278
AN GAOḊAL
There is a stream of water which dries up in sum¬
mer, but becomes a nice ford every winter. It goes
under ground in the midst of rough rocks in two
places. On account of the noise produced by the
water, you would think there was a mill underneath.
It was thought among the old people that this
was so. They said it ground corn in the springtime
and that one had only to have his bag (of corn) op¬
posite the ford (in the evening) and that it would be
meal in the morning.
Finally, a vile old doubter went to weighing his
bag to ascertain how much toll had been taken out.
At the perpetration of so mean a trick the Fairy mil¬
ler became angry and he did not grind for the peo¬
ple of the place from that day forward.
My feeling and strength shall yet desert me, but
the remembrance of this place shall continue in my
heart till the last day of my life;
Cairo, May 18 '93.
John Howley.
We received other excellent translations, but we
preferred Mr. Howley's, which is printed without
the change of a point
With the foregoing is concluded Part I. of Bourke's
Lessons and, before entering on Part II., and as a
final translating exercise, we give
"Nuair is cruaiḋ do 'n ċaillaiġ caiṫfiḋ
sí riṫ,"
which appeared in last Gael, as the matter to be
translated, and the translation missing a point will
be excluded from publication.
VOCABULARY.
Teannta, tightened, in a tight place.
Doiċreidṫe, hard to believe, incredible
Roillig, a grave-yard.
Cláiríneaċ a cripple
Saiḋḃreas, or, saiḃreas, wealth.
Lán-ṡástaḋ, fully satisfied, convinced.
Teagasg, teaching, instruction.
Taoḃ, side; concerning.
Ṫárlaḋ, it came to pass, it happened.
Beusa, manners, or tastes.
Aisteaṁla, queerly, peculiarly.
Cróḋ, a nut. Úġaċd, a will.
Teaġlaiġ, teallaiġ, of hearth, of family
Torraċ, pregnant; also, plentiful.
Meáḋon-oiḋce, midnight
Caidreas, friendship, cordiality.
Inte, the kernal of a nut, or anything
Tuirling, to descend, as off a horse.
Buairṫín, a spance for the forelegs.
Claḋ, cloiḋe, a fence, a wall, a ditch,
Ḋeaṁan cos, the-devil-a-foot. Though
this is the literal meaning, ḋeaṁan
is used to mean "not,” not a foot.
Géilleaḋ, to heed or pay attenton to.
Druidim, moving, druid, move (thou)
Raṁar, fat, thick; also, the act of dig¬
(ging.
Sgread, screech, shout,
Túisce, túisge, sooner, [as to time]
Feaḃus, good; excellent air ḟeaḃus.
Úġdar, cause; author.
ÉAḊMON ÓG MAĊ NÉILL NA
CARRAIGE.
Obtained from John J O’Donnell, Ranalast, by
ANTHONY J. DOHERTY,
Cruit Island N S., Co. Donegal.
In Vol. IX., No. 3, of THE GAEL there appear¬
ed an Irish song entitled “Baireud Fionnaigh,"
which I forwarded to you, and which was compo¬
sed by Peter O'Donnell, a native of Ranafast, and
a shoemaker by trade. The following song was
also composed by him. In his time, and down till
very recently, it was customary for shoemakers,
tailors, and other tradesmen in this district to go
to houses where their services were needed, and
to work there instead of at their own homes. By
thus moving about so much, and mixing with the
people, these tradesmen became repertories of the
news and gossip of the whole district, as well as
the best chroniclers of ancient legends and stories.
Hence, during the tradesman's stay in any house,
it became the rendezvous for all the neighbors,
who would assemble there at night, and pass the
time in conversation and merriment. By having
so many eyes following and observing his opera¬
tions a mechanic in those days was obliged to do
the best and honestest work he was capable of;
he was sure to avoid, as far as possible, any
botching or “jerrying."
One day while Peter O'Donnell was engaged in a
neighbors's house, two boys who had dropped in
to look on, began to amuse themselves with "play¬
ing buttons,” a game at that time very common
among boys here. The younger and smaller boy,
having lost all his buttons, manfully attacked the
other while on his way home, gave him a sound
drubbing, re-took possession of his lost buttons,
and went his way victorious, He had proceeded but
a short distance when he accidentally encounter¬
ed a vicious black ram which had long been a
source of terror alike to the very old and the very
young of the townland. The ram attacked our
hero, who, nothing daunted, seized it by the horns,
and succeeded in dragging it to the brink of a
precipice, down which he flung it, and put an end
for ever to its combative career. From these in¬
stances of youthful volour O'Donnell augured
that when young Edward — for so the boy was call¬
ed — grew up he should prove a terror to the Eng¬
lish, and he composed the following humorous
verses in Edward’s praise
The composition by unlettered peasants of ver¬
ses like these on the ordinary incidents of every¬
day life, and the allusions they contain to famous
places and celebrated personages show how un¬
founded and untrue was the calumnious epithet
of "Ignorant Irish,” formerly so often hurled by
unfriendly writers at our people. Illiterate of
course they were, so far as any English education
was concerned, being kept so by legal (?) enact¬
ments; but ignorant or unintelligent most assur¬
edly they were not. Not all the severity of penal
statutes could stifle the inate love of knowledge
