Transcript

Lá de na laetha agus uair de na huairibh, ghannaigh an tseilg ar Fhiannaibh Éireann i nGleann an Smóil. Agus tháinig siad go Gleann Fada na Sealg go bhfeicfeadh siad an bhfaigheadh siad a dhath a chuirfeadh dúlacht[1] an gheimhridh tharstu.

Tháinig siad a fhad le baile a dtugadh siad Gleann Léithín air. Bhí fear ina chónaí ansin darbh ainm dó Léichinn giota taobh amuigh de (Fhintown). Agus bheannaigh sé do Fhionn ins na briathra faiseanta a bhí coitianta insa tseanaimsir agus d'fhreagair Fionn é mar an gcéanna. Bhí mac agus níon ag an fhear seo. Fearghamhain a bhí ar an mhac agus Finngheal ar an níon. D'fhiafr-... D'fhiafraigh sé de Fhionn goidé a bhí ag cur buaireamh air. Dúirt Fionn go rabh lá (scéith) lá Samhna ann agus gur imigh an fia (gargach) orthu agus go rabh sé ar lorg seilg a chuirfeadh tamall den gheimhreadh thairis.

"Níl a fhios agamsa dadaí," arsa Léichinn, ar seisean, "ach tarbh mire atá thall ar Shliabh Sneachta, agus má tá sibh ábalta é a thabhairt libh bhéarfaidh sé a sáith le ithe is do seacht gcatha na Féinne uilig."

"Níor sháraigh an tseilg ariamh orainne," ar Fionn.

"Cuirfidh mé féin an gasúr libh," ar Léichinn, "is dhéanfaidh[2] sé an t-eolas daoibh."

Ar maidin lá harna mhárach d'imigh siad uilig go mullach Shliabh Sneacht'. Fuaigh an Fearghamhain suas i mullach carraice agus rinn sé fead agus tharraing an tarbh orthu. Agus le a mhéad den fhearg a bhí air bhris sé a dhá adharc in éadan na carraice. Fuaigh na Fiannú[3] uilig ('un tsiúil thart i gcúlú na) carraice le heagla roimhe. Léim an Fearghamhain anuas insa droim air agus thoisigh sé air lena chlaíomh agus ghearr sé an ceann dó. Rinn sé ceithre ceathrúnacha ansin dó.

"Cé a bhéarfas leis na ceathrúnacha seo?" arsa... arsa an Fearghamhain.

"Bhéarfaidh mise ceathrú liom," ar Goll.

"Bhéarfaidh mise ceathrú liom," ar Oscar.

"Bhéarfaidh mise ceathrú liom," ar Diarmaid.

"Bhéarfaidh mé féin ceathrú liom," arsa an Fearghamhain. "Bhfuil fear ar bith ansin," ar seisean, "ag brath an ceann a thabhairt leis?"

Níor labhair fear ar bith.

"Bhéarfaidh mé féin liom é," (ar seisean).

Thug sé leis an ceann ba mhó 'e na ceathrúnacha. Agus smaoitigh[4] Fionn 'á dtiocfadh (insa) ghasúr go mb'fhéidir go dtabharfadh sé buaireamh dófa go fóill. Ar choil[5] 'na[6] bhaile daofa, nuair a chuaigh a fhad le Léichinn daofa ansin ghléas siad tinidh agus d'ith siad uilig a sáith.

"An ligfeá liom an gasúr ceann sheacht mblian?" ar seisean le Léichinn, "agus bhéarfaidh mé tuarastal maith dó."

"(Is) doiligh liom scarúint leis," arsa Léichinn, ar seisean, "(ach ní rabh) a'n ghléas beo agam féin is ag an ghiorsaigh ach é. Ach ina dhéidh sin agus uilig," ar seisean, "is doiligh liom thusa a eitmheáil[7]."

Lig sé an gasúr leis. Ag goil siar daofa ag an (Mhálainn) Mhór, comhgarach chuig na Gleanntaí, d'éirigh cráin mhuice ropu[8] agus ál banbhán. Thoisigh siad 'na ndéidh agus mharaigh siad an chráin agus na banbháin go huile go dtí a'n cheann amháin (a chuaigh)... agus ag goil isteach i bpoll daoithe, bhain Cónán a ruball daoithe.

"Má híostar ar an mhuic sin," arsa Fionn, ar seisean, "dhéanfaidh sí dochar go fóill."

Ar (fud) na seacht mblian, 's iomaí catha agus teangbháil a raibh Fiannaibh Éirinn ann agus chruthaigh an Fearghamhain gurb é féin an ceathrú fear ab fhearr a bhí ins an Fhéinn. Nuair a bhí na seacht mbliana thuas, "Caithfidh mé choil 'na bhaile," ar seisean, "go bhfeicí[9] mé m'athair."

