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Na Trí Leinteacha de'n Cheanabhán Móna - The Three Bog-Cotton Shirts Episode 3.

The Boys' Cottage

How the Sister found a little cottage and discovered that her brothers were living there.

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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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Princess Sewing boys' clothes

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 The Fire 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

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

We would like to acknowledge that, because of unavoidable condensing, necessary for fitting this tale into the space available, some alteration in plot has had to be made. We have, however, tried to use our own beautiful West Cork Gaelic as far as possible.

Courtesy of Jack & Vivian, IrishPage.com 2024
Replay background music: Colonial Boy...
sequenced by Frank Lennon.
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ar son a chabhair leis an nGaedhilge


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