Transcript

Bhí fear fadó i gondae na Gaillimhe a dtugadh siad an Bodach Liath air. Ní fhéadfadh sé buachaill ar bith a fháil lena aimsir a chur suas leis. Sé an margadh a dhéanadh sé le chuile bhuachaill ábhar iall súiste a bhaint anuas ó ghinc[1] a mhuiníl go dtí bun a dhá mhása má, dhá bhfaghadh sé locht air. Bhí baintreach ann is bhí triúr mac aici. Is chuaigh[2]... Dúirt an fear is sine go rachadh siad ag tóraíocht aimsir agus chuaigh sé chomh fada leis an mBodach Liath agus shocraigh sé leis.

Bhuel, nuair a shocraigh sé leis an mBodach Liath sé an margadh a rinní an Bodach Liath leis: "Nuair a gheofas mise locht ortsa bainfidh mé ábhar iall súiste anuas dho do dhroim agus má fhaghann tusa locht ormsa tiúrfaidh mé cead duit an cleas céannaí a dhéanamh."

"Maith go leor," arsa an buachaill. "Tá mé sásta leis."

Ní rabh sé aige ach trí lá ag obair nuair a fuair sé locht ar an mbuachaill agus b'éigean dó luigheamh[3] síos nó gur bhain sé ábhar iall súiste dho chraiceann anuas ó ghinc a mhuiníl go dtí bun a dhá mhása.

Chuaigh sé abhailí ag a mháthair agus é crupthaí. Dúirt an dara fear nach stopfadh sé choíche go mbaineadh sé sásamh dhon Bhodach Liath faoin chóir a chuir sé ar a dheartháir. Chuaigh sé chomh fada leis an mBuachaill Liath agus shocraigh sé leis. Agus níor amhdaigh sé go rabh a dheartháir ann roimhe. Ní rabh sé ann ach trí nó a ceathair dho laethantaí nuair a rinní an Bodach Liath an cleas céanna leis. Fuair sé locht air agus bhain sé ábhar iall súiste dhó. Chuaigh seisean abhailí ag a mháthair.

Bhí fear eile sa mbailí a dtugadh siad Leadaí na Luathú[4] air. Agus ní rabh meas ar bith acu air. Dúirt Leadaí na Luathú nach stopfadh sé choíche ná go dtéadh sé chomh fada leis an mBodach Liath go mbaineadh sé sásamh a bheirt deartháir faoin chóir a chuir sé orthu.

Chuaigh sé chomh fada leis an mBuachaill Liath agus shocraigh sé leis. Agus sé an rud a dúirt an Buachaill, an chéad rud a dúirt an Buachaill Liath leis... an Bodach Liath leis, a ghoil amach agus na beithígh a thóraíocht, ba chóir... an áit ba chóir dhaofa a bheith agus an áit nár chóir dhaofa a bheith. Shiúil sé an talamh agus ní bhfuair sé aon bheithíoch ann. Agus tháinig sé ar ais agus bhí glais ar chuile cheann dho na stáblaí. Agus fuair sé dréimide. (Ansin) chuir sé suas leis an stábla é. Agus chuir sé poll sa díon ar chuile cheann dho na stáblaí nó go dtáinig sé go dtí an stábla deiridh agus bhí na beithígh istigh ann. Chuaigh sé isteach ag an mBodach Liath agus dúirt... D'fhiafraigh an Bodach Liath dhó an bhfuair sé na beithígh.

"Fuair mé iad," a deir sé, "san áit nár chóir dhaofa a bheith agus san áit ba chóir dhaofa a bheith."

"Maith go leor."

Lá arna mhárach dúirt sé leis a ghoil amach agus bóthar a dhéanamh dho chosa caorach ina leithéide seo dh'áit. Chuaigh Leadaí na Luathú amach lá arna mhárach agus chruinnigh sé na caoirigh agus thug sé scian leis agus ghearr sé na cosaí dho chuile cheann dho na caoirigh go ndearna sé bóthar san áit ar hordaíodh dhó. Chuaigh sé isteach ag an mBodach Liath. Agus d'fhiafraigh sé dhó an rabh an bóthar déantaí.

"Tá," a deir sé. "Gabh amach," a deir sé, "agus féach air."

Chuaigh sé amach agus bhí chuile cheann dho na caoirigh na cosa gearrtha dhaofa agus iad feistithe sa spota aige.

"Bhfaghann tú aon locht air, a mháistir?"

"Ó, ní fhaghaim," ar seisean, "aon locht air."

"Déanfaidh sin," arsa Leadaí na Luathú.

