Fiach na Rón (1925)
T. Ó Dubháin, based on his experiences in Newfoundland(1)
Adapted from: "Beothic" (Ship) and men on the ice. 1908-1916. Maritime History Archive, Memorial University, PF-055.2-T56
Atá séasúr na rón thart i mbliana. Sa Mhárta ‘s ea cuirtear dlús lena marú i gcónaí. Faoin am sin bailíonn iascairí crua cróga ó bhailte abhus is thall go dtugaid San Seán orthu féin. ‘S iad na hiascairí sin a bhíos croíuil lúcháireach i ndeireadh an tséasúir nuair a bhíos gábh agus contúirt mharaithe na rón thart, nuair bhíd ag áireamh an méid a bhéas acu dá bharr. Ach má bhíonn gliondar orthu iar bhfilleadh slán dóibh is iomaí sin uair a mbíonn a gcroí ina mbéal, agus eagla agus uamhan orthu rith aimsire cuardaithe na rón. Cá hionadh sin agus a liachtaí iascaire calma a thug a aghaidh ar thalamh na rón nár fhill ariamh.
Atá an chontúirt ann mar is eol dóibh agus dóibh seo atá ina dtuilleamaí.
Hunting the Seals
The sealing season is over this year. In March they always get a move on the killing. At that time the hard, brave fishermen gather from the houses here and there that they themselves call “San Seán” [St. John’s]. Those are the fishermen who are hearty and joyous at the end of the season when the danger and deadly peril of the sealing is over, when they were counting the amount they had as a result. But if they are joyful after returning safely it is more often that their heart is in their mouth, and they have fear and dread during the time of hunting for the seals.
It is dangerous as they know and they are dependent on it.
Crógacht
I dtús an Mhárta, mar luas, ‘s ea tagann na foirne le chéile go ngléasaid a gcuid bád is go gcuirid a gcuid trealmha i bhfóint dá bhfuil uathu. Is iondúil go mbíonn an aimsir an-fhuar, an-gharbh, go mbíonn an fharraige lasta is na tonntracha treathan-láidre ina gcnoca ag briseadh le fuaimeanna foirtile in aghaidh a chéile agus in aghaidh ‘ch aon ní a bhíos sa tslí rompu.
Ní mór crógacht agus calmacht iontu seo a fhéachas le soithí a ghabháil agus a choinneál slán i mbéal gálaí is géarchnoc leac-oighre. Ní mór stuaim thar na bearta bheith ag fear liagáin is ag luamhaire agus iad ag treabhadh barr bán na dtonn dtréan úd.
Bíonn imní orthu seo fhanas ina ndiaidh sa mbaile. Atá súil ó ghach áit ach ón uaigh agus is iomaí sin uaigh fhuar a rinne na mealltracha fealltacha leac-oighre dóibh seo a d’fhéach lena maoin a fhuadach uathu. Is iomaí sin athair muirneach agus mac dílis agus leannán lách fáilí a d’fhág slán agus beannacht leo seo ab ansa leo ar chuan Sain Seán ná fhill chucu go deo arís.
Bravery
At the start of March, as I mentioned, is when the teams come together to outfit their boats and to put their equipment that they need into use. It is normal that the weather is very cold, very harsh, that the sea is moving swiftly and the strongly roaring waves are as hills breaking with strong sounds against each other and against everything that is in their way.
Hardiness and bravery must be had by those that look to go out in vessels and to keep safe in the mouth of gales and sharp hillocks of ice [icebergs]. An overabundance of good sense must be had by the propeller man and the pilot and them plowing the white top of those strong waves.
Worried are those who stay behind in the town. There is hope from everywhere except from the grave and it is many a cold grave that deceiving lumps of ice made for them who look to make off with their [the ice floes’] riches. It is many a loving father and loyal son and gentle, generous beloved that said goodbye and farewell to those they loved on the harbour of St. John’s who didn’t ever return again.
