ATHBHAISTEADH CHAOILTE.

Nuair a chuaidh Fionn mac Cumhaill agus
mór-ochtar de fhearaibh toighte na
Féinne go críocha Lochlann dh'fhogh-
laim goile gaisgidh, char bh'fhada gur chas
dóbhtha ar an bhfódán bhán fear mór árd,
's é ag féachaint soir, léinidh dhubh-shacannáin
is croiceann fiadh ar a uachtar. Bheannuigh
Fionn mhac Cumhaill dó.

"Gárb áird duid?" arsa Fionn, "ná gá
hainm duid?"

"Méadhbh Ní Lorcáin bhí ar mo mháthair.
Bhí mise aici agus mo leithid fhéin eile."

"Truagh nach dtainic ceó nimhe is acaise
ar an talamh," arsa Fionn, "a mhuirbhfeadh í,
sol a rabh do leithid-se 'bhodach aici."

"Mise gobha mór ríogh Lochlainn, ag
teanamh airm do rígh Lochlann."

"Gá bhfuil do cheardcha?" arsa Fionn
mhac Cumhaill, "nó an féigion dúinne a
fheiscint?"

"'Tchifir, má's éigion," ars' eision, "má
tá, má fhéadaim-sa, cha n-fhaicir."

D'imthigh an gobha mór, is bhearadh se cnoc
dhe léim is gleann dhe choispeán (bhí sé gomh
lúthmhar sin), is dhul anonn ar Cheise Chorainn
dó, léim Caoilte thiar 'sna sála air.

"Gá hé an gaisgidheadh sheas insa' tsáil
orm?"

"Mise," arsa Caoilte, "beir as duid."

D'imthigh an gobha mór go rabh se aige
dorus na ceardcha.

"Fuasgail, fuasgail (fosgail)," ars'
an gobha mór. Nuair a chuaidh se isteach,
"Druid, druid," ars' eisean.

"Ná druid," arsa Caoilte, "go mbéidh
cuideachta leat."

Caitheadh an dorus isteach. Thainic Caoilte
's an Fhéinn isteach. Bhí naoi naonbhair de
ghoibhnibh gruamdha ar an taobh thuaidh de'n
cheardcha ag obair.

"Toisighgidh," ars' an gobha mór, "go
mbearamuid luach a n-astair do fhearaibh
Éirinne, go ndeanamuid arm fíochrach troda
dóbhtha, sleagh dhíreach, sleagh ró-dhíreach,
sleagh a mbéidh naoi n-órlaigh de bhuinne gheal
chruaidhe inntí."

Thoisigh builg ar lúth (.i. go gasda) d'á
séideadh is uird ag éirghe i n-áirde.

Bheir Caoilte ar an órd, is bhí se ag
teanamh leideog do'n iarann do'n ghaisgidh-
each.

"Gá hainm duid?" ars' an gobha mór,
"nuair atá tú ag teacht comh cruaidh orainn
(leis na buillidhe)."

Labhair Conán ag an dorus: "Delgus bhí
riamh air, is baistiomus Caoilte feasda air."

Labhair Conán: "Mur gcoinneachaidh siad
an t-iarann ar dóigh duid, téidh de'n ór 'sa'
chloigeann orthú."

Fuair feara na hÉirinne a gcuid airm,
is thainic siad a bhaile, 's cha deacha siad go
críocha Lochlainn ní 'mhó.

Tagra.

The above legend, so far as I know, has never been
yet published, in a folk-version, from an Irish source,
but it did not escape the research of a famous Scottish
collector, rare though it be. Delgus,
is a survival
of an old form, otherwise we should expect Dealgus.

De fhearaibh, do fhearaibh: between the words a
y-sound is heard.

Mór-ochtar, a big eight, no doubt = nine (naonbhar),
just as mór-sheisear = seven persons. The narrator
could give no information as to who the mór-ochtar
were other than: "Fionn, Conán, agus Caoilte; féadfaidhe
go rabh Goll ionn."

Goile (valour): this appeared to be pronounced as
if spelt galla.

Fódán dimin. from fód, a spot or place (fód fá
leith, &c.)

Dubh-shacannán, black sacking or sack-cloth?

Gárb áird, 7c.: Afterwards dictated as "Gárb
áird b'as duid ná gárb ainm duid?"

Acais, explained as = spite.

Teanamh (also tionamh, especially in Cavan and
Meath) = déanamh.

Arm, nom. sing., and airm, gen. sing., appear to be
used throughout as the equivalent of "arms, weapons."

Féigion (for éigion, éigean?), though peculiar, occurs
also in Sgéalaidheacht Chúige Mumhan, p.9, "Ba féigion
dóibh." The narrator glossed it by "féidir," saying
"Rud amháin iad," and also explained éigion in the
reply of the gabha mór by "féidir."

Feiscint: This form is by no means unknown in
Leath Chuinn, though feiceáil is the common spoken
one. In Co. Mayo feiscint = a view, whilst feiceáil =
the act of seeing.

Coispeán, footstep; the identity of his word with
coiscéim is doubtful.

Beir as duid, be off, escape(?). Breith as is usual
in the sense of escaping, but the final prepositional
pronoun here is strange, unless it fulfil the same
function as Leat in abair leat and ort in fan ort, &c.

Druid, the Ulster equivalent of dún, shut, close.

An taobh thuaidh, perhaps here = the left side (?)

Fíochrach, fierce, ferocious, from fíochra, anger,
ferocity.

Buinne, explained as = "whiteness"

Cruaidh, gen. cruaidhe, steel.

Leideog, "flattening with every blow."

Baistiomus (usually baisteamuist) = baistímís, let
us christn or name.

There is also a poetic version of the legend current
in Co. Donegal, of which we shall have something to
say later on.

The above is given as dictated by the late Thomas
Corrigan, who learnt it in his youth from an old man
named Peadar Ó Gairtleain (Peter Garland).