Ulster Archaeological Society

A Dialogue in the Ulster Dialect, "Wrote down, Prentet, and Put out, Jist the Way the PeopleSpakes"Source: Ulster Journal of Archaeology, First Series, Vol. 6 (1858), pp. 40-46Published by: Ulster Archaeological SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20608855 .

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40

A DIALOGUE IN THE ULSTER DIALECT, "WROTE DOWN, PlIENTET, AND PUT OUT, JIST THE WAY THE PEOPLE SPAKES."

INTRODUCTION.

One day, in the month of December, in the " dark days" that happen at Christmas, a farmer of

very small holding returned from his daily employment. EIe was known as "wee Jemmy McCreedy," of the townland of Balinastarvet, which lies on the side of a mountain. His crop of

potatoes had failed him; his Hollantide rent was unpaid yet, and the agent had sent him a notice. Poor man, he felt age creeping on him; besides, he was weak and desponding, and troubles had

made his wife peevish. Though it's wrong to " come over"1 what's private, or "I let on" " ins an

oults" of a quarrel, yet the Btory may prove to be useful, and they suffer nothing by scandal.

J EM MY.

Auch ! auch! there's another day over, Au' the year's comin' fast to an endin';

But two or three sich will desthroy me, For my cough's gettin' worse, an' I'm waker. Oh 1 Betty MWCreedy, what ails ye, That ye can't keep a wee bit o' fire on ?

Go 'long, bring some clods 2 from the turf-stack, For my toes an' my fingers is nippin." 3

BE T TY.

What's the manin' ov all this norration, 4 An' me lookin' after the childhre'? A'm sure, both my ancles is achin'

With throttin' about since the momin'. If ye hey been outside for a wee while, It's many another's condition.

Aa' the days is n't long; A can tell ye,

It's har'ly an hour since yer dinner. An' Jemmy, A may as well say it,

I Repeat. 3. Painful with cold. 2. Fragments of peats or turves. 4. Noise, quasi " orationtt."

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41

There's no tuse at all in desavin', It's crosser anld crosser ye're gettin', Till mny very heart's scalded wi' sorra. Deed en' doubles 5 A'll bear it no longer,

I n, x x y .

Well, Betty, bad luck to the liars, But there's one of us greatly mistaken. 3From mornlin till day-li't-goin' 6 workin, Cleanin' corn 7 on the top o' the kmowe 8 head, The wvine whistled roun' ne like bag-pipes, An' cut me in two like a razre.

A thrim'let an' shluck like an aspy, 9

While the dhraps from my nose, o' cod wather, Might 'a! dhrowNded 10 a middle-sized I litlin'.

B nY

0ch! indeed yer a scar-crow, 12 that's sartin; Lord help the poor woman 13 that owes ye; But ye needn't bo eursin' an' swearin' A ' still castin' up 14 an upbraidin'. If ye think there's a liar between -as, List look in the glass an' ye'll see hiim. (Oh! the bitterest words in his gizzud '5 Is the best A cart git tlhram my husband.)

Will ye nivver leo af? aggravatin' ? Now quct 16 an' hev done. A forbid ye.

) T T Yw

Oh, indee 'twas yerself 't begun it, So A'll give ye baek-talk 17 til yc're tired.

There was Tohnny Xincaid in the loei'1

5. Repetition of an asseveration, like" verily, verily." 86 Twilgbht ;-the derivation is obvious.

7. Oats, 8. A knoll; as pow for poll, row for roll, scraw for

scroll, .P. Aspen. 10. A jocular idiom: 'a' is the unemphatic abre

viation for b c tive." I11, Ktling, a, litte ca.t, viz. aw kitesn, Similar dliminu

tiOes are dok4ling, gos-ling, der-ling (a little dear.) 12. A flgure resembling a maun, intended to fighton

bhrds. 13. An idiomnatic expression for "wife." 14. Reminding one of offeenoes. 15. Contemptuous oxpression for heart. 16. Cease; from " quit," 17. Responses or replications. 18. A country lane or " boreen."

VOL. VI.

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42

Was afther me more nor a twel'month,

When you hadn't yit come across me, 19

But A hedn't the luck for to git him.

He's a corpolar20 now on a pension,

An' keeps up his wife like a lady,

An's nate an' well dhrest on a Sunday. J E M M Y.

Well, well! but there's no use in talkin',

Hlis crap disn't fail him in harvest; An' forby, 21 Paddy Shales isn't paid yet For makin' the coat that I'm wearin'.

More 22 betoken, it wants to be mended,

But ye nivver touch needle nor thim'le. There's my wais'coat is hingin' in ribbons,

With only two buttons to houll' it; An' my breeches in dyuggins 23 an' totthers, Till A 24 can't go to mcetim' on Sunday.

BETTY.

Och! have done with yer schamin' religion, For ye nivver wos greedy for Gospel.

Deed, bad luck to the toe 25 ye'd go near it,

If we cloth'd ye as fine as Square Johnst,on.

Ye wud slunge 2ti at the backs o' the ditches, 27

With one or two others, yer fellas, 28

A huntin' the dogs at the rat-holes. JEMMY.

