Transcript

Maraíodh saighdiúr ar an mbaile se'againne aon uair amháin. Agus ansin tuga-... tóigeadh go leor dho na leaids mar gheall air. Ansin níor thriáil i nGaillimh iad. Agus tugadh suas go Doire iad. Tugadh cuide againn ansin ag déanamh fianaisí dho na fir a tóigeadh. Ach bhí Ging ar dhuine acub. Agus bhí an ráille briste an uair sin as Gaillimh go Bleá an Rí[1]. Ach d'imigh muid ar maidin. Agus ar sheanbhus mór a chuaigh muid go Gaillimh. Agus as sin go Bleá an Rí. Ní rabh aon áit sa third class againn ansin ach chuaigh muid sa first class. Bhí cathaoir anonn ann agus cathaoir anall agus níor thúisce Ging dho léim ar an gcathaoir abhus ná as sin ar an gcathaoir thall le fuacht faitís. Ansin an chéad (ársa) a ndeachaigh muid thairis, choisric[2] Ging é féin agus chuir sé an chroch chéasta ar a bhathais.

Ba gearr go ndeachaigh traein tharainn. Agus nuair a chuaigh, chaith Ging ar mhullach a chinn é féin anuas ar an talamh. "Ó, a dheabhail, a dheartháir," a deir sé, "fan isteach as sin," a deir sé, "nó bhainfeadh sí sin an ceann daot," a deir sé, "ar nós a ghearrfadh rásúr sop."

Dhírigh sé suas ansin. D'imigh linn nó go ndeachaigh muid go Cabhán. Chuaigh muid amach ansin. Bhí uair go leith orainn ag fanacht le traein eile. Ach ní rabh aon fhanacht ar Ghing. D'éirigh sé dho léim agus anonn leis treasna áit eile a bhí taobh thuas. Rug duine dho na póirtéaraí ar ghualainn air. "Cá bhfuil tú ag goil?" a deir sé.

"Tá mé ag goil go Doire, a dheartháir," a deir Ging.

"Nár thuga Dia slán ar t'ais thú!" a deir sé. "Gabh anuas anseo."

Tháinig Ging anuas agus shuigh sé síos agus ní ba ciúin é. Bhí sé... Théis é bheith ina shuí síos bhí sé ag damhsa san áit a rabh sé ina shuí síos le teann uafáis. D'imigh muid ar ais ansin aríst agus chuaigh muid isteach i mbaile mór eile. Agus nuair a bhí muid ag goil isteach sa mbaile mór chas clocha móra dubha dhúinn agus ballaí dubha. "Cén áit a bhfuil muid anois, a dheartháir?" a deir Ging.

"Tá muid i gCúige Uladh," a deir Seán Shéamais.

"Ó, dar Dia, a dheartháir," a deir sé, "is furasta a aithinte. Tá an dath ar na clocha," a deir sé, "atá orthub féin. Dath dubh."

Fuair muid an tae ar chuma ar bith, agus tháinig muid ar ais agus chuaigh muid go Doire. Ach nuair a bhí muid ag tarraingt isteach ar Dhoire thosaigh sé ag toirneach agus ag scalltrachaí[3].

"Ó, a dheartháir," a deir Ging, "chuala mé ariamh é, a dheartháir," a deir sé, "ag goil go Derry nó go hIfreann."

Tháinig muid isteach. Agus nuair a chuaigh muid isteach chuaigh an turnae[4] i dteach lóistín linn. Casadh cuid againn anonn ansin agus cuid againn anall. Ach nuair a chuaigh Ging, ar chuma ar bith, a chodladh san oíche, bhí an saol an-chorrach agus bhí urchair á gcaitheamh san áit chéanna. Bhí bu-... geaing mór saighdiúr taobh thiar agus málaí gainimh acub, déanta suas timpeall orthub. Bhí lorg na n-urchar ar an mballa sa teach a ndeachaigh Ging isteach ann. Nuair a chuaigh sé a chodladh san oíche bhí Seán Shéamais - chuir sé a chois amach as an leaba agus bhuail sé buille dhá chois faoin urlár.

"Ó, a dheabhail, a dheartháir!" a deir Ging. "Tá muid marbh, tá muid marbh!"

