Róinte /
Seals
Seals
Informant: Unknown
Age:
Address: An Cnoc, Leitir Móir Co. Galway
Collector: Collected as part of The Schools’ Collection, National Folklore Collection, UCD
Date of Recording: 1937/38
Reference:
[Courtesy of the Irish Seal Sanctuary]
Róinte
Bíonn róinte ag imeacht ’san bhfarraige i gcónaí. Bíonn siad ag imeacht ar bharr na farraige go minic. Tá sé ráite go bhfuil na róinte faoi dhraíocht agus gur daoine a bhí iontu fadó. Tá go leór dathanna ar na róinte ach dath dubh is mó a bhíos ortha. Ní thagann na róinte ar an dtalamh tirim chor ar bith mar caillfí iad. Itheann siad iasc agus rudaí eile a bhíos ag imeacht ’san bhfarraige.
Deirtear go bhfuil leigheas sna róinte. Dá bhfaigheadh duine greim ar rón agus é a mharú agus ola a bhaint as tá leigheas ánn. Ola Róin a tugtar ar an ola. Tá sé go maith le haghaidh cneasú a dhéanamh.
Nuair a bhíonn duine cáillte cloistear an rón ag caoineadh go brónach ar nós duine ar bith. Má fheiceann an rón bád dhá bhá bíonn sé ag guí ag iarraidh í a shábháil agus is minic a shábháil rón bád. Deirtear nach ceart a bheith ag caitheamh cloch leis na róin dá mbeifeá i mbád ar an bhfarraige, bheadh sé ag iarraidh thú a bhá.
Seals
There are always many seals in the sea. They are often at the surface of the water. It is said that seals are under enchantment and that they were people long ago. Seals can be many colours, but they are usually black. Seals do not come into dry land at all as they would die. They eat fish and other things in the sea.
It is said that seals contain a cure. If someone caught a seal and killed it, and took the oil from it then the oil would contain a cure. The oil is called Seal Oil. It is good for healing.
When someone dies the seal can be heard crying sadly like any other human. If a seal sees a boat drowning, it prays that it is saved and it is often that a seal has saved a boat. It is said that it is not right to throw stones at the seals if you are in a boat at sea, as it will want to drown you.