AN GAODHAL.
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diabhail & deamhain n-ar n-aghaidh go n-a
lucht cabhra na g-claoin-bheart, .i. caill¬
eacha criona na bpiseóg.
"Do bhí rath mhór aguinn 'san m-baile
i bpáirc on leasa & do bhiodh sgeul ar
a luadh imeasg daoine an cheantair gur
bh é budh cul báire ag sluagh sighe dheas-
Mhumhan ó na ciantaibh ag iomáin gach
oidhche ghlan-shoillseach & ag breith na liath¬
róide leo ó shluagh sighe thuadh-Mhumhan,
go d-teidhidís go leir & Aoibheal ón leith-
chraig ar deireadh na sgríbe do chaitheamh
fléidhe & rince & seabhradh acu 'san m-
brugh áluinn do bhí fa bhun an leasa.
Maidir liom-sa níor chuireas suim ná
mairg in a leithéid sin d'eachtraidhibh acht
d'fhógras ar mo chuid fear an lios sin
do thoghail go beith réidh comhthrom leis an
d-thalmhain do. Do thiomáineadar leo
ag romhar go saothrach & ag cartadh
cruaidh & mi-se 'n-a bh-farradh go n-dear¬
nadh poll mór air thaoib an chnoic. Leis
sin do bhreathnuigheas féin sean-bhean
chrion go bhfallaing dhearg uimpe ag
buain brosna no ádhbhar teine do dhean¬
amh de gheagaibh seargtha do thuiteadar
fa lár de bhárr chrann an chlaoidh. Ar
bhfeicsin na bhfear di do leig sí liudh &
míle glaodh uaithe go n-dubhairt do ghuth
árd;
"O faire go deo! a mhiothail na gcreach
Ní bheanfar an foghmhar le fuinneamh
bhur speal."
Do sgiob sé lé' annsan chum siubhal & do
ling as radharc na foirne go tapaidh.
Níor thusga d'imthigh nár gheit duine do
m' fhearaibh dá radh, "munab é ar mear¬
bhal atá m'intinn-se shin í thall Maim
Mhantach na stara-fhiacal & a dailtin
maille ria, & a dhaoine na páirte is í
mo chomhairle daoibh-se an obair so do
chaitheamh uainn & gan bac leis an t-sean
rath mhiodhadhmharach, mhíonádúrtha so nios
mo, oir muna ndíngní amhlaidh ní bhia
duine ná deoruidhe dhínn beo i g-cionn
bliadhna." "Éist do beul a amadáin
gan chéill," ar na fir leis, & má ataoi
id' bhogán bhéadhgach ná meas gurab mar
sin atá cách."
Do fhan se n-a thost i n-diaidh sin &
ghabhadar mo dhaoine oibre ag romhar go
whether I or any of my race were ev¬
er stingy of our food, because it was
customary that every poor person com¬
ing under the shelter of that house of
ours should get the fill of his bag be¬
fore he departed. But we are none the
better now of the possessions of long ago nor of
all we distributed among the poor, for devils and
demons and their evil doing servers, viz., the wi¬
thered pishoghue-practising hags have battled a¬
gainst us.
There was a large rath at home in the Liss field
and the story went among the people of that neigh¬
bourhood that for a long time it was the goal of
the fairy hosts of Desmond where they hurled ev¬
ery moonlight night and took the ball with them
from the fairy hosts of Ormond, and at the end of
the game accompanied by Aoibheal of Carrig-Leith
they went to feast with dance merry revel in a beau¬
tiful place beneath the Liss. As for myself I ne¬
ver had care or concern for that manner of story
and ordered my men to level that Liss until it was
even and flat with the ground. I accompanied
them and they commenced to dig laboriously and
shovel out clay until a great hole was made in the
side of the bank. About that time I saw a with¬
ered old woman with a red cloak about her gather
a bressney or bundle of fire-wood, that is, rotten
branches that had fallen to the ground from the
trees on the hedge-row. On seeing the men she
shouted and bawled and exclaimed in a loud voice
“Oh shame and sorrow! workers of your doom,
You'll never live to see the harvest bloom.”
She then betook herself away and quietly passed
out of sight of the company. She had no sooner
gone than one of my men startled said, “If my
mind be not deceived yonder goes Mam of the gap¬
ped mouth and fang-teeth with her urchin ; and
my friends I would advise you to give
up this work and have nothing farther
to do with this unnatural unlucky old
'Liss'; for if you do not do so not one
of us will be alive either man or wan¬
derer in a year's time.” “Cease thy
prate senseless fool,” said the men to
him "and if thou thyself art a neryous
'softy' do not think that everybody else
is in like manner."
He remained silent after that and
my workmen continued digging away
