An bheirt a bhí thall in Albain - Pádraig Mac Conaglaigh


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Transcript

Bhí beirt a'n[1] am amháin in Albain agus bhí siad ag stopadh anna[2] dteach amháin. Ach bhí cailíní óga ag stopadh insa teach fosta. Bhí fear acu a rabh Seán air agus an fear eile a rabh Donnchadh air. Ach bhí Seán, bhí sé lán (agallamh). D'imigh sé a'n oíche amháin agus bhain sé amach cuid brístí bána Dhonnchaidh as a chuid drár agus thug sé leis agus chuir sé isteach péire brístí bán, péire brístí de chuid na ngiorsachaí. Bhí Seán, bhí sé, cha rabh sé ag goil a dh'obair an lá harna mhárach agus bhí Donnchadh ag goil a dh'obair. Ach nuair a d'éirigh Donnchadh agus tharraing sé air na brístí bána ar maidin, "Och!" a deir sé. "Och! A Sheáin," a deir sé, "an bhfuil tú i do chodladh?"

"Chan fhuil," a deir sé. "Goidé tá ort?"

"Ó, a Dhia, tá mise, tá mé (...)."

"Goidé a tháinig ort, a Sheáin?" ... "Ó," a deir sé, deir Seán. "Goidé a tháinig ort, a Dhonnchaidh?"

"Ó," a deir sé, "chan fhuil a fhios agam. Cha dtig mo chuid brístí bána," a deir sé, "fá leath (...) inniu, agus aréir rachadh siad (thairis sin agus thiocfadh liom an pionna mór) a chur iontu."

D'éirigh Seán agus d'amharc sé air.

"Bhuel, a Dhonnchaidh," a deir sé, "tá drochiarraidh ort. Ach san am céanna gabh isteach a luí," a deir sé. "A Dhonnchaidh, an bhfuil a'n leithphínn airgid agad?"

"Tá dhá phíosa dhá scilling ins an phóca mo veiste ar chionn na leapa."

Agus, "Bhuel," a deir sé, "gabh isteach a luí agus rachaidh mise agus gheo' mé braom[3] de uisce bheatha mhaith duid," a deir sé.

Agus, "Ó, a Sheáin, a Sheáin," a deir sé, "(...) fá choinne an doctúir domh."

"Ó, anois," a deir sé, "ná bí' eagla ort. Níl ort ach tocht fuaicht," a deir sé, "agus chonai' mise cásaí den tseort sin roimhe. Gheo' tú biseach anois," a deir sé. "Gabh a luí," a deir sé. "Má chuireann tú (bláth) (...)," a deir sé, "agus (fáil) codladh is (siúráilte) go bhfaighidh tú biseach."

Ach fuaigh Seán amach agus thug sé isteach leathphionta uisce bheatha agus thug sé leath (...) do Dhonnchadh agus d'ól sé féin an leath... chuid eile de.

"Ach anois," a deir sé, "ná corraigh as faoin éadach," a deir sé, "go meán lae agus tiocfaidh mise go bhfeice[4] mé goidé mar a bheas tú."

Tháinig Seán insa mheán lae 'uig Donnchadh agus d'fhiafraigh sé dó, "A Dhonnchaidh, goidé mar a mhoithíos tú?"

"Ó, a Dhia," a deir sé, "níl a fhios agam. Tabhair 'ugam mo bhrístí bána," a deir sé, "go bhfeicí mé."

Thug Seán 'uige na brístí bána agus tharraing sé air na brístí bána. "Ó, a Dhia, (...)" a deir sé, "(ag déanamh) (...) ariamh," a deir sé, "ag na brístí bána," a deir sé, "(...)" a deir sé, "a dtiocfadh siad orm aréir iad," a deir sé. "A Dhia," a deir sé. "A Dhia," a deir sé, "beidh mé (...). Gabh amach agus tabhair isteach leathphionta eile."

"Ó anois, a Dhonnchaidh, b'fhéidir go bhfuil go leor déanta againn."

"Chan fhuil," a deir sé. "Cha rachadh dhá cheithre scilling i bhfad ormsa dá mbeadh agam leis an doctúir," a deir sé, "agus ólfaidh muid," a deir sé, "an t-airgead," a deir sé, "agus is fearr dhúinn sin a dhéanamh ná é a thabhairt don doctúir."

