AAA Test

In this lesson we will hear and read the first part of the story Oisín i dTír na nÓg. But before we do, let’s have a look at ten words that will come up in the story. Are there any you understand right away?

Breith Oisín

Let’s read and listen to Cathal tell the story of the birth of Oisín.

Fadó fadó in Éirinn, nuair a bhí draíocht fós ann, agus an tír ar fad clúdaithe le crainn agus na coillte sin lán le hainmhithe allta, bhí na Fianna ina gcónaí i gCnoc Alúine. Ba iad na Fianna na laochra ab fhearr in Éirinn agus ba é Fionn mac Cumhail a gceannaire.

Lá amháin, bhí Fionn agus na Fianna amuigh sa choill ag seilg. D’éirigh go maith leo, agus bhí siad ag filleadh abhaile le cúpla torc allta agus mála lachan nuair a chonaic siad fia sna crainn gar do Chnoc Alúine.

Chuaigh siad sa tóir air ach bhí cúnna Fhinn, Bran agus Sceolán, ní ba thapa agus shroich siad an fia ar dtús. Ní dhearna siad aon dochar don fhia, áfach, ach thosaigh an dá chú ag spraoi leis. Nuair a tháinig Fionn agus na Fianna a fhad leo, thuig siad nach fia a bhí ann i ndáiríre ach bean faoi gheasa.

Thóg siad an fia ar ais go Cnoc Alúine agus chuaigh éifeacht na draíochta in éag. In áit fia bhí bean álainn darbh ainm Sadhbh. Dúirt sí leo gur chuir draoi cumhachtach faoi dhraíocht í mar níor ghlac sí leis mar leannán. Chuir sé Sadhbh i riocht fia ach thuig sí nach raibh cumhacht ag an draíocht sin ag Cnoc Alúine agus d’éalaigh sí ón draoi.

Bhí Sadhbh chomh séimh agus álainn gur thit Fionn féin i ngrá léi agus chaith siad cúpla bliain go sona sásta le chéile i gCnoc Alúine. Ach ansin bhí ar na Fianna Éire a chosaint nuair a bhagair na Lochlannaigh ar an tír, agus chuaigh Fionn agus na laochra ó thuaidh chun an ruaig a chur ar naimhde na hÉireann.

Nuair a tháinig siad abhaile tar éis an chatha, ní raibh Sadhbh sa dún. Rinne siad cuardach ar na coillte gar do Chnoc Alúine, ach ní raibh sí ann. Chuaigh siad fud fad na tíre ach ní raibh rian de Shadhbh le fáil áit ar bith. Ní raibh tásc ná tuairisc uirthi, agus d’fhill siad go Cnoc Alúine. Bhí Fionn croíbhriste.

Agus iad gar don dún, áfach, san áit chéanna a bhfuair siad Sadhbh ar dtús i riocht fia, tháinig siad ar bhuachaill óg. D’fhéach Fionn ar a aghaidh agus thuig sé láithreach gurbh é seo a mhac féin le Sadhbh. Thóg sé an buachaill abhaile go Cnoc Alúine leis, agus thug sé Oisín air, ainm a chiallaíonn “fia óg”.

(A translation of this story can be found in Súil Siar 1.)

Achoimre ar an Scéal

Choose the right words to complete this summary of the story.

A full translation of the story can be find in this module’s review.

Saibhreas: Aidiachtaí

Adjectives can add a lot of colour to what you’re saying or writing. Here is a list of the adjectives in the story above.

Cora Cainte: finding and losing

Another interesting feature of any language is cora cainte, or idioms. These colourful expressions can sometimes be tricky if you’re not familiar with them. For instance, imagine you were learning English and heard somebody say, “It’s raining cats and dogs” – it can’t literally be true so there must be some particular idiomatic meaning.

So if you come up against a phrase which feels a bit strange when translated literally, maybe it is one of these idioms. In this case, we can work out a lot from the context. What do you think the speaker is probably trying to say?

And these expressions can also be used in more than one context. In English we use the word “flood” for a large overflow of water, but what does it mean when we say someone is in “floods of tears” or that people “flooded into the stadium”? A bit of flexible thinking can help a lot.

Here are three examples from the story above. Can you work out what they mean from context?

If you come across a phrase that seems a bit tricky to translate, of course it’s worth searching for it online. Usually the online dictionaries Foclóir and Teanglann include lots of these cora cainte.

And don’t forget to start incorporating these cora cainte into your own speech – they are a definitely a fun and evocative way to express yourself in Irish.

Fuaim: ch

And here are two example sentences to help you practise. Listen and repeat each sentence aloud.

Test yourself!

Listen to the recordings and choose the right word from the drop-down menu.

Learning Tip