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Na Trí Leinteacha de'n Cheanabhán Móna - The Three
Bog-Cotton Shirts Episode 3.
How the Sister found a little cottage and discovered that her brothers were
living there.
ith an deirfiúr 'na ndiadh, má is eadh, bhí a gnó fánach, mar ní fheadfadh
sí teacht suas leó ná aon radharc a choimeád ortha. Chomáin sí léi ag siúl roimpi
i gcomhnui go dtí i gcionn seachtaine agus í déanach san oiche, chonnaic sí
i n-imeall coille, botháinín beag agus deatach ag teacht as. “Is doigh liom go raghaidh
mé fé dhéin an bhothainín seo,” ars' ise léi féin, agus chuaidh. Bhí tine mhaith
ansan istigh roimpi agud corcán feóla ar an dtine agus gan aoinne istigh acht caitín.
D'fháitigh an caitín roimpi agus duirt léi bualadh aníos chun na tine agus suí dhi
féin gur deallraitheach léi go raibh sí tuirseach. Dhein sí chomh maith agus nuair a
bhí sí ansan tamall, d'éirigh an caitín agus thóg sí an corcán de'n tine. Thóg
sí amach pláta dhe'n fheóil agus thug sí di í. D'ith sí a sásamh di. Ba bheas
aice aon bhia nó aon nuacht fhágadh sí trí bhlúire dhe a choimeád i gcomhair na
dtriúr dearthar agus ghearr sí anuas trí bhlúire de'n fheóil bhí ar an bpláta
agus chuir sí chúiche i gcoimeád iad.
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8. The sister ran after them, but it was a waste of time because she could neither keep up
with them nor keep them in sight. She continued on walking for some weeks until late one
night, she saw on the edge of the wood, a little cottage with smoke coming out of the
chimney. “I think I'll go and see this cottage,” she said to herself and so she did.
There was a fine fire there before her and a pot of meat on the fire but no-one in the
house but a little cat.
The cat welcomed her and invited her to pull up to the fire and
take a seat for herself because she looked tired. She did so and when she had been there
for a while, the cat rose and went over to the fire and took down the pot and gave her a
plateful of the meat. She ate as much as she wanted. It was her custom that whenever she
got any food or something nice, she would cut it into three portions and keep it for the
three brothers and so, she cut three pieces of the meat that was on the plate and put it
to one side.
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9. Is geárr 'na dhiadh sin gur áirigh sí an fothrom ag teacht fé dhéin an bhotháin
agus tháinig crith chos agus lámh uirthe agus rith sí i bhfolach i gcúinne dhorcha
bhí sa tigín. Is gearr go dtáinig isteach an triúr buachailli breátha oga agus
cochail ghorma ar a gceann. Do chaitheadar díobh na cochail ghorma nuair a thangadar
isteach agus d'fhiafruigheadar d'á máthair – b'í sin an caitín – a raibh a suipéar
ullamh aici. Duirt sí go raibh. Tharraigeadh amach an bórd agus chuir sí
a .suipéar ar an mbord dóibh. Do shuieadar síos chun an bhóird agus is geárr a
bhíodar suite nuair a stop an dearthair criona. “A mháthair, an dtáinig aoinne
annso feadh na h-oiche ?” “Níor tháinig,” ars' ise, “cad 'n-a thaobh go bhfuillean
tú 'á fhiafruighe ?” “Mar,” ars' eisean, “pé áit de thalamh an domhain go bhfuil
mo dheirfiúr, 's í gheárr an blúire seo anuas de'n phíosa seo.” “ó muise!” ars'
an tarna dreathár, “pé áit de thalamh an domhain go bhfuil mo dheirfiúr, 's
í do gheárr an blúire seo.” “ó muise!” ars' an tríú dearthár d'á bhfreagairt,
“pé áit de thalamh an domhain go bhfuil mo dheirfiúr 's í ghearr an blúire seo mar
an gcéanna.” D'éirigheadar a dtríúr ó'n mbórd agus chuarduigheadar an tigín agus
fuaradar an deirfiúr sa chúinne go raibh sí i bhfolach ortha.
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9. It was shortly after that that she heard a noise coming towards the cottage and she
began to tremble with fear and she ran to hide in a dark corner of the little cottage.
