Transcript

Bhí mé lá ag aonach Bhéal Lathaí ag díol gamhna. Agus nuair a bhí mé ag goil abhaile d'fhága mé (an baile) mór le titim na hoíche. Ní rabh mé ach ceathrú míle amach ón mbaile nuair a chonaic mé abhainn mhór romham ar an mbóthar agus trasnaí (...). Bhuel, dúirt mé liom féin go ngabhfainn síos go Béal Lathaí aríst agus go dtóigfinn mo lóistin go maidin ann, nar rabh mé ar tí gho-... ghoil chun a... abhailí. Agus casadh col ceathar liom ansin ar an... ar an tsráid. Agus d'iarr mé air, onóir 'o Dhia agus do Mhuire, thíocht liom abhaile, gur casadh abhainn mhór liom agus go rabh faití-... faitíos orm siúl amach aríst le ghoil abhaile.

Bhuel, tháinig sé liom ceart go leor agus d'fhága sé sa mbaile mé. Agus ansin nuair a fuaigh mé isteach bhí oiread d'fhaitíos orm agus go mb'éigean dom an dora-... doras a dhruid amach agus bolta a chur air. Dúirt mé léithe mo leabaidh a chóiriú go dtéinn a chodladh.

"An é nach n-íosfaidh tú do shuipéar?"

"Níl mé ábalta ar ithe."

"Céard d'éirigh dhuit?"

"Inseoidh mé dhuit i dtaobh an abhainn mhór a tháinig romham ar an mbóthar.

"Ah, siad na daoiní maithe a bhí ann (staid iontach) fada thuas... taobh amuigh. Beidh chuile (shórta ceart)."

"Ó," arsa mise, "níor, ní rabh a leithide (dho) rud ann. Níor chuimhnigh mé ariamh ar sin a dhéanamh ar chaoi ar bith."

Ach bhí an oiread d'fhaitíos orm agus nach gcodlóinn insa gcolbhaidh léithe, an áit a bhí mé i mo chodladh ar fad. B'éigean dom a ghoil leis an mballa agus m'aghaidh a thabhairt ar an mballa agus ise a chur ins an áit ba chóir dhomsa a bheith i mo cho-... i mo luí."

Ach an dara hoíche dúirt sí liom, "Bhuel, mur dté tú an d'áit féin a chodladh anocht gabhfaidh mise a chodladh le mo mháthair agus ní... fágfaidh mé an leabaidh uilig agad féin."

Bhuel, sul mhá ndéanfadh sí sin dúirt mé léithe go... go sínfinn insa gcolbhaidh agus ise a ghoil ina háit féin.

Ach rinne sí sin. Bhuel, b'éigean daoithe tiontó... a haghaidh a tion-... a thiontó (in ard) liom le faitíos agus a lámh a chur trasnaí ar mo (chliabha). Theann muid le chéilí ceart go leor as sin go maidin. Agus bhí scathamh greann againn anois is arís.

Translation

I was at Bellahy fair one day selling calves. And when I was going home I left the town when night was falling. I was only a quarter of a mile from the town when I saw a great river before me on the road and across (...). Well, I said to myself that I'd go down to Bellahy again and that I'd get lodgings there until morning, that I wasn't about to go home. And I happened to meet a cousin of mine then on the street. And I asked him, glory be to God and to Mary, to come home with me, that I came across a great river and that I feared walking out again to go home.

Well, he came with me well and good and he left me at home. And then when I went in I was so fearful that I had to close the door and bolt it. I told her (my wife) to make the bed so that I might go to sleep.

"Will you not eat your supper?"

"I can't eat."

"What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you about the great river I came across on the road.

"Ah, it was the little people (...) far up... outside. Everything will be alright."

"Oh," said I, "there was never any such thing. I never thought of doing that at all."

But I was so fearful that I wouldn't sleep on the outside of the bed with her, where I would always sleep. I had to go against the wall and face the wall and tell her to go where I ought to be lying down."

But the second night she said to me, "Well, if you don't sleep in your own place tonight I will go and sleep with my mother and I won't... I'll leave the entire bed to you."

Well, before she could do that I told her that I would lie on the outside and that she could take her own place.

She did that. Well, she had to turn her towards me out of fearfulness and put her hand across my chest. We pressed against each other alright from then until morning. And we had a bit of fun from time to time.

Commentary

This type of narrative is known as a memorate, or a personal account of a paranormal incident. The informant experienced an unusual occurrence at night, and interpreted it as an encounter with the fairies, in accordance with beliefs that were part of Irish oral tradition at that time. Motifs such as fairy abduction were common in Ireland, and a great number of legends have been recorded that testify to people's belief in such supernatural incidents. For a collection of fairy legends, see Séamas Ó Catháin, Sí-scéalta ó Thír Chonaill (Dublin, 1977). For further details on memorates, see Lauri Honko, 'Memorates and the study of folk beliefs', Journal of the Folklore Institute 1:1/2 (1964), 5-19.