Caoineadh na Róinte /
The Seals’ Cry
The Seals’ Cry
Informant: Ciarán Ó Síothcháin
Age: 45
Address: Crathach, Cléire, Co. Cork
Collector: Ciarán Ó Síothcháin, National Folklore Collection, UCD
Date of Recording: 01/09/1941
Reference:
NFC 842: 121, 123.
[Image courtesy of the Irish Seal Sanctuary]
Caoineadh na Róinte
An té ná chuala an rón riamh ag caoineadh agus nuair a chloisfeadh sé é ar a gcéad uair ba dhóigh leis gurb í an bhean sí a bheadh ann, mar is uaigneach an rud a bheith ag éisteacht leis an rón ag caoineadh agus ag gol go fada faíoch. Tugann na róinte tréimhsí ar an gcumadh so. Aimsir chiúin a bhíonn ann nuair bhíodh ag olagón – ní bhíonn na róinte ag olagón is ag caoineadh i ngach ball. Tá carraigeacha áirithe toghaite acu chun a gcuid caoineadh a dhéanamh orthu. Dealraíonn sé go bhfuil na carraigeacha so i bhfad óna chéile. Ní dóigh liom go bhfuil puinn carraigeacha timpeall na háite seo go mbíodh na róinte ag caoineadh orthu. Agus chomh fad is a théann mo thuairim níl aon charraig timpeall an oileáin seo go mbíonn na róinte ag caoineadh uirthi.
Ach mar sin féin tá carraigeacha trasna na bá ón oileán ag taobh le hoileán beag eile, go nglaotar ‘Inis Uí Dhrisceóil’ ar go mbíonn na róinte ag caoineadh orthu de shíor ghnáth. ‘Na Fiúráin’ an t-ainm atá ar na carraigeacha so. Carraigeacha mara agus ana-íseal leis an uisce is ea Na Fiúráin. Níl a fhios agam canathaobh go bhfuil toghaite ag na róinte chun caoineadh ortha seachas na carraigeacha mara eile atá ina dtimpeall. Ní fheadar an é in ísleacht insan uisce fé ndeara é nó nach é. Tá carraig eile leis insan tsúnta atá idir Cléire agus Inis Arcáin go nglaotar ‘An Charraig Mhór’ uirthi. Bhíodh na róinte leis ag caoineadh ar an gcarraig seo. Níl puinn eile carraigeacha ar m’eolas go mbíonn na róinte ag caoineadh timpeall na háite seo.
An chéad uair a chuala féin na róinte ag caoineadh agus mé óg, do shamhlaíos gurbh í an bhean sí a bhí ag caoineadh. D’fhiafraíos de m’athair cé bhí ag gol, agus dúirt san liom, gurbh iad san na róinte a bhí ag caoineadh thuas ar na ‘fiúránaibh’. Agus, ar seisean, is mhaith an cómharthaí sóinseála iad. Nuair a cloistear na róinte ag caoineadh in aimsir chiúin gheal, tá sé deimhneach go bhfuil speal d’aimsir righin ghlas chugainn.
The Seals’ Cry
When the person who has never before heard the seal cry hears it for the first time he might imagine it to be the banshee, because it is a lonely thing to listen to the seal crying and weeping bitterly. The seals spend periods of time in this way. It is in calm weather when the seals cry like this, but they do not cry and weep everywhere. They have elected certain rocks on which they cry. These rocks seem to be found far away from each other. I don’t think that there are any rocks around here where seals used to cry. And as far as I know, there are no rocks around this island where the seals cry.
That being said, there are rocks across the bay from the island, beside another small island called Inishodriscol, where seals are always crying. These rocks are called ‘Na Fiúráin’. Na Fiúráin are sea rocks very low to the water. I don’t know why the seals have elected to cry on Na Fiúráin, rather than all of the other sea rocks around them. I don’t know if it is because of how low they are in the water or not. There is also another rock in the sound between Cape Clear Island and Sherkin Island called ‘An Charraig Mhór’. The seals used to cry on this rock too. There are no other rocks that I know of where seals cry around here.
The first time I ever heard the seals crying when I was young, I imagined that it was the banshee crying. I asked my father who was crying and he told me it was the seals crying up on Na Fiúráin. And he said it was a good sign of change. When seals are heard crying in calm weather, it is certain that a spell of raw, hard weather is coming.