Transcript

Págánach agus Críostaí, chuaigh amach a bhádáil lá amháin. Thit an Págánach amach as an mbád ins an uisce agus chuaigh sé síos chuig bun an uisce. Tháinig sé aníos chuig uachtar an uisce agus ar seisean leis an Chríostaí, "Sábháil mé!"

"An gcreideann tú i nDia (an uile chumhachta)?" arsa an Críostaí leis an Phágánach.

"Ní chreidim," ar seisean.

"Bhuel, síos leat arís."

Chuaigh sé síos agus chuaigh sé síos chuig bun an uisce agus tháinig sé anuas[1] an darna uair agus, "Sábháil mé! Sábháil mé!" ar seisean leis an Chríostaí.

"An gcreideann tú i nDia (an uile chumhachta) anois?"

"Ní chreidim," ar seisean.

"Bhuel, síos leat aríst," ar seisean.

Chuaigh sé síos agus an treas uair nuair a tháinig sé chuig barr an uisce bhí sé dhá thachtadh. "Ó, sábháil mé! Sábháil mé! Sábháil mé!" ar seisean leis an gCríostaí.

"An gcreideann tú i nDia (an uile chumhachta) anois?" ar seisean.

"Ó, creidim," ar seisean.

"Bhuel, síos leat anois," ar seisean, "nuair atá do intinn maith agat is tá (dúil as Dé agam) go mbeidh d'anam sábháilte."

Translation

A Pagan and a Christian went out boating one day. The Pagan fell out of the boat into the water and he went down to the bottom of the water. He came up to the surface of the water and said to the Christian, "Save me!"

"Do you believe in God almighty?" said the Christian to the Pagan.

"I don't," he said.

"Well, down you go again."

He went down, and down he went to the bottom and he came [up] a second time and, "Save me! Save me!" he said to the Christian.

"Do you believe in God almighty now?"

"I don't," he said.

"Well, down you go again," he said.

He went down and the third time when he came to the surface of the water he was choking. "Oh, save me! Save me! Save me!" he said to the Christian.

"Do you believe in God almighty now?" he said.

"Oh, I do," he said.

"Well, down you go now," he said, "now that your mind is pure and I hope to God that your soul will be saved."

Footnotes

Commentary

The idea of Christians outwitting or besting pagans is a common theme in Irish tradition since early times. Early Irish hagiographies in particular contain a number of stories related to Christians vanquishing pagans, and often coercing or convincing them to convert to Christianity. Accounts by hagiographers such as Muirchú and Tíreachán portray St Patrick in such a light. See Aideen O'Leary, 'An Irish apocryphal apostle: Muirchú's portrayal of Saint Patrick', Harvard Theological Review 89 (1996), 287–301, and Ludwig Bieler, The Patrician texts in the Book of Armagh (Dublin, 1979). Such stories persisted in modern folk tradition. Máire Mac Néill's seminal work, The festival of Lughnasa (Oxford, 1962) contains an index of legends regarding a saint's victory over a pagan chieftain, beginning on page 433. Several similar stories can be found in Seán Ó Súilleabháin's 'Scéalta cráibhtheacha', Béaloideas 21 (1951-2), 325-6. The current story appears to be thematically related to these narratives. It may be considered to be associated with motif V331.2 Conversion to Christianity upon pain of death, in Stith Thompson's Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).

This story is transcribed in Heinrich Wagner and Colm Ó Baoill, Linguistic atlas and survey of Irish dialects (4 vols, Dublin, 1958-69), vol. 4, 302, and in Róise Ní Bhaoill, Ulster Gaelic voices: bailiúchán Doegen 1931 (Belfast, 2010), 308-11. Another version appears also in Éamonn Ó Tuathail, Seanchas Ghleann Ghaibhle, supplement to Béaloideas 4:4 (1934), 17.