586
AN GAODHAL.
an gaduidhe imthighthe. "Tá mé sásta,"
ar sé. "Tigeoch' an buitléir liom," arsa
Peadar, "agus bheurfamuid chugat ina
tigh iad." Chuaidh siad ina stábla, a's
fuair'dar i bh-folach cupáin airgid, sgian¬
ta &c. Bhí 'n duine uasal cho sásta le
Peadar 'gus go d-tug sé feilm thalamh¬
na dhó, ach é fanamhain aige i g-cómhnuidh¬
e, Ghlac Pheadar an tairgsin seo, agus
chuaidh a comhnuidhe i d-teac úr i g-ceann
a fheilme.
Tamal na dhiaigh so, bhí 'n duine uasal
ag insinn do chomhluadar mhór dh'a chuid
cáirde go rabh fear aige a dheunóch' fios
air nídh air bith. Dúbhairt fear do'n
chomhluadar go n-deunóch' sé mias feola
suas agus go g-cuireoch' sé leith-cheud
punt nach n-inseoch' sé cia 'n sórt feoil
í- Chuir an fear uasal cundas air
Pheadar, ach ní rabh fios aige cad i dheun¬
eoch' sé in uair a tugadh an mhias in a
láthair. Bhlas sé de'n fheoil, agus dúbh¬
airt sé, "Ní'l maith a caint, o fhad a d-
téidheann an sionnach gabhtar air deir¬
eadh é," tabhairt suas an cháis. Bhí uabh¬
ás mór air an g-chruinniúgh' in uair i dúbh¬
airt an fear a cuir an geall go m-budh
feoil sionnaigh a bhí insa méis: & dub¬
airt gach duine aca go rabh eolas Phead¬
air air fághal amach neithe goidthe na gh-
níomh dearbtha, agus chuir sin luathgháir
mhór air a mhaighisdir.
Chuaidh Peadar ná dhiaigh seo a bh-fad
o bhaile air feadh seachtmhaine, agus air
theacht dhó air ais do bhí an bhean-tighe
aig an doras. "Ca bh-fuil tú o shoin,"
air sí, agus muid go do chuartúgh?"
Cad fádh?" air seisean, "Cia tá go m'
iarruigh?" "An mhaighisdreas," airs an
cailín; "chaill sí a fáinne pósda ó na
méir, a's tá seod luachmhar ann a chean¬
nóch' Cnoc Trathmór go h-uile." "Ar
chuartaidh sibh é?" arsa Peadar, "Cuar¬
taidh," ars an cailín, a's ní'l sé annsa
teach air bith: mar sin, go a codladh
a's deun aisling air." An uair i dhúis¬
igh Pheadar air maidin chuir an mhaighisd¬
reas cundas air, aig rádh gur chaill sí a
fáinne, agus é fios a dheunadh air. "O
a mhaighisdreas," air sesean, "o fhad as
a bídheann an crúsga a dul an a bhalla
brisdear air deireadh é." Chuir sin
uabhás air na cailínidh, & in am geárr
bhí an fáinne air fághail aig an m-bhean-
tíghe. Bhí 'n mhaighisdreas i nigheadh a lá¬
mha annsa g-crúsga brisde, agus thuit
an fáinne ó na méir, agus thóig an cail¬
ín é, 'gus b'áil leithe a chongbháil ach budh
gur shaoil sí go rabh fios aig Peadar
air.
O 'n am sin suas ní rinne Peadar
níos mó feasa. Dúbhairt sé gur thoirm¬
isg an sagart air dadaidh de'n obhair
sin a dheunadh.
CRÍOCH. —
P. J. CRÉIDHCHÍN.
Cia rud is pronounced kayurdh.
We see of late, especially by those
who have only book-knowledge of the
Irish language, a tendency to write
"he would drink, he would do", etc.,
d' ólfadh sé, dheunfadh sé, etc. Such
form is very grating to the trained
Gaelic ear. The natural Irish speak¬
er will invariably say, d' ólóchadh sé,
dheunóchadh sé, [the final adh being al¬
ways silent]. We have for some time
been collecting information on this
head of Irish speakers from all the
provinces, and did not meet with one
solitary individual who used the First
Future for the Subjunctive in this in¬
stance — the Third person of the verb.
The mistake made by intelligent
writers in using dheunfadh, etc. for the
spoken form, dheunóchadh, arises from
the fact that they treat such words, in
this particular person and mood, as if
they conformed to the general rules of
the First Conjugation. They do not.
An educated people can never be
slaves.
A Frenchman not knowing French
is a curiosity ,what is an Irishman who
knows not Irish?
Any Irishman who speaks Irish can
learn to read and write it in six
months.
How many of our "patriotic" Irish¬
men have a Gaelic book or journal in
their library ?
How will Emmett's epitaph be writ¬
ten, in English, eh? God forbid.
