Turas Siar 205 - Ócáid a heagraíodh in Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann – Saol na Tuaithe. Seo iad a leanas na daoine a bhí i láthair: Seán Ó Murchú as Eanach Dhúin, Pádraig Ó Maolruaidh as Leitir Fhinín, Pádraic Ó Gionnáin as Cill Ghallagáin, Mary John Tom Bhr...

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Fada go leor cuid acu eh as áiteachaí i Maigh Eo eh fear amháin as Gaillimh agus fíorchinn fáilte rompu siúd go háirithe agus sibh uilig.

Many of them are from places in Mayo, one man from Galway, and a real welcome to them especially, and to all of you.

Go raibh míle maith agat a Shéamais Séamas Mac Pheilib ansin leaschoimeádaí an Mhúsaem Mhúsaem Shaol na Tuaithe anseo i bPáirc an Turlaigh anois ar an gclár i gceartlár na ndaoine ó lá go lá agus ó sheachtain go seachtain bíonn ár ndaíonna ag caint ar shaol atá chomh maith le bheith imithe.

Thank you very much Séamas, Séamas Mac Pheilib there, deputy curator of the Museum, the Museum of Country Life here in Turlough Park, now on the program right in the midst of the people from day to day and from week to week, our guests are talking about a life that is almost gone.

Ní beo an chuid is mó de ach i gcuimhní cinn na ndaoine a bhíonns ag caint linn ar an aer agus ins na smaointe a spreagann a mbíonn le rá acu ins na daoine a bhíonns ag éisteacht leo.

Most of it lives only in the memories of the people who talk to us on the air and in the thoughts inspired by what they have to say in those who listen to them.

Ach anseo i Músaem Shaol na Tuaithe tá iarsmaí fhisiciúla den saol sin. Tá sé tráthúil mar sin go dtabharfaí le chéile an dream a bhfuil caint agus cur síos acu ar an saol sin. Ar an láthair phoiblí seo is mó le rá a bhfuil iarsmaí an tsaoil sin cruinnithe ann. Ar mo chlé anseo tá Seán Ó Murchú, tiománaí leoraí ag McDonis, Thomas McDonagh, An Suns, lucht crua-earraí na Gaillimhe, fear atá amuigh ar a phinsean anois, Seán Ó Murchú as Eanach Cuain dhó ó dhúchas an-scil ag Seán i gcúrsaí feilméarachta capaill agus céachtaí agus ainmhí agus eile suim ar leith aige i leaganacha cainte atá imithe as béal na ndaoine ina cheantar féin agus fear mór léitheoireachta é i mBéarla agus i nGaeilge. Cén t-amhrán é siúd a Sheáin ag muintir Chonamara a bhfuil tagairt do chapaill agus do chéachtaí ann?

But here in the Museum of Country Life there are physical remnants of that life. It is therefore appropriate that the people who have stories and descriptions of that life should be brought together. In this public place, most notably, the remnants of that life have been gathered. On my left here is Seán Ó Murchú, a lorry driver with McDonis, Thomas McDonagh, The Suns, the hardware people of Galway, a man who is now out on his pension, Seán Ó Murchú from Eanach Cuain by origin, very skilled in matters of horse farming and ploughs and animals and other things, with a particular interest in expressions that have disappeared from the speech of the people in his own area, and he is a great reader in both English and Irish. What is that song, Seán, among the people of Connemara that refers to horses and ploughs?

Cuimhneach leat déanann tú an-iontas dhó.

Remember, you amaze him/her.

gcéanna ach níl 'fhios agam anois níl mé in ann a rá cé cén t-amhrán

the same ones but I don't know now I can't say which song.

Ach bhí bhí an cé bhí cibé cé a bhí dhá chanadh. Bhí sé a' moladh áit Leitir Móir go raibh na capaill sna céachta le feiceáil ann agus nuair a bhí mise a' gabháil ann ní fhaca mé capall nó céachta ar chor ar bith ann.

But there was, there was whoever it was that was singing. He was praising the place of Lettermore, saying that the horses were to be seen in the plough there, and when I was going there I didn’t see a horse or a plough at all there.

