VARIOUS PROVERBS, &c., FROM CORK.
1. Is breaġ an saoġal ort, a ṁic ó, mar (muna) an déirc a ḋeireaḋ ḋuit, you have fine times, my lad, if poverty is not the end of it. Má’s eaḋ féin, is aoraċ an obair é,, even so, ’tis an easy life. A ṁic ó is frequent. c.f., boyo in English; by boyo or lado in many places is meant a scamp, Déirc, literally charity, = Dé-ṡeirc, God-love.
2. Ná beir leat gur mise duḃairt é, don’t bring away the impression that ’twas I said it.
3. Ar ṁaiṫe leis féin ḋeineann an cat crónán, for its own good the cat purs.
4. Dá mbeiḋeaḋ coigeann ag an gcat, is minic a raċaḋ sé dá ḟeuċaint, if the cat had a churn, ’tis often he’d go to inspect it; or, ba ṁinic a ḃas ann, he’d often have his paw in it (ag deánaṁ or ag bualaḋ maistreaḋ) is also used for “making a churning.”)
5. Tá ceoḃraon ann, there is a mist. There are many words for mist, ceo, cuisne, ceoḃrán, ceofarnaċ, cafarnaċ, ceobarnaċ
6. Ag pógaḋ an leinḃ le gráḋ do’n mbanairtle (banaltra), kissing the child for love of the nurse, humouring people who can influence others. Tá sé mar a cruṫuiġeaḋ aḃras fé, he is as he was made to be, lit., as his material was shaped; aḃras, web of cloth.
8. Ní caṫair mar a ṫuairisg Corcaig, Cork is not as (great as) its name.
9. Go réiḋiḋ Dia an bóṫar dá anam, may God smooth the way for his soul.
10. Ólfad anois é, agus ólfad mo ḋaoisgín ar ball é, I’ll drink it now, and my child will drink it bye-and-bye. Said by a nurse.
11.Go ndíolair d’ ḟiaċla le Dia na glóire, may you pay your debts to the God of glory (in this world, and thus escape punishment in the next). [ 89 ]12. Tá an bainne ag dul in aḋarcaiḃ na mbó, the milk is going into the cows’ horns. Said when they are getting dry.
13. Tá sé sa ṁuilionn orm, ’tis failing on me, lit., going into the mill.
14. Cuir do ḃóṫar ḋíot, béiḋ do raṫ go h-eudtrom ort. Má’s eadtrom, is fusa ḋom é iomċar, start off, your luck will be light; if so, ’twill be easier to carry. The word bóṫar is often omitted, as, cuir ḋíot, go a-head, start; ḃí sé ag cur ḋe, he was going a-head.
15. Níor ċaill fear an ċodlata riaṁ é, the man of sleep (who sleeps) never lost it. Said by a sluggard.
16. Nuair ḃiḋeann an bolg lán, biḋeann na cnáṁa aig iarraiḋ an tsuaiṁnis, when hunger is satisfied, the bones want rest.
17. Cionnos atá do ġarraiḋe ag teaċt ar aġaiḋ? Ní’l sé ar fóġnaṁ; d’ḟágas fé Ḋia é, agus d’ḟág Dia fúm-sa é, agus eadrainn araon d’imṫiġ an diaḃal air, how is your garden doing? ’Tis not doing well; I left it to God, and God left it to me, and between us both, it went to the bad.
18. Mara (muna) ḃfuil sé san sparán agam, tá sé ’sna cnáṁa agam, if I haven’t it in my purse, I have it in my bones (reply of a lazy man).
19. Fear fuar failliġeaċ. Fear breaġ breun. Examples of alliteration. Fear fuar fada feusógaċ failli- ġeaċ.
20. Tá a dóiṫin d’ḟear ann, he’s a good enough husband for her; so, also, tá a ḋóiṫin de ṁnaoi innte.
21. Nuair ḃiḋeann an leaḃar agam, ní ḃiḋeann an léiġeann agam, when I have the book, I have not the learn- ing, i.e., don't know how to act, when I have the opportunity.
