120
AN GAOḊAL.
air — Petrie's
A.I.M.
No. 815.
" 1077.
see below
page 145.
Corr Ṡliaḃ
Oiḋċe Ḟéile Bríġde, agus mé go h-aoiḃin
Ag an d-tóraṁ ṡíos air an Múllaċ m-Bán,
'Seaḋ ċonnairc-sa an riġ-ḃean do ċráḋuiġ am' ċroiḋe mé,
Do ḃí sí banaṁuil, deas, áluin, óg.
Buḋ ġile a mín-croḃ ná sneaċta air ṫoiḃ ċnuic,
Nó an t-ealaḋ is míne air lín ag snáṁ,
'S go ḃ fuil mo ċroiḋe-se n-a ṁíle giota
Mar naċ ḃ-fáġaim cead síneaḋ lem' ṁuirnín ḃán.
Ní air an g-cnoc is áirde ċoṁnuiġeann mo ṁaoin-sa,
Aċt i n-gleanntán íosal air a ḃ-fásann feur;
Mar a ḃíḋeann fiaḋ-laċain agus bric air línntiḃ
Cruiṫneaċd caorḋearg agus coirce bán.
Laḃrann an ċuaċ ḋá uair 'san ṁí ann;
Tá suairceas aoiḃinn ann gan ċáim;
Biḋid na beaċa críona i n-iomarcaḋ aoise,
Agus mil d'a ṫaosga aca dom ṁuirnín ḃán.
'Sa rúin 'sa stóruiġ anois má ġeoḃair liom,
Béiḋ toġaḋ an eolais agam air eolóġaḋ leat,
Agus naċ ḃ-fuil traṫnóna ná maidin reoiḋṫe
Naċ tú an reult eolais a ḃeiḋeaḋ liom ais.
Ag siúḃal na m-bóiṫre agus na coillte ro-ġlas,
Is air mo ċroiḋe astiġ ní ḃeiḋeaḋ an brón
Ag dul am' ṗósaḋ le bláṫ na h-óige
Agus mo láṁ go moḋṁaraċ 'nna brollaċ bán.
Dá m-beiḋeaḋ fios agam-sa naċ tú ḃí i n-dán dom
Ní ḃéiḋinn ċoṁ dána, agus ní eulóċainn leat,
Giḋ go ḃ-fuil mo ċroiḋe 'stiġ líonta de ġráḋ ḋuit
A's tá na tairngiḋe i g-cruiḋtiḃ na n eaċ.
'Sa ḋaoine ċeannsa naċ mór an truaġ mé
Agus naċ h-é an cursaiḋ magaiḋ mé
An te buḋ ġile liom, agus ḃí seal d'a luaḋ liom,
Gur fada uaim-se do ċoṁnuiġeann sí.
Translation of Mr. O’Brien's Letter.
Dublin, June 22, 1891.
To The Publisher of The Gael.
Loved Sir, — I received a song a short time since
from Patrick O'Leary, who is a schoolmaster near
Beara, Co. Cork, and I am sending it to you. If
you can make room for it in your esteemed journal
I shall be thankul to you for publishing it. Con¬
currently with the reception of this song from him
he told me a queer story which is doubtlessly plea¬
sing to you. He said, in treating of the Gael, —
“That is the messenger that put me in mind the
first day ever that every Irishman ought to learn
the language of his native country before the ton¬
gue of the stranger. I shall tell you how this hap¬
pened to me. One day as I was going to the school
I met a blacksmith on the way, who was known to
me, and he said to me that he would have a journal
for me on my coming home. He kept his word
for on my passing the forge, he called me in, and
gave me a number of the Gael. From that day
forth I gave an hour or two to learning Irish un¬
til I was able to read it with joy and pleasure.”
I am certain that the Gael encouraged a large
number of persons to cultivate a knowledge of the
language of their ancestors.
Your everlasting friend,
Patrick O'Brien.
For the information of those of our readers who
are not yet able to understand Gaelic fully, we
have given the translation of Mr O'Brien's letter.
We do this that the reason why we urge Gaels to
send THE GAEL to the Old Country may be vivid¬
ly impressed on their minds.
This Mr O'Leary, a National School Teacher,
did not know how to read a word of Irish before
he had seen the GAEL. He is now an Irish teach¬
er. Mr. Jeremiah O’Sullivan of Laclede, Kansas,
sent the GAEL to the party who showed it to Mr O'
Leary. By that act, What has Mr. O’Sullivan ac¬
complished? Is he not the medium through which
all Mr. O'Leary's Gaelic pupils have and will have