"Beidh mé ag goil ag party," a deir sé, "faoi cheann lá nó dhó," a deir sé, "agus nuair a rachas mé ann," a deir sé, "caithfidh tusa a ghoil ar mo... a ghoil ar mo thóir... i mo choinní. Agus beidh tú ag caitheamh súile caorach chugamsa," a deir, "liomsa," a deir sé, "mur dtaga mé amach," a deir sé, "nuair a sheasfas tú ag an doras."

Chuaigh Leadaí na Luathú isteach i dteach búistéaraí agus cheannaigh sé an méid súile caorach a bhí ann. Agus chuir sé ina phóca iad agus chuaigh sé chomh fada leis an teach an áit a rabh an Bodach Liath.

Translation

Long ago there was a man in county Galway they called the Grey-Haired Churl. He couldn't find any boy who would do service with him. The deal he would make with every boy was, if he found fault with him, he would take the makings of a flail strap from the nape of his neck to the bottom of his two thighs. There was a widow and she had three sons. And... The eldest one said that he would go looking for service work and he went as far as the Grey-Haired Churl and he made an arrangement with him.

Well, when he came to an agreement with the Grey-Haired Churl the deal the Grey-Haired Churl made with him was: "When I find fault with you I will take the makings of a flail strap off your back and if you find fault with me I will let you do the same."

"Fair enough," said the boy. "I am satisfied with that."

He only had him for three days when he found fault with the boy and he had to lay down until he took the makings of the flail strap of skin from the nape of his neck down to the bottom of his two thighs.

He went home to his mother and he was crippled. The second man said that he wouldn't stop until he got even with the Grey-Haired Churl for what he did to his brother. He went as far as the Grey-Haired Churl and made an arrangement with him. And he didn't admit that his brother was there before him. He was only there three or four days when the Grey-Haired Churl did the same to him. He found fault with him and took the makings of the flail strap from him. He went home to his mother.

There was another man at home who they used to call Sit-by-the-Fire. And they had no respect for him. Sit-by-the-Fire said that he wouldn't stop until he went as far as the Grey-Haired Churl and got revenge for his two brothers and for what he did to them.

He went as far as the Grey-Haired Boy and made an arrangement with him. And what the Boy said... The first thing the Grey-Haired Boy... the Grey-Haired Churl, said to him was to go out and to seek the cattle, where they should be and where they shouldn't be. He walked the land and found no cattle there. And he came back and every stable was locked. And he got a ladder. Then(?) he put it up against the stable. And he put a hole in the roof in each of the stables until he came to the last stable and the cattle were in there. He went in to the Grey-Haired Churl and said... The Grey-Haired Churl asked him if he had found the cattle.

"I found them," he said, "where they should not be and where they should be."

"Fair enough."

The next day he told him to go out and to make a sheep's feet road in a certain place. Sit-by-the-Fire went out the next day and he gathered the sheep and took a knife with him and he cut the feet off every one of the sheep and made a road in the place he was ordered to. He went in to the Grey-Haired Churl. And he asked him if the road was made.

"It is," he says. "Get out," he says, "and look at it."

He went out and the legs of every one of the sheep had been cut off and planted on the spot by him.

"Do you find any fault with it, master?"

"Oh, I don't," he said, "find any fault with it."

"That will do," said Sit-by-the-Fire.

"I will be going to a party," he says, "in a day or two," he says, "and when I go to it," he says, "you will have to go after me... against me. And you will be throwing sheep's eyes to me... at me," he says, "if I don't come out," he says, "when you stand at the door."

Sit-by-the-Fire went into a butcher's house and he bought as many sheep's eyes as were there. And he put them in his pocket and he went as far as the house where the Grey-Haired Churl was.

Footnotes

Commentary

This story appears to be a version of an international folktale, ATU 1006 Casting eyes. The international versions concern a farmhand who takes his master's instructions literally, and rather than 'casting an eye' over something in the figurative sense, he literally throws eyeballs. It is told here in combination with a related tale, ATU 1000 Anger bargain, which normally concerns an arrangement between a master and servant, wherein the first to become angry would be beaten. The tale is popular throughout all of Europe, and parts of South America and the U.S. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). It is also popular in Ireland, with most examples coming from along the west coast. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). The story also contains international folk motifs, namely K172 Anger bargain and K1442 Casting eyes: animal's eyes. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8). Another version of ATU 1000 can be found in the Doegen collection, recorded under the title 'An buachaill láidir' from the storytelling of Brighid Ní Chaslaigh of county Louth.