AN GAODHAL
291
means cousin german, the fourth
from the stem, reckoning according
to the "civil,” and not the canonical
law ; col cúigear, five; col-seisear,
six; col-mór-sheisear, seven; col-oct¬
ear, eight a kin, or third cousin.
Fáilte, welcome; ceud míle fáilte, a
hundred thousand welcomes — our na¬
tional salutation.
Mórán, a great many, from mór, great.
Muintir, a tribe, a family, a society;
from mo, an old Irish word signify¬
ing a person; aon, one; tír, country
Muintreach, of the same people, friend¬
ly, sociable.
'Na, for iona, than.
Proinn, anciently written praind — a
meal; ceud-proinn, the first meal or
breakfast; proinnigh, dine.
Sughcruadh, sugar; from súgh, juice, and
cruaidh, hard.
Té, tea, a Chinese word;
Trianóide, poss. case of trianóid, Tri¬
nity; from trí, three, and aonad, one
(state, or) nature.
Uas. above, high (prep); uasal (from
uas and ail, to educate), noble. Uai¬
sle, the derivative of uasal, nobility
Uaisle Éireann, Ireland's nobility.
Uacdar, what is (uas) up, on top, and
hence, it signifies cream ; because the
top part of the milk, as iochtar (from
ios, below), means the milk at the
bottom of the pail; also the upper
leather of a shoe, iachtar, the sole;
in music soprano; iachtar, bass; on
high victorious; as, lámh láidir ann
uachtar, the strong hand victorious, —
the motto of the O'Briens.
Uachdarán, a president, a ruler, one in
command.
Ubh, (uv) an egg; Latin, ovum.
Nuair 's cruaidh do'n Chailligh caithfidh
sí rith, — Translation.
[Again we have chosen Mr. Howley’s translation]
When the hag is coerced she must run. —
This is a proverb among the western people, the
explanation of which is that one when pushed will
perform incredible feats, as did the hag of the story.
Long since, in the olden time, a priest and his
mother lived in a house close by a church-yard. The
mother was aged, and a cripple. She had an in¬
tense dread of death, and would give her worldly
riches for knowledge from some one buried in the
church-yard as to what sort of place they had in the
other world, because she was not fully satisfied with
the teaching of the priests concerning it.
Very good : it happened that a man of peculiar
habits died at that time, who requested in his will
that a bag of nuts be put in the coffin with him, be¬
cause he had a great liking for them during his life.
His people promised as he ordered, and the bag of
nuts was placed under his head in the coffin.
So far so good: There was in the place a woman
approaching maternity who craved nuts, but none
could be procured for her. She gave her husband
neither rest nor peace for them ; but none could be
got unless he would go and exhume the corpse, Fi¬
nally he was compelled to consent to do so. He a¬
rose at midnight and went to open the grave and
bring the nuts which were under the dead man's
head home with him. As he approached the grave
yard he met another man on the road. They talked
and became acquainted. “What brought you out
this time of night?” said the second man. “I will
tell you that if you tell me what brings yourself
out," said the other. “Well then, I am going to
steal a sheep," said the second. “And I am going
to raise the corpse which was buried yesterday,"
said the other, telling the story from bottom to top.
“Well then wait you for me,” said the sheep man,
"and we will be home together.” “All right,” said
my man ; and each went his own way. The man
who sought the nuts went to the grave-yard : he o¬
pened the grave and the coffin : He found the bag of
nuts, and when he settled the place again, he sat
down on top of the grave cracking the nuts and eat¬
ing the kernels, and he awaiting the sheep-man.
It happened that the priest was out that night
anointing a sick person When he came home he
alighted from his horse and told his boy to drive it
out in the field. He did so; but while spanceling
the horse he heard the munching of the man
out in the grave-yard. Looking cautiously over the
fense he saw the man sitting on the grave-mound.
He ran home in his utmost speed and told the old
woman that the dead man was sitting out on the
grave. "O, put me on your back," said the hag
"and take me with you to the grave until I get in¬
formation concerning his situation in the other
world!” “Dickens a foot; I would be afraid of
my life,” said the boy. It was no use for him ; he
was obliged to submit finally and hoist the hag with
him They approached the grave as the nutter rais¬
ed his head. “Oho, you found her,” said he, — “Is
she fat?” The boy threw the hag down from his
back. “There she is for you, fat or lean,” he yell¬
ed, and off he started for dear life.
No sooner did the hag fall to the ground than her
locomotion returned, and, from extreme fear, she
did not feel that she was a cripple, and away ran
she also, and reached the house before the boy,
though excellent his speed. And that is the author
of the proverb.
John Howley.
Cairo, Ill., June 14, 1893.
We thought the Gael was alone in the field in
its complaints of delinquent subscribers, but we
find that some of our Western contemporaries are
in the same boat for they threaten to put their
delinquents in the hands of a collecting agency.
+
see
Irish
Echo
April 1893.
also
Vol IX
p. 268