22. Taḃartas Ui Chaoiṁ, agus a ḋá ṡúil ’na ḋiaiḋ, O’Keeffe's gift, and his two eyes offer it, For O’Keeffe, Uí Ḃriain and Uí Néill are also used; the former seems to be right, as it has assonance with ḋiaiḋ.
23. Bás na gcat san earraċ ċuġat, the cat’s death in spring to you!
24. Briseaḋ a’s brúġaḋ ar do ċnáṁaiḃ, breaking and bruising on your bones. In Cork, also, cosa circe fút, a’s iad go briste fút, hens’ feet under you, and they broken.
25. Basgaḋ a’s beárnaḋ ort, beating and injury (gapping) to you.
26. Ní ċeadóċainn ar m’ anam é, I would not wish it (permit it) for my life. [In the West is said, ní ċeidneóċainn, or sometimes ní ċreidneóċainn. Also níor ċeidniġṫe liom. They also use cuṁa; ní ċuirfinn púnt ’na ċuṁa, I would not wish it for a pound.— E. O’G.]
27. Níor ċeaduiġṫe ḋuit ar ḃróig do ċoise deise é, ’twould be a hazard for you.
28. Ba lag lioṁ é a ḋeanaṁ air, I would think it beneath me (weak, mean) to do it to him.
29. Trosgaḋ an ċuit ċeann-ḟinn; iṫeann feoil a’s ní olann bainne, the fast of the white-headed cat, it eats meat, and does not drink milk (compare “strain at a gnat but swallow a camel.”)
30. Is fear fial é Seaġan, nuair ḃiḋeann a ḃolg féin lán, John is generous when he himself is satisfied.
31. Ní mairtre (martra) go daille agus ní daille go buile, no martyrdom great as blindness, no blindness so great as madness.
32. Leiġeaḋ caḃair na h-aḃann ort, the melting of the froth of the river in you.
[ 90 ]33. Imṫeaċt gé an oileáin ort, imṫeaċt gan filleaḋ go bráṫ ort, the banishment of the geese of the island to you, never to return.
34. Is mairg a ḃiḋeann i dtír gan duine aige féin, mar is i lá na bruiġne a luiḋeann an bata (buille) ar a ṫaoḃ; ’s nuair a ṫarroc ċum cille ní ḃiḋeann a ċaraid ’n a ḋéiḋ, woe to him who is alone in a land. ’tis in the day of strife the stick (blow) shall fall (lie) on his side, and when he is buried his friend shall not follow his remains. What is tarroc?
35. Cia b’é ṫeiḋeann as nó naċ dteiḋeann as, ní ṫeiḋeann fear na h-eadaragála as, whoever escapes or does not escape, the intervener (peacemaker) does not escape. Eadaragála may be for eadarġaḃála, or for eadargána, gen. of eadargáin, intervention. In Meath, eadarsgáin is said, and in English (!) the old people say, “A. and B. were disputing, and C. was making a dhiriscaun between them.”
36. Dá mbeiḋead soineann go Saṁain, ḃeiḋeaḋ breall ar ḋuine éigin, if there was calm weather to November, some one would have a surly face (would be discontented).
There is another application of this proverb in Munster, which would seem to be more correct, viz., “If there was fine weather till November, someone would be behindhand or in a backward state (with his harvest).” Breall=unhandiness, awkwardness. This is probably the original sense. It is so used in Donegal. Tá breall ort would there be said to a person who had let some crockery fall on the floor, so that it was smashed. The word breall is losing its proper meaning in many parts of Munster, as it is often understood to signify “a cross look.”—J. H. L.]
37. Is eusguiḋe neoin ioná maidin. [This has been already given; there is another application of it in Louth, that one is “suppler” in the midday than in the morning. Also thus in Scotland.—J. H. L]
[New words in above: ceoḃraon, cuisne, ceofarnaċ, ceobarnaċ, cafaruaċ, bunairtle, daoisgín, bearnaḋ, ceaduiġ, ceiduiġ, creiduiġ, cuṁa, mairtre, eadaragála, -gána, eadarsgáin, breall. Doubtful: tarroc. Proverbs requiring further explanation, Nos. 13, 23, 32.]