Ná Buail! /
Don’t Strike!
Don’t Strike!
Informant: Michéal Ó hIghne
Age: 73
Address: Teileann, Gleann Cholm Cille, Co. Donegal
Collector: Seán Ó hEochaidh, National Folklore Collection, UCD
Date of Recording: July 1946
Reference:
NFC 990: 432-433
Houses in Teileann, 1946 [Caoimhín Ó Danachair, National Folklore Collection, UCD]
Ná Buail!
Bhuel bhí iascaireacht ghreannmhar ag dul anseo i dTeileann insan tsean-am, agus ba í an iascaireacht í ag marú rónta. Bhíodh na seandaoine i gcónaí ina ndiaidh astoigh ins na huaigheacha agus smaichtíní móra leofa, agus nuair a tchífeadh siad rón ní raibh ann ach an smaichtín a thabhairt fá mhullach an chinn dó agus é a chnagadh in áit na mbonn. Bhí siad ag fáil an-airgead ar ola na rónta seo agus ar na craicne fosta. Chuala mise na seandaoine ag rá gur ghnáthach leofa bróga a dhéanamh anseo i dTeileann an uair sin as craicne na rónta.
Bhí seanduine ó seo thiar ar chladach Bhun Glas ar lá amháin agus bhí smaichtín leis agus bhí sé ag dul á tharraingt ar rón. Bhí an rón seo iontach sean agus é geal liath. Nuair a bhí an maide tógtha aige ag dul á bhuaileadh, labhair an rón leis:
“Ná buail, ná buail mo sheanchaibín liath!” arsa seisean.
Lig sé síos an maide agus níor bhuail sé é agus níor lean sé aon rón ón lá sin go dtí an lá inniu. Gach uile dhuine eile fosta dá raibh i ndiaidh na rónta, nuair a chuala siad gur labhair an rón leis an fhear seo, stad siad dá marú fosta. Táthar ag marú corrcheann anois fosta ach níl na daoine ag déanamh faisian de bheith ina ndiaidh mar bhíodh siad sa tsean-am.
Don’t Strike!
Well a funny kind of fishing used to happen here in Teelin in the old days, and that was killing seals. The old people used to always be after them in the caves and their great clubs with them, and when they’d see a seal they’d only have to bring the club over the top of his head and strike him quickly. They’d make good money from seal oil and from sealskins as well. I heard the old people say that here in Teelin they used to make shoes from sealskins at that time.
An old man from around here was out on Bunglass shore and he had a club with him and he was about to strike a seal with it. This seal was very old and he was light grey. When he had the stick raised to strike the seal spoke to him;
“Don’t strike, don’t strike my old grey cap!” he said.
He put down the bat and he didn’t hit him and he didn’t go after a single seal from that day onwards. And when every other person that would be going after seals heard that the seal spoke to this man, they stopped killing them as well. The odd one is still killed these days, but people didn’t make it a habit to be after them like they did in the old days.