350
AN GAODHAL
has made any considerable progress in
Irish. There is a vocabulary at the end
of each of the tales which explains the
difficult words and passages. The Ex¬
ploits of Toirdhealbhach Mac Stairn and
his Three Sons, with which the book
commences, is, perhaps, one of the long¬
est texts of any story in modern Irish
to be met with in manuscript. It was
originally written about 150 years ago,
the author of it being one Michael Co¬
myn, of the Co. Clare. At that period,
the Irish language was almost univer¬
sally spoken throughout Ireland in its
own inherent force and masterly style
This circumstance is evinced in nearly
every sentence of this peculiar and in¬
teresting romance. There are intersper¬
sed here and there through the story,
poems which could not be easily surpass¬
ed in pathos and appropriateness of ex¬
pression in any language. The En¬
chanted Palace of Eochaidh Bhig Dheirg is
another excellent tale in which Fionn
Mac Cumhaill, the Irish giant, Connán
Maol, and the Tuatha de Denans, fig¬
ure prominently. In this, as in nearly
all the Fenian tales, Connán Maol
fares badly and Fionn Mac Cumhail
maintains superiority over his oppon¬
ents. The Dialogue between St. Pat¬
rick and Oisín concerning Cath Suiridhe
is a charming production, and is not,
perhaps, excelled by any other poem
of its class in the Irish language. It is
the only book devoted to Fenian Gael¬
ic literature copied from MSS. which
have been printed in Ireland for the
past thirty years, since the volumes of
the Ossianic Society were issued, al¬
though a vast number of such tales are
to be found in the thousands of manu¬
scripts which are mouldering on the
shelves of the libraries in Dublin. In
the introductory remarks, written in
Irish, is given a letter in Scotch Gaelic
from Lady Evelyn Stuart Murray,
daughter of the Duke of Athole, the
object being to show that the Gaelic is
patronized by the by the aristocracy of
Scotland though it has been despised
and discouraged in every possible way
by the cockney-mongrel West-Britons,
who are regarded as the aristocracy of
Ireland. It is to be hoped that the pub¬
lisher will meet with that encourage¬
ment which his energy and enterprise
deserve.
CAOINE NA GAODHAILGE.
le Tomás Ua Griomhtha.
Fonn — An Droighneán Donn.
Nídh fheadar féin an fada bheidh mé
Gan crathadh am lámha,
Tá an t-aos ag teachd fám' dhéin,
Go pras gach lá
An fhad fhéadfad sgríobh ar aon chor
Is binn 'sas breágh
Chuirfhead bréithre na teangan Ghaodh¬
ailge
Go dluith am' dhán.
Do léirghion a Chlanna Ébeir
Is dona é bhur slighe,
Do léigamhuir an Ghaodhailge do
Sgaipe as an Ríoghacht;
Tá na céadta de Chloinn Ghaoidhil-ghlais
D' fhearaibh is de mhnáibh —
A seunadh do bhréithre, is ní náir
leo i rádh.
An uair léigim air Bhrian gléaghal,
Mór tréan Boroimhe —
Air a thréighthe, air a thréinne,
Air a neart 's air a chlú —
Air na tréinn fhir leag traochda
Na Danair gan luith.
Is maith liom gur Gaodhailge
Do labhradar súd.
An uair thainigh Naomh Pádruicc
Ó 'n Róimh anall,
Craobhsgaoileadh chreideamh Iosa
'S d'ár saoradh ó'n námhaid;
Bo bhlasda bríoghmhar do theagasg daoine
Is bo cneasda modhamhuil —
A d-teanga aoibhinn, sean Ghaodhailge
Bhain bárr do'n domhan.
Céad slán chum na mná mánla
Do ghrádhuig do shlighe,
Is chum na sáir fhear náir cáineach
A léighean no n-dlíghe;
