STAIR ÉADHMOINN UI CHLEIRIGH DO
RÉIR SHEÁGHAIN UI NEACHTHAIN.

Ach an tan a d'fhág an choill, do tharla
fear do san g-conair, águs croiceann mairt
leis air amhuin, agus d'fhiafruigh dhe cread
é fáth a dheithnis, no an luas anála sin do
bhí ann.

D'aithris Éadhmonn do ó úd go finit mar
do chualabhar cheana, focal ar fhocal, chomh
sothuigse sin gur thuig an t-óglach cread ba
siocair damhna dho; agus dá mhéad do chuir
báthadh na h-aon-bhó, araibh a croiceann air
a mhuin air, níor fhéad gan a bheith a reubadh
a chroidhe a gairidhe faoi shimplidheacht an
duine.

An amagadh fúm-sa atá tú, ar Éadhmonn?
Aseadh, go deimhin, ar é-sean, agus ní h-
iongnadh dham é; agus biaidh tú féin ag
magadh fút féin an uair a thuigfir cionnus
a d'eirigh dhuit. Cáirdeass Críost dam-sa an
fear sin air a bh-fuil tú a caint; agus is í
fuil na bó air araibh an croiceann so, an
fhuil do bhí air sgían agus air lámha an Kill-
man sin do bhí an geárr-bhodach a innsin
duit: Cillmana an baile ina m-bídhim-se, ar
sé. An bodach geárr, mar do mo chairdeas
Críost é; agus atá glas béarla air: ní'l
sé acht le mí air sgoil.

Ar fiadh ar Éadhmonn, nior chuir aon duine
riamh a leithide do phonc dearpóireachda orm-
sa, agus do chuir sé orm. Agus air a shon

sin féin, tabhair mo bheannacht dóibh an uair
a chífeas tú iad. Castar na daoine air
achéile agus ní castar na cnoic. Feadfaidhe
go bh-feicfinn fós iad. Do chuireadar bean-
nacht re chéile agus a tóglách a shíor-gháiridh:
gidheadh budh dheacair gáire bhuain as Éadh-
monn.

Do shiubal roimhe, má budh fada no geárr
an lá; agus le tuitim na h-oidhche do ráinig
go gráig-bhaile mór in a raibh mórán
tightheadh, agus stáca no dhó arbha air chúl
gach aon tighe dhíobh. D'iarr Éadhmonn
fosgladh ag an g-céad dorus a d-táinig
chuige; acht do fuair eura. D'fhiofruigh
Éadhmonn ca h-ainm do bhí air fhear an tíghe.
Do mhuinntir Dhoithfhiolla, ar an fear astigh,
é féin, 'sa bhean, 'sa chlann, 'sa mhuinntir.
Maiseadh, Doithioll ag Dia romhaibh-se, ar
Éadhmonn.

VOCABULARY AND NOTES.

Tárla, met; literally, happened; do thárla fear do,
a man met (happened) to him. See Joyce's Gr., p. 120,
idiom 10. Instead of do, ar is mostly used. Conair,
a way; leis, with him; aige is mostly used for leis;
luas, quickness anála, of breath; luas anála, shortness
of breath; luas shoud be luais; or if sin be omitted,
the reading will be: "was it shortness of breath was
in him?" instead of ann, in him, air, on him, is generally
said: abhaill ar luasgadh agus luas anál' air," his limbs a-
rocking and shortness of breath on him." - Midnight
Court.

Ud, a beginning; sothuigse, easily understood;
siocair, occasion; damhna, material of which anything
is made; righ-damhna, the heir-apparent to a kingdom.

Do chuir-air, afflicted him; literally, put upon him. In
this passage the prep. air is written twice; the air
underlined is that which is joined to chuir. Níor fhéad
[sé], he was not able (to refrain from laughing); a' = ag
reubadh achroidhe, breaking his heart; a'gairidhe, laughing
faoi, at (literally under) shimplídheacht an duine; the

simplicity of the man. Fa, or faoi, "is used after words
denoting mockery." So in par II. Magadh fum-sa,
mocking me, making game of me (fum-sa = faoi mé)
Ad'éirigh duit happened to you. A, here, is another form
of do, the sign of the inf. mood - but it is superfluous, as
the d' after it is that sign. cairdeas críost, a gossip;
A'caint, better, ag tracht, speaking of; geárr-bhodach, a
boy in Connaught, as geárr-chaile is a girl in Munster.
glas béarla, an English lock. Ar sgoil = ag sgoil =
le sgoil, at school.

Ar fiadh, by the deer, fiadh being used to denote the
sacred name without profanity; atá afhios ag fiadh, is
a similar expression, "deer, or dear knows;" dar
brígh an ghabhair is for dar brígh an leabhair. This is
extended to dar bhrígh abhfuil de ghabhair i maothail,
"by all the goats in Mothil." This Anglicized
expression I heard in Carrick-on-Suir more than
sixty years ago. But gabhar is a horse as well as a
goat.

A leithide, a mistake for leithid (in Munster Leithéid),
such, the like; leithid do (de)phonc deaspóireachda,
such a point of disputation (literally the like of a pint of
disputation). Aleithéid sin de amadán duine, the like
of him of a fool of a man, i.e., a foolish man such as he.
Similarly above; a point of argument such as this no
one ever fixed upon me. Air ashon sin féin, for all
that; tabhair mo bheannacht dóibh, give them my respects;
castar na d. ar ach. agus ní c. na cnoic, the people
meet (literally, are turned on one another), but not the
hills. See Joyce's gr. p. 120, idiom 10. Feadfuidhe,
it may happen, neut. pass. of defect. v. feadaim, I can, I
am able - dob 'fhéidir would be better.

Ráinig, arrived at; gráig, a small manor, or a village;
arbha, gen. of arbhar, corn; a d-táinig chuige = chum a
d-táinig, to which he came; doicheall, the contrary to
a welcome. O'Cleary plays upon the word, of which no
English expression can convey an adequate meaning:
a feeling of aversion and unwelcome for a person, and a
fear that he may require something from us, or that he
may be in our way.