Laa n’Ollick as Laa n’Ollck Beg
Lá Nollag a’s Lá Nollag Beag
Christmas Day and New Year Day
Row shiu rieau goll er y ‘Quaaltagh[1]?’
Robh siu riamh gol air a’ Comhaltach?’
Did you ever go on the ‘quaaltagh’?
Va dy jarroo, agh atreih!
Bha da dearbh, ach a truaigh[2]!
Yes indeed, but alas!
Cha nel ny Manninee cur monney geill da’n chenn chliaghtey nish
Chan eil na Manannaigh cur mona géill da’n tsean chleachta ’nois
The Manx people don’t pay much heed to the old customs now
Bleeantyn er-dy-henney[3], b’oayllagh[4] ny guillyn aegey goll er ny thieyn Oie’ll Voirrey as Laa ‘n Ollick Beg
Bliantan air-da-sheine, b’eólach na goillean éaga gol air na taigheann Oíche’l (i. oíche Fhéile) Mhoire as Lá Nollag Beag
Years ago, the young boys used to go (around) on the houses on Christmas Eve and New
Year’s Day
Ec y dorrys yinnagh peiagh aa-loayrt ny goan shoh:
Aig a’ doras dhéanadh péachach a labhairt na gothan[5] seo:
At the door, (a person) one would recite these words:
Ollick ghennal[6] erriu[7] as blein feer vie
’Ollaig gheanail oraiu as bliain fíor mhaith
A Merry Xmas on ye, and a very good year
Seihll as slant da’n clane[8] lught-thie
Saol as sláint’ da’n c-slán[9] lucht taigh
Long life and health to the whole family
Bea as gennallys[10] eu bio[11] ry-cheilley
Beatha as geanaileas aiu bio re-chéile
Life and merriment living together
Shee as graih eddyr mraane as deiney
Síth as gráidh eadar mrán as daoine
“Peace and love ‘twixt women and men”
Cooid as cowryn[12], stock as stoyr
Cuid as comharan, stoc as stór
Goods and wealth, stock and store
Palchey phuddase[13] as skeddan dy-liooar
Pailte phudás as scadán da leor
Plenty potatoes and herring enough
Arran as caashey, eeym as roayrt[14]
Aran as cáise, ím as reothart[15]
Bread and cheese, butter and beef
Baase myr lugh ayns uhllin ny soalt
Bás mar luch anns uileann na sabhalt
Death like a mouse in the corner of the barn
Cadley[16] sauchey[17] tra vees shiu ny Ihie
Cadla sáibhte tráth bhidheas siu na laighe
Sleeping safe when you’ll be in bed
As feeackle y jiargan[18] nagh bee dy mie
As fiacal a’ dearga(i)nn nach bidh da maith
And the tooth of the flea, may it not be good
Eisht veagh guilley lesh y kione dhoo cuirrit dy heet stiagh ayns y thie
Eist bheadh gille[19] leis a’ cionn[20] dubh cuirit da thíot ’steach anns a’ taigh
Then a dark-haired boy would be invited to enter the house
Va jough as greim dy vee currit da, yn chooid share v’oc ayns y thie
Bha deoch as greim da vee curait da, an chuid ’s fhearr bh’oc anns a’ taigh
Drink and a bite of food were given him, the best they had in the house
Tra v’ad giu[21], yiarragh y guilley
Tráth bh’ad guibhe, dhéaradh a’ gille
When they were drinking, the boy would say
Shoh slaynt as shee as eash dy vea, as maynrys son dy bragh
Seo sláint as síth as aois da bheatha, as meanras son da brách
Heres health and peace and age of life, and happiness for ever
[1]“THE first person who enters the house on New Year’s morning is called ” The Quaaltagh,” and it is a matter of considerable anxiety, particularly amongst the female portion of the household, that it should be a person of dark complexion, as a lighthaired male or a female is deemed unlucky (and a “agagh, a splay footed person, is considered as particularly so), to be the first-foot on that day, and many a plan is resorted to, in order to keep the unwelcome one outside, and many a sly peep is taken at the visitor, to ascertain if it is the desired one.” http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/manxsoc/msvol16/p135.htm;
“quaaltagh (G comh-dhaltach) n. [kwæ:ltax] JBo, [kwaltʰax] DK ‘first-foot’” (Boderick, John Rhŷs and his Manx Gaelic notebooks of his visits to the Isle of Man (1886-1893)
[2]Deirtear mar ‘troigh’ nó ‘treigh’ é déanta na fírinne.
[3] Cf. GÉ ó shin; GA bho shin (Bunadas).
[4] Cf. GÉ eolach (Bunadas). Neu-oayllagh ‘unacquainted’. neamh-eolach. (Broderick)
[5] Cf. Ir. ‘gothán’ – Broderick, George, “Prof. Sir John Rhŷs in the Isle of Man (1886–1893): linguistic material and texts”, in: Karl, Raimund, and Katharina Möller (eds), Proceedings of the second European Symposium in Celtic Studies: held at Prifysgol Bangor University from July 31st to August 3rd 2017, Hagen/Westfalen: curach bhán, 2018. 35–70.
[6] = GA geanail (Bunadas).
[7] = GÉ oraibh.
[8] = GÉ slán, i. ‘<tslán’.
[9] Admháin gur áit agus gránna fiú an litriú ‘c-slán’ do Ghaeilgeoirí na hÉireann, ach léiríonn sé an Ghaeilge Mhanann.
[10] “jollity, glee, joviality, jocularity, amiableness, cheerfulness, geniality, conviviality, mirth, chirpiness, bonhomie” (Online Manx Dictionary – OLMD).
[11] = GÉ beo. Is é [b´jo] an fuaimniú a léiríonn an litriú, ach b’fhéidir [bl´o:] agus [bljo:] freisin (Broderick 2016).
[12] “chattel(s), belongings, riches, effects (OLMD). Cf. cowrey (ScG. comharradh) (Broderick: 2016). Cf. GÉ comhartha. “cowrey= a sign, mark, omen, emblem, and the plural is “cowraghyn” the form “cowryn” means emblems of prosperity, wealth (Notaí Juan Y Geill).
[13] Cuireann an focal seo an leagan ‘purdas’ i gcuimhin dom, focal a bhí ag seanduine nó beirt i ndeisceart an Dúin ag deireadh an 20ú Chéad.
[14] “roayrt = the flood tide. hence a great flow of anything. Beef was
a great luxury in the hard times of long ago (Notaí Juan Y Geill).
[15] Cf. GÉ ‘rabharta’.
[16] = GÉ ‘codladh’.
[17] Cf. “(Ir. sá(i)bhte + -as) n. [sauʒəs], [sɔuʤəs] CK ‘safety’” (Broderick, 2016).
[18] = GA ‘deargann’.
[19] Bheadh sé chomh maith céanna an litriú ‘giolla’ a úsáid.
[20] = ceann.
[21] i. ag+ibhe. Cf. GÉ ‘ibhe’, GA ‘ibh’.
Tuairisceoir an Dúin 