Transcript

B'éigean[1] dúinn fuireacht insa bhád ansin nó gur imigh an taoilleadh uaithi. Agus d'imigh beirt acu ar siúl go Baile an Droichid 'á choinne aráin agus buidéal uisce bheatha. Agus nuair a bhí siad ag goil amach as an bhád, "Coimheádaigí sibh féin," arsa mise, "agus ná gabhaigí amach taobh Chille Cartha. Gabhaigí amach taobh na Tamhnaí chun an tanaí a fháil."

Agus chuaigh siad amach nuair a thuit an taoille agus thug siad a n-aghaidh ar an taobh chontráilte. Chuaigh siad taobh Chille Cartha agus níl ann ach nach dtug an tuile léithe iad. Ach chuaigh siad soir[2] agus fuair siad an t-arán agus an buidéal uisce bheatha agus tháinig siad chughainn[3] ar ais. Agus rinneadh réidh an bia agus bhain an uile dhuine úsáid as ach fear amháin. Bhí sé a fhad ar gcúl agus go mb'fhearr leis é a fhágáil mar a bhí sé ná ól ná a ithe a dhéanamh.

Tháinig... Ghlan an oíche suas ansin agus nocht na réalta agus nuair a shnámh an bád ar ais bhí an spéir glan agus é breá socair leis an bhaile a bhaint amach. Tháinig muid anall 'un an bhaile trasna inár n-áit féin ansin roimh an lá. Agus ar maidin bhí na comharsanaí uilig go léir cruinn ag cur ár dtuairisc ag déanamh go rabh muid caillte achoíche nuair a chonaic siad an bád ag an chéidh... ag an chéidh.

Translation

We had to stay there in the boat until the tide receded. And two of them went to Baile an Droichid for bread and a bottle of whiskey. And when they were going out of the boat, "Mind yourselves," I said, "and don't go out the Kilcar side. Go out the Towney(?) side for the shallow water."

And they went out when the tide fell and they went towards the wrong side. They went the Kilcar side and the flow nearly brought them with it. Well, they went east and they got the bread and the bottle of whiskey and they came back to us. And the food was readied and every man except one had some. He was so far gone that he wanted to be left as he was, instead of drinking or eating.

The night cleared up then and the stars came out and when the boat floated again the sky was clear and it was nice and calm for reaching home. We came back across home to our own place then before day. And in the morning all the neighbours were gathered, asking for us and thinking that we were lost forever when they saw the boat at the pier.

Footnotes

Commentary

This narrative does not seem to contain any particular folk motifs or be based on any legend or folktale, and is likely to be a chronicate, or personal anecdote, based on the author's experience. A version of this story from the same speaker appears in An tUltach 10:6 (1933), 1-2.