Today, I’m continuing with transcriptions of stories from Annála Beaga Ó Iorrus Aithneach, collected by the late Seán Mac Giollarnáth. This is because, as I have said before, the stories were recorded by Liam Mac Con Iomaire, ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam, for Raidió na Gaeltachta in the 1980s. This makes them an invaluable source for applying the Vifax method I’ve previously written about; a better source than Vifax itself, as Liam is a highly competent native speaker. This story was collected from Mícheál Mac Donnchadh, about whom more can be found in the Béaloideas article written by Mac Giollarnáth. The recording is the second story on included on this track, available from the Digital Repository of Ireland. The first story is Ceoinín an Píolóitidhe, and a transcription can be found on the blog.
Bhí beirt fhear i Luimneach agus bhí ‘chaon fhear acab ag iarraidh bheith ina Lord Mayor. Nuair a caitheadh na bhótaí bhí an oiread céadna ag ‘chaon duine acab. Bhí fear breitheamhnasach annsin ann adubhairt nár cheart ceachtar acab a chur isteach nuair nach bhfuair fear acab buachtáil ar an bhfear eile.
“An nglacfaidh sibh mo bhretheamhnas anois>” adeir sé le muinntir Luimnigh.
“Glacfaidh,” adeir ‘chuile dhuine acab.
“Ná bacaidh leis an mbeirt fhear seo níos mó,” adeir sé, “ach bígí ag aireachas ar dhroichead Luimnigh agus an chéad fhear a thiocfas thar an droichead téighigí roimhe, tugaí lib é agus déanaidh Lord Mayor dhe.”
Bhí siad ag aireachas ar an droichead annsin agus is gearr go bhfaca siad é ag ticheacht agus ualach sguab aige, Seán na Sguab seo. Amach leob faoi n-a dhéint, malthú (mathshluagh) mór acab. Chuireadar na sguaba san aer, chrochadar leob é. Thugadar isteach i siopa é gur cheannuigheadar watch dó agus ‘chuile rud dár fheil dó go rinneadh duine uasal dó ar an bpoinnte boise, agus rinneadar Lord Mayor dhó.
Bhí bean aige, Máire. Nuair a chuala sí go raibh sé ina Lord Mayor tháinig sí chomh fada leis.
“M’anam, a Sheáin, nach n-aithnighim thú,” adeir sí.
“Tá fhios ag mo chroidhe, a Mháire, nach iongantas liom duit é,” adeir sé, “nach n-aithnighim féin mé féin.”
Ní tháinig sé ariamh roimhe, ná ina dhiaidh, aon fhear ab fhearr a rinne a ghnaithe ná Seán na Sguab.
Some interesting dialectal features that can be seen above include: thiocfas, which uses the future tense relative verb form. This is preserved everywhere in Ireland except in Munster and in the Caighdeán.
bacaidh and tugaí are both the standard second person plural imperative in Connemara, as opposed to standard bacaigí.
chaon and chuile are very common, coming from gach aon and gach uile.
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