Scéal faoi Rónta /
A Story about Seals
A Story about Seals
Informant: Máire Gharbh
Age: Unknown
Address: Inishshark, Co. Galway
Collector: Brian Mac Lochlainn, National Folklore Collection, UCD
Date of Recording: 10/05/1941
Reference:
NFC 838: 236
Grey cow and bull [Courtesy of the Irish Seal Sanctuary]
Scéal faoi Rónta
Bhí beirt fhear ag iascach lá agus ligeadar ar chionn maoláin. [Nóta ón mbailitheoir: Lig siad amach na doruithe ar thaobh na farraige don mhaolán]. Bhí rón ar an gcarraig agus thosaigh fear acu ag caitheamh cloch leis an rón. Thángadar abhaile.
Lá eile. Lá eile bhíodar ag iascach aríst agus cuireadh suas ar thalamh iad, agus nuair a cuireadh bhí fear a fanacht leothu. Thug an fear seo chun tí iad. Nuair a bhíodar tamall ann chonaiceadar fear eile insa gclúis ann.
“Céard tá ar an bhfear sin?” a dúirt duine do na hiascairí.
“An gcuimhníonn tú?” a deir sé. “Well bhris tú a lámh an lá sin,” a deir sé, “ach gabh suas anois aige agus lag do lámh air agus beidh sé ceart. Ach,” a deir sé, “iarrfaidh sé ort lámh a chroitheadh leis agus má fháigheann sé greím ar do lámh brisfidh sé í, ach seo cnámh duit,” a deir sé, “tabhair dó an chnámh ina háit.”
Rinné sé mar dúirt sé. Agus nuair a fuair sé greím ar an gcnámh – shíl sé gur lámh an fhir a bhí aige – rinne sé smidiríní de. Tháinig an fear anuas ansin.
“Déan deifir leat anois go beo,” a deir an fear eile, “nó beidh do bhád imithe’.”
Agus chomh luath agus thángadar chuig an mbád nach raibh an taoile ag tíocht fuithi. (Ar thalamh draíochta a bhí an bád agus ní ar thalamh saolta, mar a shíl siadsan).
A Story about Seals
Two men were fishing one day, and they let out the lines in the sea, close to the hilltop. There was a seal on the rock and one of the men started throwing stones at the seal. They came home. Another day, they were fishing again and they were put ashore and a man was waiting for them. This man took them to the house and after they had been there a while they saw another man there in the yard.
“What’s the matter with that man?” said one of the fishermen.
“Do you remember?” he said. “Well you broke his hand that day,” he said, “but go up to him now and place your hand on him and he will be better.” “But,” he said, “he will ask you to shake his hand and if he gets a hold of your hand he will break it, but here’s a bone for you,” he said, “give him the bone instead.”
He did as he was told. And when he [the injured man] got a hold of the bone – he thought he had the man’s hand – he shattered it. The man came back then.
“Hurry now,” said the other man, “or your boat will be gone.” And as soon as they got to their boat wasn’t the tide coming in under it. (The boat was on enchanted land and not on the land of this world, as they had thought).