Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge/Imleabhar 5/Uimhir 2/Cúl Dubh Uaighe

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FOLK-LORE, DONEGAL.

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CÚL DUḂ UAIĠE.

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[ 29 ] I. Ar maidin Dia hAoine músgluiġeaḋ ’n-ár suiḋe muid, ’S do ḋiúltuiġ mo ċroiḋe istiġ air ag dul ann; ’Sé Buiġeallaċ Loċa an Iuḃra do ḃrosluiġ ar siuḃal muid; Do rinnemuid an siuḃal, ’s ċan gan cúitiuġaḋ ċuaiḋ linn. Ċuaiḋmuid ar na ráṁaiḃ, aċt níor léir ḋúinn stiúr do ḋéanaṁ; Ḃí pluċaḋ agus cáṫaḋ ag éirġe orainn aniar; Dá mbeiḋeaḋ sgian i n-ar bpócaiḋe do ġearrfaḋ na rópaiḋe, Do ċuirfeaḋ an ċóir sinn faoi ḟosgaḋ na sliaḃ.	[ 30 ]1. On Friday morning we were wakened up (lit., sitting), and my heart within refused it, going into it (the business); it is Boyle, of Loughanure, that incited us to go; we made the journey, and not without retribution it went with us. We took to the oars; but it was not clear to us (i.e., we did not know how) to make steering; there was foam and spray rising on us from behind. If there had been a knife in our pockets that would cut the ropes, the wind would have put us under the shelter of the mountains.
[ 29 ] II. A Ṗadraic ḃáin Ui Árlaiġ, ní hiongnaḋ ṫú ḃeiṫ cráiḋte Fá do ṁac breaġ áluinn, naċ raiḃ ’leiṫeid ins an tír; Ċan díoġḃál ḃíḋ nó annlainn do ṫug do ṁac ’san mbád sin Is é a ṫeaċ ḃí lán do huile ċineál bíḋ. Ḃí min agus ḃí prátaiḋe, ḃí órna ’s ḃí gráin ann, Éisg croċta i n-áirde naċ raiḃ ’leiṫeid ins an tír; [ 30 ] A’s gan cailín óg ’san áit sin nár ṫuit alig i ngráḋ leis, Agus cuṁa ṁór a ṁáṫraċ ní ḟágḃann a croiḋe.	[ 30 ]2. Patrick Ban O’Harley, no wonder that you were heartbroken about your fine, handsome son, whose like was not in the country; it was not want of food or dainty that brought your son into that boat. It is his house that was full of every kind of food. There was meal, and there were potatoes, there was barley, and there was grain in it; fish hung on high, of which there was not the like in the land; and not a young girl in that place that did not fall in love with him; and his mother’s great grief, it does not leave her heart.
[ 30 ] III. ’Sé cúl duḃ Uaiġe, an cúl duḃ gan suḃailce,— Naċ fluiċ agus naċ fuar mo leabaiḋ luiḋe! A Néill ḃáin Ui Ṗártaiġ, naċ clúiteaċ liom mar fágḃaḋ ṫú, Agus campal mór báid aca le do ṫaoiḃ! Do ṫáinig an squall agus ṫiontuiġ sé an bád, Agus cluinfiḋe i nÁrainn ar gcaoine [’s ar gcaoi]; Dá mbeiṫ Coirre ar an mbád sin, nó Donnċaḋ mo ḋearḃráṫair, Ċar ḃaoġal dúinn an lá sin naċ dtiuc- faḋ sinn i dtír.	[ 30 ]3. It is the Black Back of Owey, the Black Back without goodness—how damp and how cold is my bed of rest! Oh, Neill Ban O’Partey, is it not sad or me how you were left, with a great boat’s crew of them by your side! The squall came and overturned the boat, and our crying and lamenting might have been heard in Arran. If Curry had been in that boat, or Donogh my brother, it was no danger for us that day that we should not come to land.
[ 30 ] IV. Is iomḋa lasta prátaiḋe ṫug mise ’s mo ḋearḃráṫair Ó Ċonnaċta’ ’s ó Ṁálainn ar an ḟairrge ḃí dian; Contaḃairt ní ḃfuairmuid go teaċt dúinn go cúl Uaiġe— Mo ċreaċ agus mo ḃrón go dtáinig muid riaṁ! Ḃí muid ar n-oċtar d’ ḟearaiḃ leice láidire; Monuar! ḃí a lán againn ar ḟír-ḃeagán scill; Mar ndán de sinn tarrṫáil aċt aon ḟear aṁáin againn D’ innseoċaḋ d’ár gcáirde cad é d’éiriġ dínn!	[ 30 ]4. Many a cargo of potatoes I and my brother brought from Connaught, and from Malin, on the sea that was [ 31 ]violent; danger we found not till our coming to the Back of Owey—my ruin and my sorrow that we ever came. We were eight (of) active, strong men; alas! there were enough of us with very little skill. Had it been possible (?) to save but one single man of us that would tell our friends what had befallen us!

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Gluais.

Peadar Breaṫnaċ, do ḃí in-a ṫáilliúir i mBaile na Mór, i gCondae Dhúin na nGall, tuairim a’s leaṫ-ċeud bliaḋan ó ṡoin, ’sé sin uġdar an aḃráin ḃreaġ so. Is ó Ṡaiḋḃ Ní Ġallċoḃair i mBraonaċ i nGleann na Suiliġe, fuaras an t-aḃrán le fear a sgríoḃṫa.

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NOTES.

Stanza	1.—Uaiġe, an island off the Donegal coast. Muid, properly speaking an inflectional ending inseparable from the verb, is used very commonly instead of sinn. Buiġeallaċ = Boyle, one named O’Buiġill. Loċ an Iuḃra, Loughanure, the lake of the yew, near Gweedore. Bhrosluiġ = ḃrosduiġ. Pluċaḋ = foam. Cáṫaḋ = spray, from cáiṫ = chaff. Cóir, a fair wind. Na sliaḃ is na mbeann in the MS., making no assonance.
„	2.—Cha, ċan, Ulster equivalent of ní = not; Old Irish noċa, noċon. Huile, short for gaċ uile. Alig = uile. The two forms, huile or ’ċ uile and alig, also prevail in Connaught. Máṫraċ = máṫar.
„	3.—Clúiṫeaċ = famous, much talked of; hence, much lamented, sad. Campal, a boat’s company. Arainn, North Arran, off Donegal. Instead of ’s ar gcaoi, the MS. has ar gcaoine ann. Beiṫ, biaḋ, and beiḋeaḋ are all forms of the conditional 3rd. sing. Coirre = Curry? Char =níor.
„	4.—lasta =cargo. Málainn = Malin Head. Go teaċt dúinn is go dtáinic muid in the MS. leice—compare Gaelic Journal, vol, iv., No. 34 (1890), p. 18, note on dá leoṁan ligṫe líoṁṫa lánċalma; “ligṫe, in Waterford liciṫe, applied to a man, tall, pliant.” O’Reilly gives leic = force, strength. Scill is the English skill. Mar ndán = muna raiḃ i ndán (?), if it were not possible. Some of the readers of the G.J. may suggest a better reading or explanation.

Flann Fionn Fíona.

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Note.

Peter Walsh, who was a taiior in Ballinamore, in the County of Donegal, about fifty years ago, was the author of this fine song. From Sarah Gallagher, Breenagh, Glenswilly, the song was obtained by the writer.

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