Ní fhaca ná aon áit a dtabharfá capall ná céacht ann ach an oiread, is dóigh.

Nor did I see any place where you would bring a horse or a plough either, I suppose..

Le le taobh Sheáin tá Pádraic Ó Maolruaidh feilméara é Pádraic Ó Maolruaidh as Leitir Iníon in aice Thuar Mhic Éadaigh ó dhúchas. D'aistrigh sé lena mhuintir go Cill Mhantáin nuair a bhí sé óg ach nuair a bhí sé, mar a deir an t-amhrán in Fhuinneamh a bheith ina chéile, fuair sé bean agus mheall sí siar thar teorainn Mhaigh Eo é isteach go driseachán i gContae na Gaillimhe. Amhránaí breá binne mar atá a fhios agaibhse a chuala ag casadh bean an leanna agus sailor é.

Beside Seán is Pádraic Ó Maolruaidh, Pádraic Ó Maolruaidh is a farmer from Leitir Iníon near Tourmakeady originally. He moved with his family to Wicklow when he was young but when he was, as the song says, at the age to be married, he found a wife and she lured him back across the Mayo border into a thicket in County Galway. A fine sweet singer, as you know yourselves who have heard him singing "Bean an Leanna" and "Sailor" he is...

Lena thaobh siúd tá an fear breá seo, Pádraic Ó Gionnáin as Cill Ghallagáin feilméara caorach agus iascaire atá ann. Chaith sé cuid mhaith dá shaol ag obair i Sasana ach nuair a tháinig sé abhaile ag tús na seachtóidí bhí sé ag obair ar thógáil stáisiún Raidió na Gaeltachta i gCasla anois nuair a tháinig Raidió na Gaeltachta ar an aer i naoi déag seachtó a dó ar feadh dhá uair an chloig. 'Chuile oíche shíl daoine nach mairfeadh sé sé mhí dhá mbeadh a fhios acu an sórt coincréit a bhí Pádraic Ó Gionnáin a mheascadh. Bheadh a fhios acu ní b'fhearr.

Beside him is this fine man, Pádraic Ó Gionnáin from Cill Ghallagáin, a sheep farmer and fisherman. He spent a good part of his life working in England but when he came home at the start of the seventies he was working on building the Radio na Gaeltachta station in Casla, and when Radio na Gaeltachta went on air in nineteen seventy-two for two hours. Every night people thought it wouldn’t last six months if they knew the kind of concrete Pádraic Ó Gionnáin was mixing. They would know better...

Sé

Six.

Fear rómánsúil é bíodh is nach bhfuil aon chreidiúint aige bláthanna ná seacláidí a thabhairt ag bean.

He is a romantic man even though he doesn’t believe in giving flowers or chocolates to a woman.

Ach is fileata spioradálta uaidh cur síos a dhéanamh ar an áilleacht atá timpeall ar a cheantar féin i nDún Chaocháin.

But it is a poetic, spiritual thing for him to describe the beauty that is around his own area in Dún Chaocháin.

Lena thaobh siúd is beannaithe í i measc na bhfear tá Mary John Tom ar an nglais taobh thiar den Eachléim atá cónaí ar Mhary John Tom, áit a bhfuil radharc aici ar na hoileáin as a dtáinig a muintir 'Sé sin Oileáin Inis Gé, duine suáilceach flaithiúil fáiltiúil í le dhul ar cuairt aici agus ní áibhéil ar bith bean tí a thabhairt uirthi chomh maith lena clann féin a thógáil tá na céadta eile cothaithe aici lena glór binnbhriathrach idir pháistí, coláistí Gaeilge, scoláirí a bhíonns ag déanamh taighde agus, ar ndóigh, lucht éisteachta Raidió na Gaeltachta.

Beside her, she is blessed among men, there is Mary John Tom on the green behind Eachléim where Mary John Tom lives, a place where she has a view of the islands from which her people came, that is, the Inis Gé Islands, she is a pleasant, generous, welcoming person to visit and it is no exaggeration at all to call her a housewife as well as raising her own family, she has fed hundreds of others with her sweet, eloquent voice among children, Irish college students, scholars doing research and, of course, the listeners of Raidió na Gaeltachta.