Transcript

Casadh fear do Phádraig nuair a bhí sé ag teacht aníos chuig droichead Fhionn Trá. Labhair sé leis agus d'fhiafraigh sé do Phádraig an rabh airgead ar bith aige. Dúirt Pádraig nach rabh mórán, nach rabh aige ach dhá phíosa toistiúna.

"Maise, ' gheall ar an rí," arsa an fear, "agus tabhair domhsa ceann acu."

"Bhuel," arsa Pádraig, "ó d'iarr tú orm é a gheall ar an rí, bhéarfaidh mé ceann acu duid."

"Bhuel," arsa an fear, "nuair a bhí tú chomh maith sin domhsa anocht, cá bith trí achainí a iarrfaidh tú orm gheobhaidh tú iad."

"Bhuel," arsa Pádraig, "iarraim achaine ort an cófra[1] mór atá insa tseomra i gcúl na tineadha[2] insa bhaile a'm a líonadh lán mine."

"Ó, dhéanfaidh[3] mé sin duid," arsa an fear. "Goidé an dara hachaine atá tú a dh'iarraidh?"

"Tá mé ag iarraidh achaine ort, duine ar bith a thiocfas a chóir an chrann atá i gcúl mo thoighe a bhfuil mórán úllaí ag fás air, é a ghreamú don chrann," arsa Pádraig. "Nó níl mé féin nó mo pháistí ag fáil aon cheann de na húllaí le hithe."

"Maith go leor," arsa an fear, "dhéanfaidh mé sin duid. Goidé an tríthú hachaine atá tú a dh'iarraidh?" arsa an fear.

"Iarraim achaine ort," arsa Pádraig, "mé féin agus an uile dhuine do mo bhunadh a thabhairt 'na[4] bhflaitheas."

"Bhuel, is maith an achaine í sin," arsa an fear.

Tháinig Pádraig abhaile agus d'fhiafraigh a bhean dó, "Phádraig, an bhfuil (cabhair) ar bith leat anocht?" arsa an bhean.

"Ó, níl mórán," arsa Pádraig, "ach gabh suas agus amhac[5] insa chófra i gcúl na tineadha go bhfeice tú an bhfuil sé lán mine."

"Ó," arsa an bhean, "A bhrealláin bhoicht, goidé a líonfadh an cófra lán mine?"

"Ó, gabh suas," arsa Pádraig.

Chuaigh sí suas agus nuair a chuaigh sí 'na[6] tseomra, bhí an cófra lán mine. Rinn sí réidh suipéara breá, daoi' féin... daofa féin agus do na páistí. Bhí páiste beag baoideach insa teach le coinneáil le baisteadh agus d'iarr an bhean ar Phádraig a ghoil agus daoiní a fháil a choinneochadh an páiste le baisteadh.

"Bhuel, rachaidh," arsa Pádraig, "agus an chéad duine a mhíteáilfeas mé, a chasfar orm, bíodh sé Gaelach nó Gallta, cuirfidh mé é leis an pháiste."

D'imigh Pádraig agus ba ghairid a bhí sé ag siúl gur casadh duine air.

"An rachaidh tú go gcoinní tú páiste le baisteadh domh?" arsa Pádraig.

"Rachaidh," arsa an duine. "Is maith liom gur iarr tú orm é. Agus is mise an Bás," arsa eisean, "agus ó bhí tú chomh maith domh agus go bhfuil tú ag tabhairt páiste domh le coinneáil le baisteadh dhéanfaidh mé doctúir daod. Agus níl a'n nduine[7] tinn a rachaidh tú a fhad leis nach leigheasfaidh tú. Ach má bhímsa ag ceann na leapa ná leigheas é. Agus má bhím ag cos na leapa leigheas é."

"Maith go leor," arsa Pádraig.

Tháinig Pádraig abhaile agus ba ghairid ina dhéidh sin go gcualaidh Pádraig trácht ar níon duine uasail (...).

Translation

Patrick met a man when he was coming up to Fintragh bridge. He spoke to him and he asked Patrick if he had any money. Patrick said that he didn't have much, that he only had two fourpenny pieces.

"Well, for the sake of the king," said the man, "give me one of them."

"Well," said Patrick, "since you asked me for it for the sake of the king, I will give one of them to you."

