The Folklore of Ireland- the local legend of Seáinín Tom Ó Dioráin, “Más Feall Fillfear”

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The topic for Essay #1 focuses of the local legend of Seáinín Tom Ó Dioráin, “Más Feall Fillfear” (Treachery Brings Its Own Punishment) that you read in Chapter 2 this week. Below you will read another account of wrecking, that told by Edward Mc Daid. The account below, though also folklore, appears to be just the memories of an elderly man as opposed to a storyteller’s piece. He also shares the word of a song, a ballad. In this essay, compare Seáinín Tom Ó Dioráin’s story of a ship wrecking in Chapter 2 here in Blackboard with the account below. NFCS 1123: 471; Edward Mc Daid (70), Ballycharry, Co. Donegal. Collector: Gráinne Nic Daibheidh, Ballyharry National School, Ballycharry, Co. Donegal, 1938. Teacher: Seosamh Mac Giolla Bríde. A Shipwreck – The Mary Snow About ninety years ago, in the year eighteen hundred and forty eight a ship was coming from Virginia with a large cargo of tobacco and gin. When she came as far as “Gleann an Suibhne” bay, she suddenly ran among rocks and was wrecked. Legends say that she would not have been wrecked were it not for a false light which the people of “Gleann an Suibhne” or the Glenagers as they were afterwards called put out on the rocks. When they saw the ship being wrecked they ran down to the shore with their hammers to get the cargo and to wreck her properly. The men were all drowned, save one man whose name was Kelly. He swam ashore but when he landed the Glenagers killed him. On searching him they found a “golden” watch and fearing that the watch would tell on them, they broke it. At this time the Glen people did not know what a watch was, and when they heard it ticking, they thought it was saying “Dick”. Now one of the Glen men was named Dick so you see their reason for breaking the watch. A song was made about the shipwreck afterwards. The Mary Snow I Our ship being richly loaded From Virginia we set sail Kind heavens did protect us With a sweet and pleasant gale Until we came to Inishowen Head A pilot we took in To preserve our ship and cargo Tobacco and strong gin. II Our pilot Barney Duffey He led us all astray And caused us to cast anchor In the Glenauguibhne Bay They hoisted up a signal We cut our cable chain Our gallant ship in pieces went And drownded all our men III There was one of our fine sailor lads Who swam his life ashore His money box and treasure Came in a while before He offered them a hundred pounds For his money box and clothes But they murdered the poor sailor lad With sad and vicious blows. IV The half of our fine vessel Belonged to Mr. Ross The Glenagers of the long Glen They used him very gros There was one Dan McLaughlin Who lived at the head of Shrove He gathered all his comrade men The wreckage to secure He gathered all his comrade men And placed them in a row If you were to see the long Glenagers Going to wreck the Mary Snow V There was one Mr. Leper Lived at the Strand of Yore He was as clever a young man As lived along the shore On board of the Snow Mary This unlucky voyage to go On board of the Snow Mary Which proved his overthrow. VI Come all ye gallant seamen A warning take from me That when you come to Inishowen Head Make neither stop nor stay Until you land at Quigley’s Point Or Londonderry Quay CHAPTER 2—- CHAPTER 2 SEÓSAMH Ó FLANNAGÁIN AND THE FIRST TWO RECORDED TALES OF SEÁINÍN TOM Seáinín Tom Ó Dioráin was one of many individuals who had the gift and skill of storytelling in Árainn. Yet the account of how Seáinín Tom moved from the hearth to the silver screen involved a mixture of personal strengths and good luck. One fortunate circumstance was that he had folklore collector Seósamh Ó Flannagáin as a neighbour. Three members of the Uí Fhlannagáin family have documented their life in Árainn, Seósamh Ó Flannagáin himself, his son, Dónal, and his daughter, Máire. Seósamh Ó Flannagáin’s correspondence with Ó Duilearga held in the National Folklore Collection contains much news of island life. His son Dónal wrote a Gaeltacht memoir entitled Ó Thrá Anoir. Radio commentaries also exist from his son regarding life in Árainn. Seósamh Ó Flannagáin’s daughter, Máire Uí Nuanáin (Ní Fhlannagáin), recently participated in a documentary, Triúr a Bádh (2015). A False Start – Identifying the First Tale Recorded from Seáinín Tom One particularly interesting photograph from Dónal Ó Flannagáin’s memoir shows schoolmasters Diarmaid Ó Briain and Seósamh Ó Flannagáin with Seáinín Tom. Seáinín Tom is seated on a stool at a table that holds a Dictaphone and appears to be listening to the device. The photo was taken in the front garden of the Residence. It is indicated in the memoir that the picture was taken in the summer of 1926 by Risteard Ó Maolchatha. ———- PLACE GRIANGHRAF 7 HERE ———- Figure 7: Diarmaid Ó Briain and Seósamh Ó Flannagáin with Seáinín Tom Ó Dioráin. Photo from Ó Flannagáin 1984, 116f. It appears that Diarmaid Ó Briain had just started collecting such tales when photographed with Seáinín Tom. Ó Briain was collecting folklore at the same time as Ó Duilearga, and it does not appear that initially they were working together. Béaloideas does not include any folklore accredited to Diarmaid Ó Briain. None of his field notes were received by the Irish Folklore Institute.