Máire Ní Dhuibh agus Máire Chrón

Chuaigh Máire Chrón ó Ghleann Chárthaigh go Doire Fhíonáin leis an

cíos a dhíol lá. “Cad é an saghas talún atá agat?” arsa Máire Ní Dhuibh

léi. Do fhreagair Máire Chrón í ag cáineadh na talún mar nár

theas uaithi go n-ardófaí an cíos uirthi.

“Tá bascadh ‘na lár,

Agus báthadh’ na bhun,

A chúl leis an ngréin

Is a aghaidh ar an sioc”.

Más ea níor lig Máire Ní Dhuibh léithi é agus ar sise:

“Tá cois abhann síos ann,

Tá cois abhann suas ann

Foithin an lá fuar ann

Is fionnfhuaire an lá te.”

Prátaí an gnáth-bhia a bhíodh ag na daoine bochta an t-am úd.

“Cad é an saghas prátaí atá agaibh?” arsa Máire Ní Dhuibh

“Táim mion, fliuch, fánach, criochánach, piastach.

An ceann ramhar ‘na chailligh

Is an méid nár ith an seilmide

Dhóigh an ghrian iad.”

“Cad é an saghas fir atá agat? Arsa Máire Ní Dhuibh go foighneach.

“Fear fuar, fada, leadránach a chodlódh Earrach agus dhá

Gheimhreadh” do fhreagair Máire Chrón.

Is dócha nár ardaíoch an cíos ar Mháire Chrón an babhta san, a

bhuíochas san dá deisbhéalaí agus dá tráthúlacht cainte.

Bríd Bn. Uí Dhonnghaile

Ráithín

Máire Chrón, a tenant from Glencar, had to travel to Derrynane to pay

the rent to Máire Ní Dhuibh who owned the land in Glencar. At the

time Máire Ní Dhuibh had it in mind to raise the rent and she put the

direct question to Máire Chrón.

“What kind of land have you?”

Máire Chrón, who like Máire Ní Dhuibh could rhyme and compose,

started to dispraise Glencar as she hadn’t much money to pay a higher

rent.

“It has a morass in the middle

And a marsh at the bottom,

Its back to the sun

And its face to the frost.”

Máire Ní Dhuibh who knew well her property in Glencar, answered

praising the land.

“There is inch land above there

And good inch land below there

Shelter from the cold there

And shade from the sun.”

Potatoes were the main food at the time so Máire Ní Dhuibh asked her

tenant another direct question.

“What kind of potatoes have you?”

Máire Chrón answered without hesitation –

“They are small, wet, scattered, wormeaten,

The big ones empty in the middle

And what the snail didn’t eat

The sun destroyed.”

Máire Ní Dhuibh asked the third pointed question.

“What kind of man have you?”

“A cold, lanky, slow-going husband

Who would sleep a Spring and two Winters.”

We are not told if Máire Chrón got a rebate in her rent but she certainly

made a good case for it.

Written down from Mrs Bridie Donnelly, Raheen