certain it is not belonging to this world these women are at any rate. It is to the good people they belong, and they have some work laid out for themselves to-night for this is Hallowe’en. They are making on Lahinch now, but I’ll be present, or my name is not Daniel. They are going around, but I’ll go across, and I’ll be there sooner than they.” With that he leaped over the wall that was on the side of the road and down with him to the strand, and then he ran like the hare and he didn’t stop till he got into Lahinch. He went a hiding behind a big stump of bogwood that was standing up against a rick of turf in a place in which there was a bend in the road, in a way that he would have a view up and down. He stayed there quiet and easy, without a stir out of him, waiting on the women, and it wasn’t long for him to be there till he saw them drawing on (towards) him, and the same “chit-chat” he heard in the beginning going ahead with them yet. He put an ear on himself trying would he find out what they were saying, but he did not understand one single word. The moon brightened out when they were going past him and he had a good view of them, for he was able to leave the top of the gun on them from the place he was in hiding, he was that close to them.
They were old hags, and he did not see ever before a person or a beast half as ugly as they. Their hair was as gray as a badger and their skin as yellow as gold, and wrinkled like the leather of an old shoe. Then their eyes were putting fire out of them like a red coal; and to make the story worse, there were four crooked long tusks growing out of the mouth of each person of them. Daniel brought another thing under notice. There was one of them carrying some load under her cloak, and when he saw that he said to himself, “By my hand, there is not a slender head on Daniel to-night! I had its knowledge well what they were going to do. It was God that put me out to-night without a doubt in the world.”
Up the street with them, and Daniel kept his eyes on them; and it wasn’t long until they stood outside a small, nice, comfortable house, that was on the side of the street. Daniel jumped to his standing when he saw the hags making on the little house, and it is a wonder that his heart didn’t jump out on the road with terror and fear; but not on account of himself. It was a friend of his own who was living in the little house, whose name was Michael O’Connor, and he wasn’t married but a couple of years. It was for the child of this man the hags were coming; and it was this put the fear on poor Daniel.
The hags moved in, and one of them raised the window, and in with her without delay. When she was inside, the other one bent down—for the window was low—and she gave the load that was under her cloak to the hag inside.
(To be continued.)
Notes.
“Leaċt Uí Ċonċuḃair, now Lahinch, in the County Clare. It derived the old name from a leacht or monument which was erected there in memory of one of the O’Connor kings.
an-ḃuiḋeaċ do, here means, they had a great regard for him.
séiṫṁéalta, civil or obliging.
daḃaċ, a collection of sand-hills on the brink of the sea. There are, at least, three such collections on the coast of Clare, two of them being of considerable extent.
cannrán, grumbling.
Cóiste Boḋar, the “death-coach,” usually drawn by headless horses. I know several persons who aver they have heard it.
toraḋ an ṁadraiḋ, the regard of a dog.
mo ḋíoṫċair, my pity, or alas! a very common expression in West Clare.
siuċam-seaċam le ċéile, chatting rapidly together. siuċam-seaċam is a common expression for a rapid, noisy conversation to which there is neither “head nor tail.”
deaḃaḋ, haste, speed.
ċuaiḋ sé i ḃfolaċ, he went a-hiding.
crompán, applied principally to twisted, knotty beams of bogwood. This word is given in O’Donovan’s Supplement as being peculiar to Mayo, but it is in common use in Clare to-day.
do ċuir sé cluas air féin, he put an ear on himself, i.e., he listened intently.
do spalp an ġealaċ amaċ, the moon burst forth. When the weather is clearing up after rain, the expression ta sé ag spalpaḋ suas is often heard.
cropuiġṫe, wrinkled.
gan ṁoill, without delay, quickly.
giuḃais, fir or pinewood; applied principally to bogwood in West Clare.
tarruingt air, drawing on him, approaching him.
an mbuille ’ċlog, the usual expression for one o'clock.
meaċada dearg, a live coal.
IRISH IN THE NATIONAL SCHOOLS.
The following is from the report of the proceedings of the Imperial Parliament on the 24th of August:—
Proposed Irish Professor for Marlborough-st. College.
Mr. Sexton (for Captain Donelan)—I beg to ask the Chief Secretary whether any professor of Irish is at present engaged at Marlborough-street Training College, Dublin; and if not, what facilities are afforded to National School Teachers in Ireland of acquiring such a knowledge of the Irish language as will enable them to impart instruction in English to children in Irish-speaking districts through the medium of their native tongue; and whether, in view of the admitted necessity for this knowledge, he will recommend the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland to appoint a professor of Irish at this Training College should no such professorship now exist there.
The Chief Secretary—There is no professor of Irish in Marlborough-street Training College. The Commissioners annually examine teachers for certificates to teach Irish, and they supply text-books at cost price for the use of classes learning Irish. Irish is also a subject which teachers may select in their examinations for promotion in the first class. At the annual examination of the teachers for the current year 29 teachers presented themselves for examination in Irish. Further, for proficiency of pupils in Irish the Commissioners grant a fee of 10s. per pass for each of the three years in which a pupil may be presented for examination in the subject. In 1893 there were 50 schools in which Irish was taught, and 903 pupils were presented in these schools for examination for results’ fees. The question of appointing a professor to teach Irish at the Marlborough-street Training College was referred by the Commissioners to the professors of the College for their opinion some years ago, and their unanimous reply was that Irish could not
