Transcript

Seo scéal a d'ins[1] Pádraig Sheáin Phadaí domhsa. Dúirt sé go rabh sé fíor mar ba chóir é féin a chreidbheáil. Dúirt sé, i bhfad ó shin, an t-am a bhí caint ag na hainmhíní[2] agus caint ag na hainmhíní... ag na héanacha, gur ghnách leofa cruinniú insa choillidh a bhí ag fás ar a chuid talamhsan fá choinne foscadh agus shuaimhneas na hoíche. Sé an deireadh a bhí ann gur thoisigh siad a thuitim amach le chéile. Sé a dúirt siad nach mbeadh ann ach páirtí amháin, go gcaithfeadh an pháirtí eile teitheadh.

Nuair a chualaidh an madadh rua é seo bhí sé iontach sásta. Scairt sé cruinniú le chéile do na hainmhíní. D'iarr sé ar achan cheann dá rabh ag goil ar cheithre cosa theacht agus éisteacht leisean. Dúirt sé go rabh an cogadh ag goil a thoiseacht, go rabh seisean ag goil ar thús an bhattle agus go gcoinneochadh sé in airde a ruball in áit flag. Agus dúirt sé leofa troid ar a ndíchealt a fhad is a thífeadh siad a ruball in airde. Ach dá dtiocfadh an chúis go bhfeicfeadh siad a ruballsan ag goil síos, gan ceann fanacht leis an cheann eile ach imeacht ar an mhéid a dtiocfadh leo.

Chualaidh an cearlamán goidé a dúirt an madadh rua. Fuaigh sé díreach chuig an iolar. Thug an t-iolar aon ghrág amháin as, agus scairt sé ar 'ach fuile[3] éan dá rabh ag goil ar áit ar bith. D'iarr sé orthu éisteacht leisean agus d'ins sé dófa goidé a dúirt an madadh rua. Ansin bhí an seileán ag éisteacht agus dúirt an seileán go ndéanfadh seisean cuidiú mór dófa even beag agus má bhí sé. Dúirt sé nuair a rachadh an troid ar aghaidh go ndéanfadh seisean a dhíchealt le fáilt faoi ruball an mhadadh rua le gath a chur ann. Agus dúirt sé nach mbeadh seisean i bhfad ag tabhairt air a ruball a chur síos.

Bhí ceart go leor, agus rinneadh mar dúirt sé, agus (nuair a) thoisigh an troid le héirí na gréine bhí an madadh rua ar tús agus a ruball in airde aige. Bhí na hainmhíní uilig ar chúl ina dhéidh ag léimnigh, ag tamhann[4], is ag screadaigh is ag búirfigh agus ag coimhéad ruball an mhadaidh ruaidh. Sé an deireadh a bhí ann ach go bhfaca siad, nuair a tháinig na héanacha bhí siad ar eiteoig os a chionn. Fuair an seileán (áiméar). Fuaigh sé isteach faoi ruball an mhadadh rua. Chuir sé gath ann. Nuair a mhoithigh[5] an madadh rua seo, cha rabh sé i bhfad ag ligean síos a ruball agus ar shiúl leis. Ar shiúl leis na hainmhíní ina dhéidh, ceann i ndéidh an cheann eile. Agus ón lá sin ó shin tá an bhuaidh ag na héanacha. Tá an choillidh acu. Dá gcluinfeá iad ag ceol ar maidin ansin. Dúirt Pádraig é féin le éirí na gréine go mbíonn sé ag éisteacht leofa agus i bhfad roimhe agus gurb iad a musclann[6] é. Agus dúirt sé... an tsuáilce atá aige. "Anois, tá na hainmhíní fiánta seo uilig go léir thall ar chuid talamh Mhuiris Mhánais Bhríde. Tá sé ag fáilt trioblóid mhillteanach leofa. Ní bhfuair sé codladh 'á néal. Tá siad ag búirfigh oíche agus lá, maidin agus tráthnóna, agus beidh ar feaidh[7] na saoltacht seo anois (...)."

Translation

This is a story that Pádraig Sheáin Phadaí told me. He said it was true because he was one to be believed. He said, long ago, in the time when animals could speak and animals... birds could speak, that they used to congregate in the woods on his land for shelter and rest for the night. In the end they began to fall out with one another. They said that only one party would stay, that the other party would have to leave.

When the fox heard this he was very happy indeed. He called a meeting of the animals. He asked every four-legged creature to come to listen to him. He said the war was about to begin, that he was going to be in the vanguard and that he would keep his tail up high instead of a flag. And he told them to fight as well as they could for as long as they saw his tail up high. But if for some reason they saw his tail going down, for them not to wait for each other but for as many as possible of them to get away.

The cockchafer heard what the fox said. He went straight to the eagle. The eagle gave one call, and he summoned every bird no matter where they were going. He asked them to listen to him and he told them what the fox said. Then the honeybee was listening and the honeybee said he would give them great help, small as he was. He said when the fighting began that he would do his best to get in under the fox's tale in order to sting him. And he said he wouldn't be long in getting him to lower his tail.

Everything was in order, and they did as he said, and when the fight began at sunrise the fox was out in front and he had his tail up high. All the animals were behind him leaping, barking, screeching and roaring and looking out for the fox's tail. In the end they saw that when the birds came they were fluttering above him. The bumblebee got an opportunity (?). He went in under the fox's tail. He stung him. When the fox felt this, it wasn't long until he lowered his tail and took off. The animals behind him retreated, one after another. And from that day on the birds have been victorious. The woods are theirs. If you heard their song there in the morning. Pádraig himself said he listens to them at sunrise and long before that and that they wake him up. And he said what great joy it gives him. "Now, all these wild animals are over on Muiris Mhánais Bhríde's land. He is finding them very troublesome. He doesn't get any sleep at all. They are roaring night and day, morning and evening, and they will be forever more now (...)."

Footnotes

Commentary

This appears to be an international folktale, ATU 222 War between birds and quadrupeds. It is extremely popular all over the world, with recorded examples from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Far East. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). It contains two motifs of note, K2323.1 Fox’s tail drops and frightens animals and B261 War of birds and quadrupeds. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8). It is a relatively well-known story in Ireland, with examples having been recorded in Connacht, Munster and Ulster. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968).