An Rón /
The Seal
The Seal
Informant: Bean Uí Dhálaigh
Age: Unknown
Address: Toehead, Co. Cork
Collector: Collected as part of The Schools’ Collection, National Folklore Collection, UCD
Date of Recording: 1937/38
Reference:
Harbour Seal and Pup [Image courtesy of the Irish Seal Sanctuary]
An Rón
Uair amháin do ghabh fear rón ins an fharraige in aice le Trá Lí. Thug sé an rón abhaile leis agus bhí sé beo. Do chuir sé an rón isteach san gcistin. An oíche sin, bhí fear ag dul trasna na trá agus d'airigh sé glór cainte;
“A Dhonnchadh Dhonn! A Dhonnchadh Dhonn!”
Do lean an fear ar a thuras agus chuaigh sé isteach i dtigh ar an dtaobh eile den dtráigh. Is istigh san dtigh seo a bhí an rón agus d’inis an fear an scéal d’fhear an tí. Nuair a chlois an rón na focail ‘Donnchadh Dhonn’, do labhair sé;
“Ó! B’é sin Tadhg a bhí im loirgse.”
D’fhág siad an rón saor agus ní airíodar an glór ón uair sin amach.
The Seal
A man once caught a seal near Tralee. He took the seal home with him, still alive, and he put it in the kitchen. That night, a man was going across the strand and he heard a voice calling;
“A Dhonnchadh Dhonn! A Dhonnchadh Dhonn!”
The man continued on his journey and he went into a house on the other side of the strand. The seal was in this house, and the man told the story to the man of the house. When the seal heard the words “Donnchadh Dhonn” he spoke;
“Oh! That was Tadhg, looking for me.”
They freed the seal and they never heard the voice again.