[22] In the summer of 1932 he wrote: During the six years just passed I have collected some thousand folk-tales and about one hundred songs as yet unpublished. I have used the Dictaphone and voice of the singer, now some years dead, is as perfectly clear to-day as the day he sang. He indicated in the same letter to the editor that appeared in the Irish Press on 13 July 1932 that he had made written copies of all the tales. It is most likely the case when Ó Maolchatha took that noteworthy photograph in 1926, Diarmaid Ó Briain was not collecting folklore from Seáinín Tom, but rather permitting Seáinín Tom to hear some of the folklore he had already collected in his native Co. Cork.[23] The Copybooks of Seósamh Ó Flannagáin Since it does not appear that Diarmaid Ó Briain recorded any of Seáinín Tom’s folklore in the 1920s, it seems that the earliest stories recorded from Seáinín Tom were at the hand of Seósamh Ó Flannagáin in 1930. These stories were submitted in copybooks to Séamus Ó Duilearga in his role as director of the Irish Folklore Institute and editor of Béaloideas. Ó Duilearga, in an editorial note, described how they first met the year before collection of Seáinín Tom’s folklore began. Do casadh liom é don chéad uair i mí na Lughnasa 1929 nuair do bhíos ag tosnú ar bhéaloideas a bhailiú in a cheanntar dúchais thart ar Dhubhlinn, i gCo. an Chláir, agus is mór mar a chabhruigh sé féin agus a mhuinntir liom in mo chuartaibh. (Ó Flannagáin, 1939, p. 84) [I meet him (Ó Flannagáin) for the first time in the month of August 1929 when I was beginning to collect folklore in his native district near Doolin, in Co. Clare, and he and his people aided me greatly in my search.] Séamus Ó Duilearga continued to collect folklore from Ó Flannagáin’s native village in the years that followed 1929, and Ó Flannagáin often asked Ó Duilearga in his letters from the 1930s if they would meet up again during Christmas or summer holidays in Doolin. The journal Béaloideas began publishing in June of 1927. In the first letter from Ó Flannagáin to Ó Duilearga that is preserved in the National Folklore Collection dated 13 September 1930, Ó Flannagáin indicates that he has yet to receive a copy of Béaloideas.[24] In the second edition closing out the 1930 year, Ó Flannagáin is mentioned for the first time ever in Béaloideas (Ó Duilearga, 1930, p. 441). In this instance, it is indicated that he is a member of the Folklore of Ireland Society. In addition to inquiring about Béaloideas, his 13 September 1930 letter to Ó Duilearga also asked about the promised copybooks so that he could begin collecting folklore in Árainn. Two months later, Ó Flannagáin wrote back to Ó Duilearga acknowledging that the notebooks were received. It is clear from the start that this was a group effort in which Ó Flannagáin collected folklore, but his students were also expected to record folklore. Ó Duilearga intended for Ó Flannagáin to pick the best stories, make orthographic corrections, and recopy in the schoolmaster’s writing (or in the hand of an older student) for the final submission for Dublin.[25] Chuir mé na gasúir scoile ag obair ach suas go dtí seo is beag é toradh a gcuid oibre ach le teacht na n-oícheanta fada anois tá súil agam go ndéanfaidh siad obair mhaith. Tá faitíos orm nach mbeidh a gcuid oibre sách slachtmhar le cur chugat díreach maidir le litriú (srl.) mar níl mórán gasúr thar an gcúigiú rang sa scoil seo ach is éard atá beartaithe agam a dhéanamh an obair a bhailiú agus é a cheartú agus scríobhfaidh duine nó beirt acu féin amach arís é. […] Labhair mé le cúigear go dtí seo a dúirt go raibh scéalta acu agus gheall siad go dtiocfaidís agam. Tá dhá scéal agam cheana uathu.[26] [I put the schoolchildren to work at it, but up until now there are little results from their work, but with the coming of long winter nights now I hope that they will make good work of it. I am afraid that their work will not be neat enough to send you directly as concerns spelling and so on because not many of the children are beyond the fifth class in this school, but that which I have decided to do is to collect and correct the work, and one or two of them will re-write it again. (…) I spoke with five of them up until now who said they had stories, and they promised that they would soon be in my possession. I have two stories from them already.] In total, Ó Flannagáin submitted four collections of folklore. The first three are bound in Manuscript 73 in the National Folklore Collection. As its low number indicates, this is one of the volumes bound in the early years, during the 1930-1935 period of the Irish Folklore Institute. The fourth compilation was part of the Schools Folklore Scheme from the years after the 1935 establishment of the Irish Folklore Commission. All four collections contain folklore told by Seáinín Tom. Ó Flannagáin sent in his first book of folklore on 9 December 1930, and it was received by Ó Duilearga on 13 December 1930. Ó gheall mé duit rud éigin a dhéanamh duit roimh an Nollaig tá mé ag cur chugat inniu ceann de na leabhra móra sin le roinnt scéalta. Tá náire orm iad a chur uaim ar bhealach mar fheictear dom nach bhfuil siad chomh maith agus ba cheart ach tógfaidh tú mo leithscéal an uair seo más é do thoil é.