"Ná déana[10] sin," ar Fionn. "Fan agam ' ceann sheacht mblian eile agus bhéarfaidh mé an tuarastal céanna... céanna dhuid."

"Ó, caithfidh mé imeacht," ar seisean, "go dtí go bhfeicí mé m'athair, ní fhanóchaidh[11] mé níos faide."

"Más rud é," arsa Diarm-... arsa Fionn, "go gcaithfidh tú imeacht bíodh a fhios agad nach bhfuil bealach na muice gearr (...)."

Translation

One of the days and one of the hours, the hunting became scarce for the Fianna of Ireland in Gleann na Smól. And they came to Gleann Fada na Sealg to see if they could find anything to help them through the harshness of winter.

They came to a town called Glenleheen. There was a man living there just outside Fintown(?) whose name was Léichinn. And he saluted Fionn with the fashionable words common in the old days and Fionn answered him the same way. This man had a son and daughter. The son was called Fearghamhain and the daughter Finngheal. He ask-... He asked Fionn what was worrying him. Fionn said that there had been (?) a (...) day on the first of November and that the fierce(?) deer had escaped them and that he was looking for a hunt which would help him survive some of the winter.

"I know nothing," said Léichinn, "but there is a frenzied bull on Sliabh Sneachta, and if you are able to bring it with you it will feed all the seven battalions of the Fianna."

"The hunt never defeated us," said Fionn.

"I will send the boy with you," said Léichinn, "and he will guide you."

The following morning they all went to the summit of Sliabh Sneachta. Fearghamhain went up on top of a rock and he whistled and the bull came towards them. And such was his anger that he broke his two horns against the rock. The Fianna all went behind the rock in fear of it. Fearghamhain jumped down onto its back and he attacked him with his sword and he cut the head off him. He made four quarters of him then.

"Who will take these quarters?" said the Fearghamhain.

"I will take a quarter," said Goll

"I will take a quarter," said Oscar.

"I will take a quarter," said Diarmaid.

"I will take a quarter myself," said the Fearghamhain. "Is there any man there," he said, "who intends to take the head with him?"

No man spoke.

"I will take it myself," he said.

He took the biggest of the quarters with him. And Fionn thought that maybe the boy would give them trouble yet (?). When they went home, to Léichinn, they readied a fire and they all ate their fill.

"Would you let me have the boy for seven years?" he said to Léichinn, "and I will pay him well."

"It is hard for me to be seperated from him," said Léichinn, he said, "for myself and herself have nothing at all but him. But all the same," he said, "I find it hard to refuse you."

He let the boy go with him. As they went to Malin More (?), near Glenties, a sow and a brood of piglets appeared before them. They started after them and they killed the sow and all the piglets except one that went(?)... and as it went into a hole, Cónán cut its tail off.

"If that pig is eaten," said Fionn, "it will do damage yet."

For the seven years, the Fianna of Ireland took part in many battles and encounters, and the Fearghamhain proved that he was the fourth best man in the Fianna. When the seven years were up, "I must go home," he said, "to see my father."

"Don't do that," said Fionn. "Stay with me for another seven years and I will give you the same pay."

"Oh, I must go," he said, "until I see my father I will stay no longer."

"If you must go," said Diarm-... said Fionn, "know that the way of the pig is not short (?) (...)."

Footnotes

Commentary

This appears to be an incomplete version of a local legend concerning the Fenian warrior Feardhomhain, and how he is killed when battling a great wild boar. In some county Donegal versions, his sister Finngheal attempts to help him, but is drowned in a lake. The lake is then named Lough Finn after her, incorporating etymological and topological lore into the tale. See James O'Kane, 'Placenames of Inniskeel and Kilteevoge', Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie 31:1 (1970), 59–145: 135. The character of Feardhomhain, or as he is variously known, Ferdoman, Fearghamhain or Feardoman, has been present in both medieval manuscript accounts and recent oral lore, and the current tale continues to be told in contemporary tradition. See A. J. Hughes, 'Irish place-names: some perspectives, pitfalls, procedures and potential sources', Seanchas Ard Mhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society 14:2 (1991), 116-48: 145. The motif of Feardhomhain fighting and being killed by a great wild boar is likely related to similar narrative surrounding Diarmaid ua Duibhne in Fenian tradition. See Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, Fionn mac Cumhaill (Dublin, 1988), 255-7. Other versions of the story are situated in county Offaly, and see the hero battling a great lake monster. See James MacKillop, A dictionary of Celtic mythology (Oxford, 1998), 214. It may contain an international folk motif, B871.1.2 Giant boar. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).