D'éirigh sé dho léim agus chuaigh sé isteach faoin leaba. Agus níor thúisce istigh faoin leaba é ná amuigh aríst. Ach bhí go maith nó go dtáinig an mhaidin. Bhreathnaigh sé suas os a chionn agus chonaic sé peictúr crochta os a chionn. Agus séard a bhí ar an bpeictúr gearrchaile mhná agus mada ar adhastar aici.

"Céard é sin, a dheartháir?" a deir Ging.

"Sin é an deabhal," a deir an fear a bhí in éineacht leis.

Maith go leor. D'éirigh siad agus chuir siad orthub a gcuid éadaigh. Agus nuair a chuir chuadar síos agus leagadh acub a mbéilí. Bhí Ging an-éisealach agus ní thaithneodh aon rud leis a mbeadh sórt baladh ar bith air. Ansin bhí an fear a bhí in éineacht leis, Seán Mór. "Sílim," a deir sé, "go bhfuil baladh ar an bhfeoil sin."

"Ó, a dheabhail, a dheartháir," a deir sé, "má tá, seo dhuit mo chuide-sa dhi."

Chaith sé ag Seán Mór an fheoil agus deabhal greim a d'ith sé nó gur fhága sé an teach.

Translation

One time a soldier was killed in our town. And then many of the lads were arrested because of it. Then they were not tried in Galway. And they were taken up to Derry. Some of us were brought as witnesses for the men who were arrested. Anyway, Ging was one of them. And at that time the track from Galway to Athenry was broken. Well, we went in the morning. And we went to Galway on a big old bus. And from there to Athenry. There was no place for us in third class then so we went in first class. There were chairs facing each other and no sooner had Ging jumped onto one chair than he jumped on the facing chair out of fear. Then, the first (...) we went past, Ging blessed himself and he made the sign of the cross on his forehead.

Soon a train went past us. And when it did, Ging threw himself head first onto the ground. "Oh, boy!" he said, "stay in from that," he said, "or it will take the head off you," he said, "like a razor would cut a wisp."

He straightened up then. We went on till we reached Cavan. We got off then. We had to wait an hour and a half for another train. But Ging couldn't wait. He leapt up and over he went to another place which was up from us. One of the porters caught him by the shoulder. "Where are you going?" he said.

"I'm going to Derry, sir," said Ging.

"May God not bring you back safely!" he said. "Come down here."

Ging came down and he sat down and he wasn't quiet. He was... Although he was sitting down he was dancing in the place he was sitting out of sheer terror. We went back again then and went to another big town. And when we were going into the big town we encountered big black stones and black walls. "What place are we in now, man?" said Ging.

"We are in the province of Ulster," said John James.

"Oh, by God, man," he said, "its easy to see it. The stones are the same colour," he said, "as they are themselves. Black."

We got the tea anyway, and we came back and we went to Derry. But when we were approaching Derry there was thunder and lightning.

"Oh, man," said Ging, "I have always heard it, man," he said, "to Derry or to Hell."

We reached it. And when we went in, the attorney went to a lodging house with us. Some of us ended up here and some of us there. But anyway, when Ging went to sleep in the night, the situation was very unstable and bullets were being fired in the same place. There was a big gang of soldiers out the back with sandbags built up around them. There were bullet marks on the house into which Ging went. When he went to sleep in the night John James put his foot out of the bed and he hit the floor with a bang of his foot.

"Oh, man!" said Ging. "We're dead, we're dead!"

He leapt up and went in under the bed. And no sooner was he in under the bed than he was out again. But all was well until morning came. He looked up and saw a picture hanging above himself. And it was a picture of a young woman with a dog on a leash.

"What's that, man?" said Ging.

"That is the devil," said the man who was with him.

Anyhow, they got up and put on their clothes. And then they went down and were given their meals. Ging was very squeamish and wouldn't like anything that had any sort of smell. Then there was the man who was with him, Big John. "I think," he said, "that there is a smell off that meat."

"Oh, man," he said, "if there is, here is my share of it for you."

He threw the meat to Big John and didn't eat a bite until he left the house.

Footnotes

Commentary

This story appears to be a chronicate, based on the author's personal experience, and thus can be considered an example of local history. It is unlikely to be influenced by any traditional narratives. The events in the story, such as the killing of a soldier and the subsequent trial, may be related to the Irish war of independence (1919-21). For more information on republican activity in county Galway during this war, see Fergus Campbell, Land and revolution: nationalist politics in the west of Ireland, 1891-1921 (Oxford, 2005).