[27] [Since I promised to do something for you before Christmas, I am sending you today one of those big copybooks with a good amount of stories. I am embarrassed to let them go because it seems that they are not as good as they should be, but you will accept my apology this time, please.] Ó Flannagáin comments of difficulties that the children had collecting stories as a result of poor lighting in the evenings at the fireside and often the pain of hunger that would affect the children collectors. Ach ní thuigeann tusa [cé] chomh deacair is atá sé obair den sórt sin a dhéanamh i mbunáite na dtithe bochta anseo. Teach cúng, droch-sholas, droch-thine agus go minic ocras – an iontas nach bhfuil mórán fonn ar aithreacha scéalta a insint nó ar chlann iad a scríobh síos![28] [But you do not understand how difficult it is to do this sort of work in the majority of the poor homes here. Narrow houses, bad lighting, bad heating and often hunger – no surprise that there is not much desire for fathers to tell stories, nor for children to write them down!] “Más Feall Fillfear” As was the case of many stories and tales collected, the NFC has archived and not published the vast majority. However, it is notable in Seáinín Tom’s case that two of his stories did grace the pages of Béaloideas prior to his Oidhche Sheanchais fame. The first of these stories was “Más Feall Fillfear” (Treachery Brings Its Own Punishment). It is the first story in Ó Flannagáin’s first copybook. That copybook begins on page 7 of M.S. 73 and ends on page 143; it contains stories collected from four raconteurs.[29] Not only was Seáinín Tom’s version of this story the first story recorded by Ó Flannagáin in his copybook, but when Ó Duilearga picked a number of the stories noted down by Ó Flannagáin, this story appeared first in the journal article “Beart Sgéalta ó Árainn” in Béaloideas in 1931. As was often the case in the early days of publishing folklore, the editor did not mention the names of the storytellers. The text below is as it appears in MS 73, pages 9-11 with the addition of reformed orthography. An English-language translation follows. Más Feall Fillfear Tháinig soitheach, luchtaithe le plúr, a cuireadh dá cúrsa le ceo, sa tseanaimsir thiar i Leitreach Ard ar ancaire scaitheamh beag amach sa gcuan. Nuair a scaip an ceo chonaic muintir Leitreach Ard í agus chuaigh a raibh sa mbaile acu amach go dtí í. Chaith an captaen leo chomh maith agus a d’fhéad sé le chuile shórt dá fheabhas dá raibh aige agus bhí gléas ceoil aige a chuir sé ag obair dóibh le bród astu. Nuair a bhí sin déanta rinne muintir na tíre suas eatarthu féin i ngan fhios do mhuintir an tsoithigh dá maróidís foireann an tsoithigh go mbeadh an lucht acu féin. D’ionsaíodar iad agus bhíodar dá marú agus dá gcaitheamh thar bord amach. Bhí stóicín óg de chócaire inti agus chaith sé é féin i bhfarraige i ngan fhios sula marófaí é. Tháinig sé i dtír ar an talamh agus é go dona. Bhí sé ag imeacht go bhfaca sé solas agus gur tháinig sé isteach i dteach. Ní raibh istigh ann ach bean agus d’fhiafraigh sé dhi an bhfágfadh sí istigh é agus dúirt sí go bhfágfadh. Tháinig fear an tí agus beirt mhac leis faoi cheann tamaill agus iad tar éis a bheith ag an soitheach. Bhí an bheirt mhac ag dul ag marú an chócaire ach ní ligfeadh a n-athair dóibh. Chaith sé dhá lá sa teach i ngan fhios agus ansin d’imigh sé agus ní raibh a fhios cá ndeachaigh sé. Thug muintir na tíre leo an chuid is mó do lucht an tsoithigh. D’imigh sin ann féin go ceann leathchéad bliain ina dhiaidh sin. Bhí soitheach eile ar ancaire tar éis na hoíche san áit chéanna. Chuaigh muintir na tíre amach arís go dtí í agus dá fheabhas dár caitheadh leo sa gcéad soitheach caitheadh ní bhfearr inti seo leo. Chuadar síos sa gcábán ag ithe agus ag ól ach nuair fuair an captaen thíos iad chuir sé an soitheach chun seoil i ngan fhios dóibh. D’ionsaigh sé leis chun farraige agus chuir sé síos i seomra in íochtar an tsoithigh iad nuair a fuair sé scaitheamh maith chun farraige é féin. Níor lig sé aníos riamh iad gur itheadar féin a chéile. An captaen a rinne é seo ba é an cócaire a d’imigh as an gcéad soitheach é. Seán Ó Dioráin, An Sruthán, Árainn a d’inis an scéal seo agus an chéad scéal eile. “Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin”. Tá Seán 60 bliain d’aois agus deir sé gur chuala sé an dá scéal seo ó sheanfear de mhuintir Mhaoláin 30 bliain ó shin. Scríobh mise síos uaidh iad Meán Fómhair 1930. M.S. Ó Flannagáin (NFC 73, 9-11). [1. Treachery Brings Its Own Punishment In the old days, back in Leitreach Ard, a vessel loaded with flour, that was