Rónta /
Seals
Seals
Informant: Tadhg Ó Murchadha, Full-Time Collector for the Irish Folklore Commision
Age: 36
Address: Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry
Collector:
Date of Recording: July 1929
Reference:
Tadhg Ó Murchadha, Collector for The Irish Folklore Commission, 1939 [Séamus Ó Duilearga, National Folklore Collection, UCD]
Rónta
Deirtear gur dream draíochta na róinte seo, is nach ceart d’éinne baint leo. Tá ana-dhúil acu i gceol agus dá mbeadh amhránaí binn ann d’fheadfadh sé ceann acu a mhealladh isteach chun an chladaí’ chuige. Is minic a deineadh é leis. Chuala, cloisim scéal ag m’athair i dtaobh a uncail féin, Seán Óg Ó Murchadha an file, agus conas mar a mheall sé rón lá dhá raibh sé thiar i nDoire Fhíonáin.
Bhí sé ag siúl cois na trá do féin is chonaic sé an rón ag éirí aníos ar bharr toinne á ghrianadh féin. Ní raibh sé ach leathchéad slat nó mar sin amach uaidh is nuair a chonaic sé é, do dhírigh sé ar amhrán a chasadh. Bhí guth ana-bhinn ar fad aige is nuair a chuala an rón é, chuir sé cluas air féin. Is amhlaidh a bhí seisean ag crónán dó fé mar a bheifeá do leanbh ag iarraidh é chur a chodladh agus ’sé seo an rann a bhí ar siúl aige:
“Tar i dtír, tar i dtír, tar i dtír arú, a róin.”
Do thaithin ceol an rócáin chomh mór san leis an rón gur gearr gur thit sé ’na chnap chodlata, agus bhí sé ansan sínte ’na phleist ar bharr uisce agus na tonntacha á luascadh is ’á chaitheamh isteach chun a’ talaimh. Bhí sé a’ druidiúint isteach i gcónaí i ndiaidh a chéile is an taoide ag imeacht bhuaidh [uaidh] é. Rug a’ fear eile ar phúntán cloiche is thug sé buille na cluaise dho is do dhein císte marbh de. Bhí capall ag seana-Mhuiris (uncail a’ chounciléir) an uair sin go dtugaidís “Ponther” air; ionadh go deo [de] chapall go raibh neart leoin ann. Is dúrthas go raibh ualach Phonthir sa rón: bhí sé chomh mór san.
Seals
It is said that this group of seals are enchanted, and that nobody should interfere with them. They have a great liking for music and if there was a good singer there, they would be able to entice one of them into the shore. It was often done as well. I heard, still hear, a story my father has about his own uncle, Seán Óg Ó Murchadha the poet, and how he enticed a seal one day when he was in Derrynane.
He was walking beside the beach and he saw a seal come up to the surface of the water sunning himself. He was only fifty yards or so away from him and when he saw him he started singing a song. He had a very fine voice and when the seal heard him he pricked up his ears to listen. It was as if he were murmuring to him, as if you would to a child, in order to send him to sleep, and this was the verse he sang;
“Come ashore, come ashore, come ashore, oh seal.”
The seal liked the song’s music so much that it wasn’t long until he fell fast asleep and he was there stretched in a heap on the surface of the water, with the waves rocking and throwing him in towards land. He was coming in little by little and the tide was leaving him. The other man took up a lump of rock and knocked him over the ear with it and he knocked him dead. Old Muiris (the uncle of the Councillor) had a horse in those days. They called him ‘Ponther’, a wonder of a horse with the strength of a lion. It was said that the seal was as heavy as Ponther, he was that big.