Cad athá sibh ag déanamh?" a dúirt sé.

D'insíodar dó gur ag plé an chapaill le chéile a bhíodar, go bhfágfaidís fé a rogha rud a dhéanamh leis. Dhein sé trí leath dhe. Dhein sé leath bheag agus leath ba mhó ná sin agus leath bheag ar fad. Agus thug sé an leath mhór don... don fhiolar agus an tarna leath dhon siogán... dhon seabhac agus an ta-... an leath bheag dhon siogán. "Seo," dúirt sé, "an bhfuil sibh sásta anois?"

"Támuid," a dúradar.

"Bhuel, bheirimse mar bhua dhuit," a dúirt an fiolar, a dúirt sé, "fiolar a dhéanamh díot féin agus gan aon fhiolar a bheith fé luí an domhain ábalta dhuit."

"Bheirimse an rud céanna dhuit," a dúirt an seabhac, a dúirt sé, "seabhac a dhéanamh díot féin agus gan aon seabhac a bheith fé luí an domhain ábalta dhuit."

"Bheirimse an cleas céanna dhuit," a dúirt an siogán, a dúirt sé, "siogán a dhéanamh díot féin agus gan aon siogán fé luí an domhain a bheith ábalta dhuit." Agus (thug sé tuaín dhó) (...).

Translation

There was a fisherman long ago and he had a son. They were out fishing so that they could kill there at Galway Bay. And that fine day they were... The day was very fine and a vessel approached them from the west. And it went(?) straight to the currach.

"By gor," said the son to the father, "let's go up to it (?) so I can see what is on the vessel," he said.

They did. And there was no one... A chord was stretched down to him and there was no at all on the vessel when he went up except a cat. He didn't know what to do. And the vessel left at the same time. It went off as if going to... to Conamara. And there he was. He didn't know what to do. He went up the mast to see... if he could see any place at all. And he saw a house at a great distance inland from him. And he went in and up to the big house. And the door was opened for him. And there was nobody at all inside when he went in except a cat. He didn't know what to do. He went over into a room and everything was laid out on a table (...). And he ate his fill. And when the night came the cat showed him a room and he went back and he slept... he went to sleep. When it was late in the night he perceived a form lying above him. And he put his hands up and he could not see anything. He didn't know what to do. He slept the rest of the night then until morning.

The next night he did the same thing and he could not see anything. He dreamt of the makings of fire (?) which his father had at home in the currach. And he didn't stop or rest until he went out in the vessel and he and the cat sailed, and he didn't stop until he came home to his father and until he got the makings of a fire (?) they had the currach.

And he went to the same place the following night. And he went to sleep. And late in the night he noticed the form lying above him. He went and... (...) the light. And the finest woman on whom the sun's light ever shone was lying above him. She let out a yell.

"Get up now," she said, "as fast as you can and go out into the woods and hide. The giants, they will come to you in this house. They have me spellbound."

He got up and he went out to sl-... to hide in the woods until the following morning. She came... She got a chance then to come to speak with him the following morning. She was the finest woman to be found. And she had a silken handkerchief and she made two halves of it and she gave him a half and she kept the other half.

She said, "I can never see you again," she said, "unless I see you at the top of the Seven Golden Mountains."

"Where are they?" he said.

"Oh, I have no description of them," she said. "You must find them yourself."

He did not know what to do and he went off. He went through the land until a good bit of the day was spent and he met with a dead horse on the road and a hawk, an eagle and an ant fighting over it.

"What are you doing?"

"Aha," said the hawk, "here is a man who will (...) between us."

"What are you doing?" he said.

They told him that they were discussing the horse, and that they would let him choose what to do with it. He made three halves of it. He made a small half and a half bigger than that and a very small half. And he gave the big half to the eagle, and the second half to the ant... to the hawk, and the small half to the ant.

"Here," he said, "are you happy now?"

"We are," they said.

"Well, I give as a gift," said the eagle, "to make an eagle of yourself and that no eagle in the world would be able for you."

"I gift you the same," said the hawk, "to make a hawk of yourself and that no hawk in the world would be able for you."

"I gift you the same," said the ant, "to make an ant of yourself and that no ant in the world would be able for you." And (...).

Footnotes

Commentary

This story is incomplete, but it appears to be an international folktale, or a narrative that comprises plots and motifs from a number of different folktales. Some possible candidates include ATU 665 The man who flew like a bird and swam like a fish. The story concerns the adventures of a man who is given the power to transform himself into animals and birds by some creatures in return for some help he had given them. He goes on a quest to retrieve a magical object, uses his transformative powers to accomplish his task, and ends up marrying a princess. Another possibility is ATU 550 Bird, horse and princess. This narrative involves a young man who must go on a quest overseas to retrieve a magic bird, or other magical object, and it often employs the motif of grateful animals who repay the hero's kindness with assistance or magical powers. Given that giants are mentioned in the story, it may also include elements from ATU 300 The dragon-slayer, a story that often involves the slaying of giants and the rescue of a princess. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales (Helsinki, 2004). All these stories are known in Ireland, although ATU 665 is very rare, only having been recorded in limited numbers in Leitrim, Galway and Donegal. ATU 550 is very popular in Ireland, and has been recorded in great numbers, mostly in the western half of the country. ATU 300 is an extremely important folktale in Ireland, having been recorded in much of the country. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). The current narrative contains many international folk motifs, including D150 Transformation: man to bird, D152.1 Transformation: man to hawk, 152.2 Transformation: man to eagle, D182.2 Transformation: man to ant, D5 Enchanted person, D794 Enchanted person attracts attention of rescuer, H100 Identification by matching parts of divided token, B350 Grateful animals, B450 Helpful birds and B500 Magic power from animals. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).