'Ach cerbh i Peig Sayers?'

Niorbh i in aon chor an tseanbhean ologonach i ar chuir na glunta de dhaltai scoile aithne uirthi. Is leir o chuntais uathu siud arbh eol doibh i gur bhean ghramhar thuisceanach i a raibh acmhainn grinn inti; bean a fuair blas ar ghal tobac agus ar bhraoinin fuisce, agus a bhi oilte ar chraiceann a chur ar sceal.

Saolaiodh Peig i nDun Chaoin i gCo. Chiarrai i 1873. Thug si bua na scealaiochta lei ona hathair agus tugadh a sarchuimhne agus an le a bhi aici le comhluadar faoi deara go luath. Phos si iascaire on mBlascaod agus chaith si saol cruogach i dteaghlach lionmhar ag deanamh curaim don seisear leanbh lei a mhair.

Tugann Labharfad le Cach le cheile den chead uair na taifeadtai a thog an BBC agus RTE uaithi i 1946, 1947 agus 1953, mar aon le haistriuchain Bhearla orthu. Leirionn siad fairsinge repertoire Pheig idir scealta craifeacha, paidreacha, scealta romansacha, scealta faoin osadur agus cuntais ar an saol a caitheadh trath ar an oilean ach go bhfuil a chuimhne ag dul i leig anois.

'Who was that Peig Sayers?'

She was anything but the maudlin and old-fashioned Peig remembered by generations of school children. From the descriptions of those who met her, the real Peig emerges as a warm, wise and humorous woman, with an addiction to tobacco, a fondness for a sup of whiskey and a mastery of the art of 'spin'.

Born in Dun Chaoin in County Kerry in 1873, Peig learned the art of storytelling at her father's knee, and quickly became known for her sociable nature and excellent memory. Marrying a fisherman from the Great Blasket, she enjoyed a full life with a large extended family and the care of her six living children.

I Will Speak to You All collects, for the first time, in both Irish and English, the recordings made by the BBC and RTE of Peig Sayers in 1946, 1947 and 1953. They illustrate Peig's repertoire, ranging from religious stories and prayers to humorous, romantic, even supernatural tales, as well as descriptions of an island life that is passing from living memory.

About the Author

B'Ollamh Gradaim agus Iarcheann Roinn Bhealoideas Eireann e BO ALMQVIST sa Cholaiste Ollscoile, Baile Atha Cliath. Traidisiuin bheil agus tuiscinti traidisiunta Chrioch Lochlann agus na hEireann a reimse speisialtoireachta agus ta a lan foilsithe aige ar na habhair seo. Ta cuid mhor bailiuchain deanta aige o Bhlascaodaigh, go hairithe o Mhicheal O Gaoithin, mac Pheig Sayers agus o scealaithe eile i nDun Chaoin, Bab Feiritear mar shampla. Comheagarthoir e ar bhailiuchan da scealta, O Bheal an Bhab. Chuir se fein agus Padraig O Healai in eagar Peig Sayers: Labharfad le Cach | I Will Speak to You All (New Island, 2009). D'eag se sa bhliain 2013.

BO ALMQVIST was Emeritus Professor and a Former Head of the Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin. He specialised in Scandinavian and Irish folk literature and folk beliefs, and published widely on these topics. He also collected many stories from Blasket Islanders, in particular Peig Sayers' son, Micheal O Gaoithin, and other storytellers in Dun Chaoin, such as Bab Feiritear. He was a co-editor of the publication of her stories, O Bheal an Bhab. With Padraig O Healai, he edited Peig Sayers: Labharfad Le Cach | I Will Speak to You All (New Island, 2009). He died in 2013.

Iarleachtoir Sinsearach i Scoil na Gaeilge, Ollscoil na hEireann, Gaillimh, e PADRAIG O HEALAI. Bealoideas na tire seo a shainreimse leinn agus ta foilseachain iomadula aige ar ghneithe eagsula den abhar sin. Ta speis faoi leith curtha aige i scealta craifeacha, in oidhreacht an Bhlascaoid agus i dtraidisiuin faoin osnadur. Is iareagarthoir e ar an iris Bealoideas, agus mar aon le Bo Almqvist chuir se eagar ar Peig Sayers: Labharfad le Cach | I Will Speak to You All (New Island, 2009). An Blascaod Tri Fhuinneog na Scoile (2015) an leabhar is deanai uaidh, saothar eagarthoireachta ar chuntas muinteora ar a treimhse ag teagasc ar an mBlascaod nuair a bhi gus fos sa phobal ann.

PADRAIG O HEALAI is a retired Senior Lecturer in Modern Irish at NUI, Galway. His area of specialisation is Irish folklore and he has published on many aspects of this topic, including religious tradition, Blasket heritage and beliefs and practices associated with the supernatural. He is a former editor of the journal Bealoideas and with Bo Almqvist, he edited Peig Sayers: Labharfad Le Cach | I Will Speak To You All (New Island, 2009). Most recently he edited An Blascaod Tri Fhuinneog na Scoile (2015), a young teacher's account of her experience of life on the Great Blasket when it was still home to a vibrant community.

Book Information
ISBN 9781848408456
Author Padraig O Healai
Format Paperback
Page Count 334
Imprint New Island Books
Publisher New Island Books