Translation

There once were two men in Scotland and they were staying in a house. But there were young women staying in the house as well. One of the men was called John and the other was called Donagh. Well, John was very (...). He went one night and he took Donagh's underpants out of his drawer(?) and took them away and he put in a pair of underpants belonging to the girls. John wasn't going to work the next day and Donagh was going to work. But when Donagh got up and pulled on the underpants in the morning, "Och!" he said. "Och! John," he said, "are you asleep?"

"No," he said. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, God, I am (...)."

"What came over you, John?"

"Oh," he said, John said. "What came over you, Donagh?"

"Oh," he said, "I don't know. My underpants can't go," he says "over half (...) today, and last night they would go over that and I could put the big pin into them."

John got up and he looked at him.

"Well, Donagh," he said, "you have a bad attack (of a cold). But at the same time go into bed," he said. "Donagh, do you have a halfpenny?"

"I have two two-shilling pieces in the pocket of my waistcoat on the head of the bed."

And, "Well," he said, "go into bed and I will go and get a drop of good whiskey for you," he said.

And, "Oh, John, John," he said, "(...) for the doctor for me."

"Oh, now," he said, "don't be afraid. You only have a cold," he said, "and I have seen cases of that kind before. You will get better now," he said. "Go to bed," he said. "If you (...)," he said, "and get some sleep you will surely(?) get better."

Well John went out and brought in a half-pint of whiskey and he gave half (...) to Donagh and he drank the other half himself.

"Well now," he said, "don't move from under the sheets," he said, "until midday and I will come to see how you are."

John came at midday to Donagh and he asked him, "Donagh, how did you feel?"

"Oh, God," he says, "I don't know. Bring me my underpants," he said, "so I can see."

John brought the underpants to him and he pulled them on. "Oh, God, (...)" he said, "(...)," he said, "by the underpants," he said. "(...)," he said, "(...) them on me last night," he said. "God," he said. "God," he said, "I will be (...). Go out and bring in another half-pint."

"Oh now, Donagh, maybe we have had enough."

"We haven't," he said. "Two four-shillings wouldn't go far for me if I had to go to the doctor," he said, "and we will drink the money," he said, "and it's better that we do that than give it to the doctor."

Footnotes

= aon. (Back)
= i(n). Cf. Art Hughes, 'Gaeilge Uladh', in Kim McCone et al., Stair na Gaeilge (Maigh Nuad, 1994), 611-60: 658. (Back)
= braon. Cf. braon/braom in E. Evans, 'A vocabulary of the dialects of Fanad and Glenvar, county Donegal', Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 32 (1972), 167-285, s.v. braon. Cf. 'An fear a bhí ina chónaí fá mhíle de Bhaile Átha Cliath (cuid 1)' (Doegen collection, Tyrone). (Back)
Leg. bhfeicí? Cf. Dónall Ó Baoill, An teanga bheo: Gaeilge Uladh (Dublin, 1996), 48. (Back)

Title in English: The two men who were over in Scotland
Digital version published by: Doegen Records Web Project, Royal Irish Academy

Description of the Recording:

Speaker: Pádraig Mac Conaglaigh from Co. Donegal
Person who made the recording: Karl Tempel
Organizer and administrator of the recording scheme: The Royal Irish Academy
In collaboration with: Lautabteilung, Preußische Staatsbibliothek (now Lautarchiv, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Recorded on 02-10-1931 at 12:30:00 in Courthouse, Letterkenny. Recorded on 02-10-1931 at 12:30:00 in Courthouse, Letterkenny.
Archive recording (ID LA_1252d1, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal Irish Academy) is 02:46 minutes long. Archive recording (ID LA_1252d1, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal Irish Academy) is 02:46 minutes long.
Second archive recording (ID LA_1252b1, from a shellac disc stored in Belfast) is 02:46 minutes long. Second archive recording (ID LA_1252b1, from a shellac disc stored in Belfast) is 02:46 minutes long.
User recording (ID LA_1252d1, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal Irish Academy) is 02:45 minutes long. User recording (ID LA_1252d1, from a shellac disk stored at the Royal Irish Academy) is 02:45 minutes long.