Fuadar
Nach sa gcuan sin a bhíos an fuadar ar chabhlach maraithe na rón a bheith ag tabhairt in aghaidh ar an bhfarraige mhóir amach i dtús an Mhárta? Bíonn feadáin is fideog na soitheach ag cur a bhfead ngéar scréachach uathu go gceapthá go ndúiseoidís na marbh. Bíonn cling mhiolairí is torann slabhra is ruatharach ineall is gaireas tiomáinte ag sárú a chéile sa bhfeisteas is sa ngléas a bhíos á dhéanamh chun spreagtha gluaiseachta a chur ar fáil ar luas. Bíonn glórtha fear á meascadh leis sin eile uile - glórtha a gcuirfear criochnú na móir-eagla is na contúirtí iontu sula gcasaid: agus an t-ádh orthu muna gcosctar go héag iad.
Tuairim is deich lá a thógas sé orthu sula mbuailid leis na róin ar na machairí is na hardáin reoite.
Iar mbualadh dóibh leo lingeann na scórtha fear d’aon bheannóg amháin amach ar na machairí úd ar thóir na rón. Ní mór dóibh a bheith ina gcoisithe mhaithe luatha oir is iomaí sin scoilt agus scailp agus lagpholl agus linn mór dhoimhin a mbíonn orthu léim a chaitheamh tharta. Cos an ghabhair a bhíos ag na fiagaithe úd, a mhic ó.
Bustle of Intent
Isn’t it in that harbour that there is a bustle about the seal-killing fleets going out onto the great sea at the start of March? The pipes and whistles of the vessels are putting out their sharp, screeching whistles that you think would wake the dead. The ring of driveshafts and the clamour of chains and the rushing of engines and driving devices harassing each other in the setup that was being done to urge movement quickly. The voices of men are mixing with everything else - voices that would settle the deathly fear of the dangers before they are encountered: and may they be lucky if it doesn’t check [those thoughts] forever.
About ten days it takes them before they meet with the seals on the plains and the frozen platforms.
After they meet them, the scores of men rush out in a single leap onto those plains in pursuit of the seals. They must be sure-footed and agile since there are many fissures and clefts and hollows and big, deep pools that they have to jump over. Goat’s feet those hunters have, boyo.
An Bás?
Amhail mar leantar agus mar mharaítear na róin ‘s ea is faide théas na hiascairí ó na soithí ní nach ionadh. Is minic a bhíos siad seacht nó ocht de mhílte uathu le titim na hoíche. Ní miste dhóibh sin má bhíonn an uain ciúin is an spéir glan. Ach muna mbíonn Dia go bhfóire orthu.
Má éiríonn sé ina ghála nó má thosaíonn na calóga móra sneachta ag titim bíd i dteannta agus muna bhfuil ag Dia ‘sé achadh úd an oighre fód a mbáis.
Nó dá dtéidís á dtreoir, nó dá scaradh an t-achar ar a mbeidís ón achadh agus go seolfadh sé leis amach ar an aigéan cá bhfios a’ bhfeicfí go bráth iad! Bás uaigneach, bás le tart, bás le ocras, bás le mórfhuacht, bás an tseaca bhí i ndán dóibh.
Agus is minic a bhíos anfa ann a ghníos stiallta de na seolta agus smidiríní de na soithí is a bhás foirne foirtile úd Thalamh an Éisc. Bhí bliain ann - 1838 - nuair a d’éirigh mórghála a chuir cheithre shoithí déag agus a raibh iontu go grinneall na farraige. Naoi mbliana ina dhiaidh sin bádh duine is fiche. Sa mbl. 1872 bádh cúigear is ceathracha fear. Sa mbl. 1898 préachadh agus reodh ochtar is ceatharcha.
Death?