put off course by the fog, anchored for a short period out in the bay. When the fog parted, the people of Leitreach Ard saw the vessel, and those who were in the village went out to it. The captain was so good to them, and he offered everything of the best that he had, and he had a musical instrument that he demonstrated for them with pride. When that was done, the country people decided among themselves, unbeknownst to the people of the vessel, that they would kill the ship’s crew so that they could have the cargo for themselves. They attacked them and were to kill and throw them overboard. There was a young lad as cook on board, and he threw himself in the sea unbeknownst before they could kill him. He arrived on land in a poor state. He was going along until he saw a light and entered a house. There was only a woman inside, and he asked her would she let him in, and she said she would. The man of the house and his two sons arrived within a short time after having been at the vessel. The two sons were going to kill the cook, but the father would not permit them. He spent two days in the house without others knowing, and then he left, and it was unknown where he went. The country people took most of the ship’s cargo with them. Fifty years later, another vessel was anchored at dawn in the same spot. The country folk went out again to it, and if they were provided with the best on the first ship, they were treated even better this time. They went down in the cabin to eat and drink but when the captain got them below, he set the vessel sailing without them knowing. He set off to sea and put them below in a room in the bottom of the ship when he got them a good bit out at sea. He never let them up until they ate each other alive. The captain who did this, he was the cook who escaped from the first vessel. Seán Ó Dioráin, An Sruthán, Árainn told this story and the next story, “Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin”. Seán is 60 years old and he said that he heard these two stories from an old man of the Uí Mhaoláin family 30 years ago. I myself wrote them down from him September 1930. M.S. Ó Flannagáin] Béaloideas published an edited version a few months after the copybook was submitted to Dublin in pre-reformed orthography. There is no evidence that the editor of Béaloideas ever wrote back to the folklore collector for any clarification. A summary of the comparison between the manuscript version and Ó Duilearga’s edited version follows. The most noticeable difference is that Ó Flannagáin did not use commas and Ó Duilearga added them. There were 13 added commas in the version that appeared in Béaloideas. These are clearly for stylistic reasons and not because Seáinín Tom paused in his speech. Ó Duilearga as editor, additionally, corrected missing lenition and addressed the use of the long vowel marker, the síneadh fada. Occasionally, this could cause concern. For example, Ó Duilearga changes “san áit céadhna” to “san áit chéadna.” While Patrick Dinneen in his dictionary sided with the d not being lenited, it is completely possible that Ó Flannagáin wished to represent more closely how Seáinín Tom actually pronounced the “d” in this word (Dinneen 1927, 172). Furthermore, it is of interest that Ó Duilearga picked locht as the standard spelling for “cargo”. Dinneen recommended “lucht” three decades prior as the preferred spelling and “lucht” ended up becoming the standard after the 1940s (1927, 683). Likewise, Ó Duilearga corrected several instances of “muinntear” (broad r) for his preferred “muinntir” (slender r). Both versions were in use in the 1930s. As concerns the message of the tale, Ó Duilearga provides his readers with an English language summary as follows. A local tale. A shipwrecked crew are attacked and are killed, one alone escaping and finding refuge in a house near the scene of the disaster. Fifty years later the young man who had escaped, now a ship’s captain, returns and revenges the treachery meted out to his old comrades. (Ó Flannagáin, 1931, p. 51) While Ó Duilearga does provide the English language summary, there is no indication of tale type or motif in the Béaloideas article. He merely mentions, “Of the first two local tales I have no other versions.” (Ó Flannagáin, 1931, p. 52) Since this rendition was published in 1931, it is not surprising that other versions had not yet been sent to the newly established institute. There are two elements that warrant further research in this story, plundering by deceit and revenge. The former appears to be a form of wrecking. Obviously, there is emphasis on deceit to the point that “feall” [deceit, betrayal] is included in the title of the tale. The name of this story, “Más Feall Fillfear” [Treachery Brings Its Own Punishment] is a proverb, the moral of the story. A few years later in 1935, Ó Duilearga published a second tale with this title (Ó Floinn, 1935, pp. 128-129). Although also a seafaring tale, the storyline was completely different. Yet the moral remained the same. Ó Duilearga did not refer from the second tale back