Seanchas Eile ó Cheanada: I (1954)
Hazel Yake of Stouffville, Ontario
“Le déanaí chuaigh an Taibhse Rua amach ar lorg na háite 'na rugadh a máthair, Iseabal Ní Eanraí. Tá togha fola na hAlban ag rith i gcuisleannaibh na mná úd, tá's agat: b'é Mac Eanruig ainm athar a máthar agus de shliocht Mhic Ghillemhaoil a bhean, cé gur tháinig a sinsear amach go dtí Ceanada glúna ó shin. Sin mar atá. In aice sráidbhaile bheag darbh ainm Cromarty, i gContae Pherth, Ontario, fuair an Taibhse feirm a sean-athar, ach tréis na 85 bliain atá caite ó rugadh a máthair níl ann lomán ar mhuin lomáin den tsean-teach.
Ní nach ionadh, áit ar bith a théann an Taibhse Rua bíonn sise ag féachaint amach daoine ag a bhfuil cuid na Gaeilge, nó leabhair Gaeilge, d'fháil. I gCromarty casadh seanfhear darbh ainm Oswald Walker uirthi, agus chromadar ar chaint. Bhí sé 85 bliana d'aois ar a laghad. Tháinig a athairse amach ó Chabhán Uí Raghallaigh i mbliain 1850 agus chuir sé síos ins an áit úd. Bhí Ghaeilg aige, agus anois i mbliain 1955 tá cúpla beannachtaí agus abairte eile beo fós ar bhéalaibh a mhic. Dúirt Mac Shiúlóir leis an dTaibhse gur casadh dhá ógfhear ó Éirinn air, tráth, agus roinnt na Gaeilge acu. Dúirt siad leis go raibh an Ghaeilg marbh, nó go raibh sí ag fáil báis in ao'chor, agus bhí fearg ar an tseanfhear iad bheith ag caint chomh baothánta chomh maslúil. Pé ar bith, thug siad dó nuachtán nó dó agus sleachta Gaeilge iontu, agus d'iarr sé iad a léigheadh gan cabhair ó duine ná leabhar. Rud eile a dhúirt sé - go bhfuil intinn daingean aige dhul abhaile ar chuairt go hÉirinn fós.”
“Lately the Red Ghost went out searching for the place in which her mother, Isabella Henderson, was born. The choice blood of Scotland is running in the veins of that woman, you know: Henderson was the name of her maternal grandfather and of the McMillan people was his wife, although her ancestors came to Canada generations ago. That’s as it is. Beside the small town called Cromarty, in Perth County, Ontario, the Ghost found the farm of her grandfather, but after the 85 years since her mother was born there isn't but a few stacked logs of the old house.
Isn’t it a wonderful thing, any place at all that the Red Ghost goes she is looking to find people with some Irish, or Irish books. In Cromart,y she met an old man named Oswald Walker, and they chatted. He was 85 years old at least. His father came out from Cavan O’Reilly in 1850 and he settled in that place. He spoke Irish, and now in 1955 a few blessings and other phrases are still alive in the mouth of his son. Walker told the Ghost that he met two young men from Ireland, once, who spoke some Irish. They told him that Irish was dead, or that it was dying anyways, and the old man was angry with them for speaking so foolishly and insultingly. Whatever the case, they gave him a newspaper or two with passages in Irish in them, and he attempted to read them without help from a person or a book. Another thing he said - that he has a strong mind to go home on a visit to Ireland still.”
Adapted from: Yake, Hazel. 1954. “Seanachas Eile Ó Cheanaide.” Teangadóir. 1.5 (1954). Cló Chluain Tairbh: Toronto.
For citation, please use: Yake, Hazel. 1954. “Seanchas Eile ó Cheanada: I.” Ó Dubhghaill, Dónall. 2024. Na Gaeil san Áit Ró-Fhuar. Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir: www.gaeilge.ca
