Transcript

Bhí siúinéara fadó ann agus bhí mac aige. Chuile áit a dtéadh an siúinéara ag obair ansin, bhíodh an mac in éineacht leis faeint a[1] múinfeadh sé ceird dhó. Aon lá amháin bhí sé ag obair i dteach agus thug bean an tí faoi deara an mac, go dtug sé rud eicínt leis. "Is mór an náire dhuit é," a deir sí leis an siúinéara, "a leithide sin dho leaid a bheith ag imeacht in éineacht leat agus é ag goid chuile shórt dá bhfuil sé ag teacht suas leis."

"Ní rabh a fhios agam é sin," a deir, deir an siúinéara.

"Bíodh a fhios agad anois é," a deir sí.

Lá arna mháireach thug an siúinéara leis a mhac agus thug sé... chuaigh sé go dtí máistir tóirí. "Caithfidh tú ceird a mhúnadh dho mo mhac anois," a deir sé. "Agus bíodh sé ina rógaire chomh maith leat féin faoi cheann bliana. Agus má bhíonn, tiúrfaidh mé dhá mhíle punt duit."

"Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall," a deir an ró-... a deir an máistir tóirí, "ar chuma ar bith."

"Maith go leor," a deir an siúinéara. D'imigh sé leis.

Lá arna mháireach thug an máistir tóirí leis an gasúr agus chuaigh sé isteach go dtí teach a rabh uaireadóirí á ndíol ann. Dúirt sé le fear an tsiopa cuide dho na huaireadóirí a leagan anuas aige. Agus leag sé anuas lán bosca. Thosaigh an tóirí ag goil thrí na huaireadóirí. Ach d'éirigh leis faoi dheireadh gur chuir sé ceann acub suas ina mhuilinne[2]. Agus d'imigh sé amach. Agus nuair a d'imigh dúirt an gasúr leis an bhfear istigh, "Nach mor an náire dhuit," a deir sé, "gur lig tú an t-uaireadóir amach leis sin."

"Ar ndóigh níor thug sé leis í," a deir seisean.

"Thug," a deir an gasúr.

Chomhair an fear istigh na huaireadóirí ansin agus bhí sé ceann gearr. Agus nuair a bhí, amach leis in éineacht... amach leis i ndiaidh an (fhear... fhir). Nuair a bhí sé píosa imithe ina dhiaidh d'imigh an gasúr agus d'ardaigh sé leis an bosca agus chuir sé faoina ascaill é agus d'imigh le-... d'imigh leis féin abhaile. Túisce a bhí sé istigh ná an tóirí. Agus nuair a tháinig an tóirí isteach, "Nach mór an deabhal a bhí ort," a deir sé, "ag inseacht don fhear," a deir sé, "gur ghoid mé an t-uaireadóir uaidh."

"Ar ghoid tú ach ceann?" a deir an gasúr.

"Nár mhaith an ceann," a deir sé. "Níor thug tusa an ceann féin leat."

Sin é an uair a tharraing an gasúr an bosca amach óna ascaill agus leag sé ag an rógaire iad.

"M'anam," a deir an rógaire, "is fearr an rógaire thusa ar chuma ar bith go mór fada ná mise!"

Translation

There was a carpenter long ago and he had a son. Everywhere the carpenter went working, the son used to come with him so that he would teach him his trade. One day he was working in a house and the woman of the house noticed that the son took something for himself. "It's a great shame," she said to the carpenter, "to have that sort of a lad going around with you stealing everything that comes his way."

"I didn't know that," said the carpenter.

"You know it now," she said.

The next day the carpenter brought his son with him and he went to a master-robber. "You must teach my son your trade now," he said. "And he must be as good a rogue as you within a year. And if he is, I'll give you two thousand pounds."

"I'll do my best at any rate," said the master-robber.

"Very well," said the carpenter. He went off.

The next day the master-robber brought the boy with him and went into a house where watches were sold. He told the shopkeeper to lay out some of the watches for him. And he laid out a full box. The robber started to go through the watches. And at last he succeeded in putting one up his sleeve. And he went out. And when he went out the boy said to the man inside, "What a shame," he said, "that you let that man take the watch."

"But he didn't take it," he said.

"He did so," said the boy.

The man inside counted the watches then and he was one short. And when he discovered this, he went out with... he went out after the man. A while after he had gone, the boy went and took the box and put it under his arm and went off home by himself. He was home earlier than the robber. And when the robber came in, "Weren't you a devil," he said, "to tell the man that I stole the watch from him."

"Did you only steal one?" said the boy.

"One wasn't bad," he said. "You didn't get any."

It was then the boy took out the box from under his arm and showed them to the rogue.

"By God," says the rogue, "you are a far better rogue than I am anyway!"

Footnotes

Commentary

This story appears to be related to an international folktale, ATU 1525 The master thief. This is a miscellaneous type, which has many variants, and combines a number of known motifs about thieves in many different ways. Several of these stories involve a young man learning the craft of stealing from some well-known thief. Others describe a pupil who surpasses the master thief at stealing, such as ATU 1525E The thieves and their pupil. Another relevant version is ATU 1525D Theft by distracting attention. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). When considered together, these stories form one of the most popular folktales in Irish tradition, with a great many examples coming from all over the country, including the variants mentioned above. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). Some international folk motifs of note in this story are K341 Owner’s interest distracted while goods are stolen, and L142.1 Pupil surpasses thieves in stealing. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).