to the first. The plundering of ships is well documented in water-traffic lore. Máirtín Ó Maoilchiaráin recited a story to Liam Mac Coisdealbha, Carna, about the robbing of ships (NFC 65:107-112). Another story was submitted to the Irish Folklore Institute in 1934 that began with a situation like that of Seáinín Tom’s story. Namely, all the crew of a Spanish ship off the coast of Connemara were murdered except one young boy. Pádraic Ó Clochartaigh collected the tale from Manais Ó Conghaile in 1934 (NFC 77:324-326). A tale from Co. Cork told of the luring of a ship called The Pandora into the rocks to rob it (NFC 53:249-252). History itself provides other examples including the case of the wrecking of Kitty Brig off Inishbofin in 1741 (Bourke, 1994, pp. 183). The second part of the story, revenge, brings to mind ATU 960B Late Revenge.[30] Of course, Seáinín Tom’s story is a local legend as opposed to a fairy tale. Though lacking the motif of the land swallowing up the offender, the idea that revenge can be experienced several decades later is in common. Seáinín Tom’s version appears to be somewhat similar to folklore heard about “Íde Chlainne Mhóire”. In that tale, a vacant anchored ship has only a cat on board. Mór’s three sons climb on board, the hatches are closed on them, and they are never seen again. One version of this was collected from Muiris Ó Cíomáin with an Ediphone by collector Seósamh Ó Dála in Dun Chuinn in 1937 (NFC 77:324-326). The story of “Íde Chlainne Mhóire” can also be read on pages 138-149 in An Baile Seo Againne by Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (“An Seabhac”) published by the Gaelic League (1921). Page 143 and following of Ó Siochfhradha’s volume can be compared to Seáinín Tom’s story. “Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin” The second tale from Seáinín Tom to appear in Ó Flannagáin’s 1931 article in Béaloideas was “Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin.” Nearly the same length as the previous story, it appeared on pages 47 and 48 of Béaloideas issue 3.1. This was also the second tale submitted from Ó Flannagáin to Ó Duilearga, and Ó Flannagáin included it on pages 12 through 14 of MS 73. The revised orthographic version appears below taken from the original manuscript version. Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin Bhí fear gnaíúil ainmniúil in Iorras Aintheach i bpobal Charna agus ba é a shloinne Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin. Bhí rud le tabhairt don strainséir aige féin agus ag a bhean. Do chuile fhear agus bean siúil dá dtriallfadh orthu bhí bia agus deoch le tabhairt dóibh. Bhí Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin ina chodladh ar a leaba lá te tar éis a dhinnéir nuair a shiúil bacach isteach ag a bhean agus maide ina láimh aige agus droch-éadach air. D’fhiafraigh sí dhe an raibh ocras air agus dúirt sé léi go raibh. Chuir sí fataí agus pláta ime mar dhinnéar aige agus ní hé a mhalairt a bhí ann an t-am sin mar ní raibh plúr ná tae ann agus is dócha dá mbeadh go bhfaigheadh sé é. Bhí an bacach ag ithe go fánach agus go fánach é. Ní go leor a bhí ite aige nuair a bhuail sé a mhaide faoin urlár. “An bhfuil a fhios agat, céard a dúirt an maide seo, a bhean an tí” a deir sé. “Níl a fhios” deir bean an tí. “Cuir agam tuilleadh ime” a deir sé. Bhí Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin ag éisteacht leis thiar sa leaba agus bhuail náire é ag ceapadh nár chuir sí a dhóthain aige agus d’éirigh sé aniar sa doras. Bhreathnaigh sé ar an mbord agus chonaic sé díol ceathrar d’im leagtha roimh an mbacach. Rug Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin ar a mhaide féin agus bhuail sé faoin urlár é. “An bhfuil a fhios agat céard a dúirt an maide seo” deir sé leis an mbacach. “Níl a fhios” a deir an bacach “Ith a bhfuil agat ar dtús agus an uair sin bí ag iarraidh tuilleadh” a deir sé. “Ní ar thuairisc an bhia a tháinig mé” a deir an bacach “ach ag iarradh troda ortsa” “Bí amuigh ar an tsráid mar sin” a deir Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin “agus troidfidh mise thú.” Chaith an bacach dhe a chuid bhalcaisí agus bhí culaith bhreá gheanúil éadaigh faoi na droch-bhalcaisí. Throideadar agus bhuail Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin an bacach agus d’imigh leis an mbacach agus níor labhair níos mó. Bliain is fiche ina dhiaidh sin chuaigh Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin agus a bhean go Contae Mhaigh Eo ag ceannach bó bhainne. Bhí Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin ag siúl thart go bhfeicfeadh sé an bhó ab fhearr a thaitneodh leis agus bhí an bhean ina seasamh aiste féin i gcoirnéal eile den aonach. Tháinig duine uasal go dtí í agus d’fhiafraigh sé dhi cé as í. Dúirt sí go mba as Iorras Aintheach í. “An bhfuil aon eolas agat ar Mhac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin as pobal Charna” a deir an duine uasal. “Tá” a deir an bhean “Is é m’fhear pósta é.” Chroith sé lámh léi agus d’fháiltigh roimpi. (NFC 73: 12-14) [2. Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin There was a modest though well-known man in Iorras Aintheach[31] in the parish of Carna, and his surname was Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin. He and his wife gave charity to strangers. There was food and drink given to every itinerant man and woman who travelled to their home. One warm day, Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin was asleep on his bed after his dinner when a beggar with a walking stick in his hand and tattered clothes visited his wife. She asked the visitor if he was hungry, and he said to her that he was. She gave him potatoes and a plate of butter as dinner, and (the average meal) wasn’t any different in those days because there was neither flour nor tea, and I suppose if there were he would have gotten it. The beggar ate slowly. He had not eaten much when he hit the floor with his walking stick. “Do you know what this stick said, oh woman of the house?” says he. “I don’t know,” says the woman of the house. “Give me more butter,” says he. Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin was listening to this back in the bed and was struck with embarrassment thinking that she did not give him enough butter, and he rose from the bed to the bedroom door. He looked at the table and saw enough butter for four people set out before the beggar. Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin grabbed the walking stick and hit it on the floor. “Do you know what this stick said?” says he to the beggar. “I don’t,” says the beggar. “Eat what you have (on your plate) first, and then ask for more,” says he. “I didn’t come here seeking advice about food,” says the beggar, “but rather I came wanting to fight you.” “Out on the street with you then,” says Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin “and I will fight you.” The beggar threw off his rags, and he had a respectable fine suit under the tattered garment. They fought, and Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin beat the beggar, and off the beggar went, and no more was said. Twenty-one years later, Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin and his wife went to County Mayo to buy a cow. Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin walked around so that he would see the best cow there that would please him while his wife was standing on her own in another corner of the fair. A gentleman approached her and asked her from where she was. She said that she was from Iorras Aintheach. “Do you know Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin at all from the parish of Carna?” says the gentleman. “I do,” says the woman. “He is my husband.” He shook her hand and welcomed her. He and the woman went looking throughout the fair for Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin until they found him. The gentleman bought the best cow that was at the fair and the best bull that was there also for Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin to take home with him. The gentleman was the beggar who came to fight with Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin (twenty-one years earlier). M.S. Ó Flannagáin November 1930.] As indicated above, Ó Duilearga did not mention the storyteller of this tale when published in Béaloideas in 1931 (p. 52). However, in MS 73 it is clearly identified as one of Seáinín Tom’s tales. Ó Duilearga as editor provided, once again, an English summary: … A beggar-man affronts a householder with his greed and impertinence and receives a sound thrashing at his hands. Many years later the householder goes to Co. Mayo to buy a cow. He meets with his former antagonist, now a wealthy man, is received by him with great kindness and is presented by him with the best cow at the fair. (p. 51) Ó Duilearga’s editorial comments above point out that the focus of this story is on Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin and not the beggar. The beggar is labelled as the antagonist in the summary above. Yet unlike in tale type 759**, “How God’s Wheel Turns”, we do not see the householder becoming poor as the beggar becomes rich (Ó Súilleabháin & Christiansen, 1963, p. 155). The plot appears more complex than that described by Ó Duilearga, an ungrateful beggar changing his ways as a result of a beating by Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin and thereby becoming a rich man and rewarding the one who corrected his ways. A close reading of the story reveals a much different plot. The visitor is not really a beggar, but rather appears to have always been a wealthy man. “Chaith an bacach dhe a chuid bhalcaisí agus bhí culaith bhreá gheanúil éadaigh faoi na droch-bhalcaisí.” He was wearing a fine lovely suit of clothes under his beggar’s rags. Additionally, it appears that he was not truly seeking alms, but rather seeking out Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin so as to fight him. Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin is tested and comes out victorious. Perhaps a parallel biblical story would be that of Job from the Old Testament. Like Job, we are told initially that Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin is an upright, respected and generous individual. Yet he is sought out and punished by the beggar. In the biblical story, Job suffered much over an extended period and there is a much more complicated interplay between God and Satan. Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin is challenged to a fight only once and prevails. At the end of the biblical story, Job is rewarded by God to the point of becoming more prosperous than he originally was. Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin likewise has his wealth increased in the end leaving the fair with the finest cow and in addition a bull which he did not intend to buy. The concept of God appearing as a beggar is well documented in folklore. Tale type ATU 751A* “A Man Invites God to His House” includes a variety of stories that feature such a visitor. In ATU 751A*, the man of the house is expecting God, but finds a beggar at his door (who is God). However, in Seáinín Tom’s story, the man of the house expects a beggar, but discovers that the man seeking alms is a rich man. Both “Más Feall Fillfear” and “Mac Uí Mhaoilchiaráin” have characteristics of religious tales. Although God is not specifically identified, punishment and reward is measured out in a dramatic way. In addition to these two tales of Seáinín Tom’s in Ó Flannagáin’s first copybook, there was a third one called “Eibhlín Niocláis agus a Máthair”. This tale is discussed briefly in Chapter Four. However, it is discussed in detail in Chapter Eight of this book along with other tales that have been preserved in the National Folklore Collection, yet never published. Ó Flannagáin submitted fifteen tales in that first copy book. The editor, Ó Duilearga picked three to publish in 1931, the two above collected from Seáinín Tom and a third collected from Pádraic Ó Maoláin (NFC 73:35-41). Ó Flannagáin was waiting for this publication with anticipation. When he did receive it, he wrote at surprise with the stories that Ó Duilearga decided to put in print. I got Béaloideas by the way & the three stories you published were three I hoped you’d never think it worth your while to put in print. However, I suppose there must be something in them.[32] This was remedied in the 1933 publication which included two more of Pádraic Ó Maoláin’s stories from the first copybook (Ó Flannagáin, 1933). The title of the second Béaloideas article was “Tiachóg Sgéalta ó Árainn”. This was in part a result of Ó Duilearga receiving Ó Flannagáin’s second and third copybooks of folklore collected in Árainn. Very few of the stories came from the second book, and most came from Ó Flannagáin’s third book. This 1933 article was an impressive collection in the published journal in that nine stories collected by Ó Flannagáin and his students were put in print. None of the tales in the 1933 Béaloideas article were collected from Seáinín Tom. This is not because there was a lack of material from Seáinín Tom; two of the tales in the second book were from Seáinín Tom. They were published posthumously in 1939. As a result, all the tales collected from Seáinín Tom during the period covered in the second copybook did find their way into print in the 1930s. These final two are discussed in Chapter Seven in that they were published to commemorate the life of Seáinín Tom at the time of his passing. [1] Árainn is the largest of the Aran Islands. In Seáinín Tom’s lifetime it was usually referred to as “Aranmore”. Today, it is more commonly call “Inishmore”. [2] Prayers from Seáinín Tom were also published in Béaloideas as described in Chapter Seven. [3] http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/ [4] Ages as reported in the 1901 Census. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ [5] Máire’s father, Seán Sheáinín Ó Dioráin, had passed away. As indicated in the map (Figure 3), her step-father’s surname was Ó Miolláin. [6] Map compiled with on location research by author in Árainn and the NFC in 2015 and additional assistance from Mná Fiontracha in 2016. [7] The harvesting of seaweed continues to be an important industry in Ireland. See http://www.bim.ie/. [8] Seáinín Tom’s father died over a decade later at the age of 86. (NFCS 2:15) [9] Pádhraic is referred to by his second name, Éanna (Enda), by his siblings. See, for example, Ó Flannagáin (1985, p. 43). [10] In the archival materials, the schoolmaster was known by his middle name, Seósamh or Joe, although the first name, Mícheál or Michael, can be seen in official documents from the Department of Education. Throughout this book, S. Ó Flannagáin refers to the schoolmaster and M. Ó Flannagáin refers to his son, a student folklore collector. The only exceptions are in archival folklore item Number 1 and Number 9 where M.S. Ó Flannagáin can be seen for the schoolmaster. The published Béaloideas articles of the schoolmaster were attributed to Seósamh Ó Flannagáin as can be seen in the reference list at the end of this book. [11] Nora’s father Dan is noted in the