Cahirdaniel N. S., Co. Kerry, Ireland.
March 30th. 1892.
Editor An Gaodhal.
Dear Sir. — You might consider it worth your
while to publish the following stanzas relative to
the adventures or rather misadventures of an itine¬
rant hedge teacher and poet, who died about fifty
years ago. He was a native of, and lived nearly all
his life in the neighbourhood of Derrynane where
he was a great favourite of the Liberator's. On one
occasion he made up his mind to go to Port Magee
in the vicinity of Valentia Island to teach a school,
and put all his clothes, books, wearing apparel, etc
on board a vessel in Derrynane harbour to be taken
to Port Magee, he himself having decided to travel
by land and meet the boat in the latter place. As
narrated in the poem, the vessel was wrecked on a
rock, and to his great grief and consternation the
poet's valuables were lost. To add to his misfor¬
tune the clothes which he wore were burned in a
house in which he lodged on the way, and he had
to remain in bed until clothes were provided for
him.
He was the last of the hedge-teachers of this place
and his school is still pointed out — a large cave un¬
der a rock — with the word "school" lodged in the
rock. He had no settled abode, but went about
with his pupils, being tendered everywhere a
Céad míle fáilte.
He wrote a great many songs, some of which
are preserved by the peasantry. Daniel O'Connell
(the Liberator) sent him to school to Dublin. He
got the fever there, and composed one of his best
songs when he recovered, he wrote a Lament over
his dog which 'died,' and several on the liberator.
Yours respectfully,
JAMES FENTON,
LE TOMAS RUADH O'SÚILLIOBHÁIN.
Go cuan Bhéil-Innse a casadh mé,
Cois Fóilín aoibhinn Dairbhre, b
Mar a seóltar Fleet na fairge
Thar sháile i g-céin.
i b-PórtMagee do stadas seal
Faoi thuairim íntinn maitheasa,
Chum do bheith sealad eattora
Mar mháighistir léigheainn.
Is geárr gur chualladh an eachtradh
'Ge cách, mo leun!
Gur i m-Bórdóinín c do chailleadh, theas
An t-áthrac treun
Do phreab mo chroídhe le h-athtuirse
D'thaobh long an tigeasaigh d calma.
A's go m-b'fheárr do'n tir í sheasamh seal
Do ráib e an t-séin.
a, Valentia. b, parish of Kilcrohane
in which is Cahirdaniel
c, The owner of the vessel, Patrick
Trant.
d. An abbrev, of rabáire.
Mo chiac! mo cumha! a's m'athtuirse!
M'iasma dubh ag ainnise
As mé síorruidhe deunamh mairgne a
A'm' chás bocht féin.
Mo chuid eudaigh cumhdaigh' sgaipighthe
Bhí deunta cúmtha, ceapuighthe,
A's do thriall thar thríuc b ó Shacsana
Mar bhláth faoi' m' dhéin.
iad a bheith imthighthe 'san bh-fairge
Air bhárr an sgéil.
'Gus h-uille aca 'san lasair c
A's mé go tláth am' neul.
Budh truaigh le cách air maidin mé
Go buaidheartha, cásmhar, ceasnuighthe
'S gurb é an fuacht do chráig am' bhallaibh
mé
Gan snáth d ó'n spéir.
Ní h-é sin do chealaigh mé
Na do chráigh mé 'rís am' aigne
Acht nuair do chídhinn féinfuadar, fear¬
thainne
Gach lá faoi'n spéir
Neart gaoithe d-tuaigh a's anfaidh e
'Gus síon ro-mhór gan eug air bith
Teinte, luathadh, lasair,
Agus sgáil na g-caor. f
Do chróm an uain air shneachta chur
Le gála treun
Air feadh dosaon g uair gan amharca
Le fághail air an rae
Na daothanna h cruadha, pannaidighe
Do líon ro mhór do'n ghalar mé
Sd'fhág suim i gan suan air leabaigh me
Go tláth i b-péin
Dá siubhalfainn Éire a's Albain
An Fhrainc, an Spáin, a's Sagsana,
Agus fós arís dá n-abrainn
Gach áit faoi'n rae,
a, lamentation, gen. sin. of mairg.
b, thar thríuc means over a great dis¬
tance.
c, this refers to his clothes being burn¬
ed at Rínn-iarthadh when asleep, on
his way to Port Magee.
d, covering.
e, pron. as if written annuighthe.
f, fume of the thunderbolt.
g, dozen; h, such is the phonic spell¬
ing [singular deoig] used in sense of
colic; i, a space of time,