As the seals are followed and as they are killed, so it is that it is far the fishermen go from the vessels, no surprise. It’s often that they are seven or eight miles from them at nightfall. It is no harm for them if the time is quiet and the sky is clear. But if it isn’t, God help them.
If it becomes stormy or if the big snowflakes start falling, they are in a fix and if it is not God’s will it is that field of ice that is their place of death.
Or if they would go by its direction, or in the field that they are on separates from the field so that it would sail out on the ocean, who knows if they will be seen again! A lonely death, death by dehydration, death by starvation, death by hypothermia, a frosty death is destined for them.
And it is often that there is a tempest that makes rags of the sails and smithereens of the vessels and those strong teams of Newfoundland drown. There was a year - 1838 - when a great gale arose and put fourteen vessels and all that were in them to the bottom of the ocean. Nine years after that, twenty-one people drowned. In the yr. 1872 forty-five men drowned. In the yr. 1898 forty-eight perished and froze.
£50,000
Bhí sin dona go leor ach ní raibh sé chomh dona leis an sléacht a tharla sa mbl. 1914 nuair bádh 250 fear - foirne dhá long. Tháinig mór-ráig shneachta ar fhoireann eile a bhí istigh ar an achadh agus préachadh 80 díobh dhá bharr. Bhuail soitheach eile le cnoc leac-oighre, gur réabadh é is go ndeachaigh an bád agus 170 fear go tóin poill dhá bharr.
Ach ní chuireann sin cosc ar fhoirne athbhliain. Díne i ndiaidh díne ionsaítear críocha úd na rón, go maraítear is go bhfeanntar iad is go gcaitheann mná mánla agus péacóga Átha Cliath maille lena macsamhla i dtíortha eile seithí na n-ainmhithe úd a mheallas iascairí calma Thalamh an Éisc agus limistéar mar é ar a dtóir.
Atá na cabhlaigh ar ais i San Seán tar éis turais na bliana seo agus de réir dealraimh atá gach a ndeachaigh sa bhfiach ar ais slán sábháilte. Thugadar 120,000 seithe rón ar ais leo - luach £50,000 punt.
A chonaic sin orthu. Is crua a shaothraíodar é.
£50,000
That was bad enough but it wasn’t as bad as the slaughter that happened in the yr. 1914 when 250 men were drowned - the teams of two boats. A sudden, great onrush of snow came on another team that was in on the field and 80 of them perished because of it. Another vessel hit an iceberg, that broke it apart and the boat and 170 men went to the bottom of the sea because of it.
But that doesn’t restrain the teams the next year. Generation after generation those lands of the seals are attacked, that they are killed and skinned so that the pleasant women and dandies of Dublin along with their like in other countries may wear the hides of those animals that entice the brave fishermen of Newfoundland and its area to hunt them.
The fleets are back in St. John’s after this year’s journey and it appears that everyone who went in the hunt is back safe and sound. They brought 120,000 seal hides back with them - a value of £50,000 pounds.
That’s what I saw of them. It is hard that they worked.
Adapted from: Ó Dubháin, T. 1925. “Talamh an Éisg.” Fáinne an Lae. Uim 280 (6 Meitheamh). Cló Oifig Mhuintir Chathail: Áth Cliath.
For citation, please use: Ó Dubháin, T. 1925. “Fiach na Rón.” in Ó Dubhghaill, Dónall. 2024. Na Gaeil san Áit Ró-Fhuar. Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir: www.gaeilge.ca
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The article begins with the preface: “An tagairt úd a bhí i “bhFáinne an Lae” na seachtaine seo caite faoi Ghaeilgeoirí Thalamh an Éisc a mheabhraigh dhom faoin saol crua a bhíos ag cuid de na daoine atá ansin: acu seo a chlaíos le iascach, le iascach rón - nó le marú rón, ba chóra dhom a rá.” This references the letter from Donnchadh Ó Cuinn from May 23, 1925 (uim 279) mentioning household of Irish speakers still existing in St. John’s at the time.