Dónal Ó Flannagáin entry in Ní Mhurchú & Breathnach (2003, p. 158). [12] Certificate viewed by permission of the daughter of Nóra Ní Riain, Máire Uí Nuanáin, 11 March 2016. [13] Mrs. Mary Watters is identified as living in Sruthán in both 1901 and 1911 in the census. Photographer Jane W. Shackleton in April 1906 photographed her and the students outside the Eoghanacht National School. See Corlett (2012). A memorial plaque on the lectern in the church in Eoghanacht reads “I gcuimhne ar Sheosamh Ó Flannagáin agus a bhean Nóra, a n-iníon Caitlín agus a mac Domhnall, iar oidí Scoil Eoghanachta 1914-1953.” [In memory of Seósamh Ó Flannagáin and his wife Nóra, their daughter Cáitlín and their son Dónal, past teachers of Eoghanacht School 1914-1953.] [14] Nóra was five years older than Seósamh which accounts the differences in start dates for their careers in teaching. [15] M. Uí Nuanáin (Personal communication, 11 March 2016). [16] He was appointed Professor of Irish Folklore in 1946. [17] Although he was involved in fundraising and initial folklore collection as would be expected in founding an institute during the 1929-1930 academic year, it would not be until the following academic year in October 1930 that he would be officially appointed as Director of the Irish Folklore Institute. [18] See Ó Catháin (2008) regarding Ó Duilearga’s 1928 visit to Scandinavia, Finland, Estonia, and Germany. [19] Ó Flannagáin was exposed to other folklore collectors prior to 1929 since the Aran Islands were seen as a rich resource of folklore. However, Ó Duilearga at this point was well-trained in the art of folklore collection and ready to recruit future folklore collectors. [20] Translated as “Seven Churches” in English, Na Seacht dTeampaill represents ruins of a monastic settlement which appear over the centuries to include two churches, domestic dwellings, graves, high crosses, and so on with initial founding likely part of the early Christian monastic movement on the island. In the 1930s, the village of Eoghanacht in which the ruins are found was at times referred to as the Seven Churches. The local community continues to use the cemetery for interment. [21] Maggie Dirrane and her husband are buried in Na Seacht dTeampaill cemetery. [22] It would not be until the establishment of the Irish Folklore Commission that folklore from Ó Briain was finally lodged in the archives. The folklore was bound in Manuscripts 303, 497, 972, and 1129. Records show that this folklore was collected in Cork only. [23] Ó Briain may have even been letting Seáinín Tom listen to his father. A large percentage of the folklore submitted to the Commission in later years by Ó Briain was taken down from his father, Mícheál Ó Briain. [24] Ó Flannagáin, S., 1894-1939, Ó Flannagáin to S. Ó Duilearga, 13 September 1930. [25] However, all of the folklore from Seáinín Tom in Ó Flannagáin’s copybooks was taken down directly by the schoolmaster, Seósamh Ó Flannagáin, and not a student. Ó Flannagáin states in the first copybook, for example, “Eibhlín Niocláis agus a Máthair le Seán Ó Dioráin a thug an dá chéad scéal sa leabhar dom – a d’inis é seo dom 29 Samhain 1930.” [Eibhlin Niocláis agus a Máthair by Seán Ó Dioráin who gave the first two stories in the book to me – who told me this [story] on the 29th of November 1930.” (NFC 73: 52) [26] Ó Flannagáin, S., 1894-1939, Ó Flannagáin to S. Ó Duilearga, 18 November 1930. [27] Ó Flannagáin, S., 1894-1939, Ó Flannagáin to S. Ó Duilearga, 9 December 1930. [28] Ó Flannagáin, S., 1894-1939, Ó Flannagáin to S. Ó Duilearga, 9 December 1930. [29] The other three storytellers were indicated as Pádhraic Ó Maoláin, Seán Ó Flárthaigh, and Máirtín Ua Flártaigh (as spelt in the copybook). Those working in the Institute between 1930 and 1935 bound the different copybooks from Ó Flannagáin into one hard cover volume, MS 73. Then the combined manuscript was re-paginated. This practice was common place and continued after 1935 with the Commission. An exception to this practice was the School Folklore Scheme which includes both bound volumes and pupils’ original exercise books (that have never been bound). However, even with the pupils’ original exercise books re-pagination did take place. [30] See Uther (2011) for all references to ATU tale types unless indicated otherwise. [31] Iorras Aintheach is a peninsula in Connemara which contains several villages including Carna. [32] Ó Flannagáin, S., 1894-1939, Ó Flannagáin to S. Ó Duilearga, 20 October 1931. RUBRICS—————————– Paper clearly documents the type of folklore requested in the prompt. + The essay has clear links to discussions held in the course on-line. + Aspects of assigned readings and Blackboard notes are evident. + Student’s own thoughts and opinions have been included in the conclusion. + Any quotes have been included in quotation marks or indented text and do not make up more than 10% of the paper. Longer passages are included in appendices and do not figure as part of the word count. Source of quotes are noted at the end of the paper. + Essay is roughly 600 words.