Not long after, three fine, handsome young boys with blue hoods on their heads. They
threw off the hoods as they came in and they asked their mother – that was the little
cat – if she had their supper ready and she said that she had. They pulled out the
table and she put it out for them and they sat round, but they weren't long seated
before the eldest brother stopped and said, “Mother, did anyone come here during the
night ?” “No,” she said, “why are you asking ?” “ Because,” he said, “wherever in the
world our sister is, it was she who cut up this meat for me.” “Oh, wisha,” said
the second brother,” wherever in the world our sister is, it as she who cut up my share
too!” and the third brother said likewise, “Oh, wisha, wherever in the world our
sister is, it was she who cut up my share too.” The three of them got up to search the
house and the found her in the dark corner where she had been hiding.
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10 Chuireadar na céadta fáilte roimh a ndreifúir agus duradar léi
teacht aníos chun a suipéir. Duirt sí go raibh a suipéar
ithte aice, go bhfuair sí ó'n gcaitín cheanna é acht
d'fhiafruigh sí dhíobh cionnus a bhíodar agus cionnas a bhí
an cúrsa aca. Dúradar léi go raibh an scéal dona go
leór aca ó iompaigh a leas-mháthair amach iad. “agus,” ars'
iad-san, “mara mbeadh and tigín seo thá anseo againn, chun fánuaint
ann gach aon oiche, bheadh an cúrsa ní sa mheasa ná san againn,
mar is docha go bhfaghamís bás dá gcaithfimís fanamhaint
amú fé aéir na hoiche; mar níor chuir ár
leas-mháthair an draoicht orainn acht sa lá agus táimid 'n-ár
gcló féin is t-oiche agus beidh an draoicht go léir imighthe
dhínn i gcionn seacht mblian.” Do bhí ana-athas ar an ndeirfiúr mar
gheall ar sin. Nuair a bhí a suipéar itht aca,
agus tamall maith cainte
deanta aca, duradar go mb'fheárr dul a chodladh. D'eirigheadar a's chuadar a
chodladh acht duirt an deirfiúr ná raghadh sí féin a chodladh
go fóil chun go ndeiseóch' sí a gcuid eadaigh.
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10. They gave their sister a great welcome and they invited her to sit up to the table
and have some supper. She said that she had already eaten her supper and that she had
got it from the little cat already. She began then to ask them how they were and how
things were with them. They said that the story with them would have been bad enough
since the step-mother turned them out, “and” they said, “but for this little house we
have here to stay in every night, it would have been much worse than that for it is
likely that we would have died if we had had to stay outside throughout the night. Our
step-mother only put the spell on us during the day. At night we are in our own form and
the spell will come off us in seven years.” This delighted the sister. When they had
eaten their supper and had talked enough, they said the best thing would be to go to
bed. They got up and went to sleep but the sister said that she wouldn't go herself
yet awhile so that she could repair their clothes.
11. Sin mar a bhí. Bhí sí ag deisiú agus ag caitheamh
cipíni isteach a tine chun soluis a dhéanamh di féin, acht i
gcionn tamaillín rug sí ar na trí cochail seo bhí
caithte sa cúinne agus chaith sí isteach sa tine iad.; níor
chuimhnigh sí go raibh aon brí onta acht mar na cipíni eile
bhí aice 'á ndóghadh rompa. Do dhírigheadar ar
chnágadh agus ag phléasgadh go dtí gur airigh na
deartháireacha an fothrom a bhí aca 'á dhéanamh.
Léimeadar 'na sui agus thángadar aníos agus is amhlaidh a
bhí na cochail draoieachta dóighte rompa. Bhuaileadar a a mbasa
agus duradar, “Fáire go brá, a dheirfiúr, beidh draoiocht
orainn anois go brách mar tá ár gcochail draoiochta
dóighte agat agus n'í ceart dúinn aon mhilleán
a bheith ort acht orainn féin, nar chuireamar i gcoimeád ní
sa bhfearr iad nó innsint duit cad é an brí bhí
leó.”Bhuail an deirfiúr a dá bais agus dhírigh si ar
lógóireacht. Duradar léi ná raibh aon chabhair
di bheith ag gol ná ag caoidh, ná raibh leigheas air anois agus
go gcaithfidis bheith sásta leis
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11. And that's how it was. She was working away at her clothes and throwing the odd
little stick on the fire to make some light for herself but after a while she picked up
the three hoods which the boys had thrown into a corner and she threw them into the
fire and she never thought that the had any importance more than the little sticks
which had been burned before them. They began to crackle and bang so that the boys
heard the noise they made and they jumped up and found that the magic hoods had been
burned. They began to beat their hands together and say, “Oh that's terrible sister !
The spell will be on us for ever because the magic hoods have been burned by you and
you won't suffer because of it because it was our fault that we didn't tell you how
important they were.” The sister also began to beat her hands together and she
began to wail. They told her that it wasn't any use crying and wailing, there was no
cure for it now and that they must just put up with it.
to be continued
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