"Well," said the man, "since you were so good to me tonight, whatever three wishes you ask of me you will get them."

"Well," said Patrick, "I ask of you to fill up with meal the big press in the room at the back of the fire in my home."

"Oh, I will do that for you," said the man. "What is your second wish?"

"I ask you, anyone who comes to the tree at the back of my house on which lots of apples growing, to stick him to the tree," said Patrick. "Because neither I nor my children are getting any of the apples to eat."

"Fair enough," said the man, "I will do that for you. What is your third wish?" said the man.

"I ask you," said Patrick, "to bring me and everyone connected to me to heaven."

"Well, that is a good wish," said the man.

Patrick came home and his wife asked him, "Patrick, did you bring anything useful (?) tonight?" said the woman.

"Oh, not much," said Patrick, "but go up and look into the press at the back of the fire to see if it is full of meal."

"Oh," said the woman, "you poor fool, what would fill the press with meal?"

"Ah, go up," said Patrick.

She went up and when she went to the room, the press was full of meal. She got a fine supper ready, for herself... for themselves and the children. There was a very small child in the house waiting to be baptised and the wife asked Patrick to go out and to get people who would keep the child to be baptised.

"Well, I'll go," said Patrick, "and the first person I meet, I come across, be he Gaelic or English, I will send the child with him."

Patrick left and he was not long walking when he met someone.

"Will you go and keep my child to be baptised?" said Patrick.

"I will," said the man. "I am glad that you asked me. And I am Death," he said, "and since you were so good to me that you are giving me your child to keep to be baptised I will make a doctor of you. And there is no sick person to whom you will go that you won't cure. But if I am at the head of the bed do not cure him. And if I am at the foot of the bed, cure him."

"Fair enough," said Patrick.

Patrick came home and it wasn't long till he heard of the daughter of a noble man (...).

Footnotes

Commentary

Parts 1 and 2 of this story combine to form one larger, yet still incomplete, narrative that is essentially a combination of two international folktales, namely ATU 330 The smith and the devil, and ATU 332 Godfather Death. The first folktale normally concerns a man who sells his soul to the devil, but later gives shelter to St. Peter, and is granted three wishes in return. He wishes for a fruit tree and a chair, to which people stick until being released by his command. He also wishes for a sack that draws people into it. He outsmarts the devil by tricking him into sticking to the chair and the tree, and by catching him in the sack and beating him. He is released from his contract with the devil, and upon his death, tricks St Peter into granting him access to heaven. The story is extremely popular, and is known in Europe, the Far East, the Americas and South Africa. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). Some of the motifs, such as the devil sticking to a tree, date back to ancient Greece, but the narrative in its current form first appeared in sixteenth-century Italy. See Stith Thompson, The folktale (Berkeley, Ca., 1946), 46. It is one of the most popular folktales in Ireland, with examples having been recorded from almost every part of the country. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). In some Irish variants the smith is not admitted to either heaven or hell, and is forced to wander the earth. This tale formed the basis for one of the first novels to be published in Modern Irish, Peadar Ó Laoghaire's Séadna (Dublin, 1904).

The second folktale in question concerns a man who chooses Death as godfather to his child, due to the fact that Death is neutral and treats everyone equally. He is rewarded by being given the ability to forecast a sick person's impending death or recovery. He could see if Death was standing at the head of the bed, or the foot, which would indicate to him the eventual outcome of the illness. He becomes a wealthy and successful doctor as a result, but ends up betraying Death by turning the bed around on one occasion in an attempt to save the life of a wealthy patron. When Death eventually comes to take the dying doctor, there often follows an attempt to cheat fate, but Death ultimately claims his life. The story is often told in combination with other folktales, as is the case here. It has been recorded since at least the fourteenth century, and is popular in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. See Hans Jorg Uther, op. cit. This too is a popular tale in Ireland, with a countrywide distribution. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, op. cit.

This narrative contains a number of international folk motifs, including Q115 Reward: any boon that may be asked, D1413.1 Tree from which one cannot descend, and D1825.3.1 Magic power of seeing Death at head or foot of bed and thus forecasting progress of sickness. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).

A version of this story appears in Nollaig Mac Congáil agus Ciarán Ó Duibhín, Glórtha ón tseanaimsir (Gleann an Iolair, 2009), 52-4.