436.
AN GAOḊAL.
THE BLACKTHORN STICK.
Written to the old air, for the GAEL,
By WILLIAM RUSSELL
NOTE — The Eo-Rosa mentioned in one
of the verses, is the famous Yew of Ross
so highly extolled by the ancient poet
Dallan-Forgaill, in his archaic descrip¬
tion of the shield of King Hugh of Oir¬
giall. The Circe alluded to in another
verse and which in Irish must be pro¬
nounced, Sírcé, is the same, mentioned
in the Odyssey, and who by the virtue
of her enchanting wand could metamor¬
phose men into swine: The song is ori¬
ginal except two lines of the first verse.
W. R.
Eistiġ lem' sgeul, a éigse sealad le
truaġ,
'S ní talaṁ, 'ná spréiḋ, 'ná béiṫ, do
ḋeineann dom duaḋ;
Aċ maide draiḋin — éille ḃí faoḃraċ,
ingiolta cruaiġ,
Do goideaḋ óm' ṫaoḃ 's me air aonaċ
Ḃeul-Aṫ' Na Sluaġ.
Ba daingion a ḃár le fáinne ta h-agaċ
cruaḋ,
'S an iall ann dob' ḟeárr le fáġail o
Ċorcaiġ go Tuaim;
Do ḃí sé faḋarcánaċ, dána, dannarṫa,
ruaḋ,
'Nuair sgiobaḋ óm' ḋáil mo ġráḋ a m-
Beul-Áṫ' Na Sluaġ.
Do ḃí sé siúd díreaċ, ríġinn, 's mar
ċuileann a g-cruaḋas,
'S ba ṁairg a ṫíġeaċt, a m-bruíġin, air
ḃaṫas anuas;
Do ḋeunfaḋ slat-ríġ do ṫír ġlas,
ċreaċta na g-cuan,
Ḋá ḃ-faiġeaḋ le na lín a saoirse 'n
Ḃanaba, uainn.
A g-Connaċṫ a d'ḟás mo ċána taiṫnio¬
ṁaċ, nuaḋ,
Air ḟaṫa Ċruaċáin, sean áitrioṁ fla¬
ṫa na m-buaḋ
An t-Eo-Rosa cáig, Dallán do ṫuigeaḋ
a luaċ,
Níor ḃ-ḟeárr a sgéiṫ Aoḋ, 'ná é a m-
Ḃeul-At' Na Sluaġ-
Ag Circé do ḃí slat draoiḋeaċta dei¬
rid na suaiḋ,
Agus slat aile ag Maois' a deiġilt na
Faraige Ruaḋ;
Aċ cipín níor ḟáisg riaṁ, láṁ fáiġ,
file, 'ná druaḋ',
Mar ċailleas de ḃár na g-cárt a m-
Beul-Aṫ' Na Sluaġ.
Mo ṁallaċt do 'n sméirle claon do
ḃradaiġ é uaim,
Agus d'ḟág me aréir, mo léun, gan
codlaḋ gan suan;
Go raiḃ sé gan ċéill. 'sa ṗlaosg gan
ruiḃe de 'n ġruaig,
Muna g-cuireaḋ mo ṡeud am ġéig a m-
Beul-Aṫ' Na Sluaġ.
Mr. Martin P. Ward’s contribution
to the next Gael will be Ceártaiġ An¬
toine Ḋuiḃ-
Gael Glas predicts the freedom of
Ireland about the year 1889; we differ
with him, we think it will be accom¬
plished before two years. Hence, we
would urge our co-workers in the Gae¬
lic cause to renewed energy, so that
when the time comes we may have in¬
creased strength to assist our friends
in Dublin to have it taught in the Na¬
tional schools right away. We pres¬
ume our Dublin friends will see to it
that this will be one of the first acts of
the Irish Parliament. We are well a¬
ware that business is very dull now
but one glass of beer or one cigar in
the month less will pay for the Gael.
Irishmen should make that little sac¬
rifice.
We hear a large number of Irishmen
call Rossa a coward because he did not
turn on his assailant on the spot. If
Rossa be a coward he has a great man¬
y comrades in his countrymen, for they
are being slaughtered and murdered
for the last three hundred years yet
very few are to be found to take that
immediate and energetic action to a¬
venge their wrongs for which they ac¬
cuse Rossa, — Fiat justitia ruat cœlum.