But I'm used to be clanely an' dacent,

An' so wos my father afore me;

An' how can a man go out-bye, when

His clo'es is all out at the elbo-ws ?

B E T T Y .

WeH, yer hat disn't need any patchin',

An' A'm sure it;s far worse nor the t'others;

19. Idiom for, " I had not met with vou." 20. (Corporal. 21. Besides. 22 An additional fact to the purpose. 23 Scraps or shreds, 24. This is the form of the first pf rsonal pronoun

when unemphatic; and in similar circumstances "your" becomes yer, " you" ye or yay, " me" or "t my" "ay, &c.

2.5. L rrgth of a toe, as foot, h:nd, cubit, nail, & . 26 Lounge. 27. Dikes or fences. 28. Equals or fit companions.

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43

I bought it myself in the market, From big Conny Collins, that made it, For two shillins, an? share of a nag"irn. 29

See, the brim is tore off like brown paper, Till ye're jist like a Connaughtman nager. 30

An' then, as for darnin' yer stoekin' s, As well thiink ov monedin' a riddle.

Why a woman's kep throttin' behine ye, Till she can't do a turL, nor a foundet. 31

J n x t sr

Now, jist let me alone;. an' believe me, If ye don't houl' your tongue in one minute, An' git me my supper o' sowins, 32

The same as ye say'd in the mornin', A'll warm all the wax in youLr ears,33 An' we'l see which desarves to be masther.

r, T T Y .

Ohe! ye mane-hearted o owartly scrapins, Is that the mischief 34 that ye're uip to ? 35

Ye wiid jist lift your hand 36 to a woman, That ye ought to purtect an' to comfort. See here,37-ye're a beggarly cowart; If -ye seen yr matehl38 sthxipt an' fornenst39 ye, Ye wud wish to creep intil a mouse-hole. 40 So ye needn't be curlin' yor eyebrows,

An' &ara&n' yer fist like to sthrek me. God be thonkit the tongs is beside me An' as woll soon as syne, A may tell ye,

If ye offer to stir up a rippet, 41

29 The parties drank it unitedly. This is a frequent eustom, and is sanetioned by the Bacchanalian proverb, "there's no luck in a dthry bargain."i

30. Negro, the term being used in the general sense of savage just as 1 Indian" is in correct language.

31. inything whatever. 32. Flummery. 33. A periphrasis for boxing the ears. 34. The word was formerly pronounced in this way,

before the practice was so common of throwing back the

accent towards the commencement 35. Designing or intending. 36. A periphrasis for "' strike." 37. A frequent expletive, used for the, purpose of in

creasing the attention of the hearer. 38. A person of equal capacity, 39. Fore anent, i.e. opposite to. 40. An exaggeration, frequently used in colloqliatl

intercourse. 41. A racket, or violent distur1'ance.

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44

An' thinks that ye're imperance 42 cows 43 me,

All the veins in ye're heart 44 ye shall rue it.

If ye dar for till venthur to hit me, 45 '

See, by this an' by that, ye'll repent it.

A'll soon comb46 yer head with the crook-rod, 47

Or sen' its contents shinin' through ye. 48

JEMMY.

Well, ov all the oul weemin in Ulsther,

A nivver seen wan so curnaptious; 49

It's ivver an' always ye're scouldin', An' still fini' fault with a body, 50

For the turain' o' sthroes, 51 or for nothin'.

Yer tongue wud 52 clip clouts jist like sheers. An' from mornin' till duskiss 53 it's endless.

A'm sure if A wos for to bate ye,

An' give ye yer fill ov a lickin',

It isn't yer neighbours 54 desarves it; But A wudn't purtend to sitch maneness, Nor even my wit 55 till a woman.

B T TTY .

It's the best o' yer play 56 A can tell ye,

An' now that ye're comin' to rason, Let me ax where ye met yer companions ?

Ye've been dhrinkin'; ye needn't deny it; Now don't look so black at me that 'ay,

Nor sin yer poor sowl -wi' more lyin'.

Can't A see that ye smell lilke a puneheon? 57

(Oh! the Lord 58 in his marcy look on me,

42. Impudence, 43. Intimidates ; used by Scott, in the Lady of the

Lake, " as your tinchel cows the game."

44. Compare this expression with Cushlarna-clme 45. This verb is mainly used to denote striking with the

fist ; imperfect, hot, or hut, occasionally used 46. Contemptuous menace to strike bim on the bead 47. An iron instrument, for suspending the pot on a

cottager's fire. 48. There is a mixture of figures here, tho latter de

rived from a gun. 49. Quarrelsome and petulant. 50. An impersonal pronoun. 5L Trifles, i.e., the turning of straws.

52. Is unusually sharp. 53- Dusk, or twilight. 54. Every branch of the Hibernic dialect abounds

with indirect expressions like this, 55. Degrade my understanding. 56. Your best policy. This and other expressions :? " take yer dalin' thriek out o' them,"

' what's thrumph ?" " take a han* ; " " as black as the ace o' spades';'* *'the

five fingers," (live of hearts), &c, appear to be derived from the practice of card-playing.

57. A puncheon of " liquor," [whiskey] of course.

58. By the lower orders the Deity is seldom spoken of as *'

God," bat usually as ?* the Lord.''

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45

A dissolate Ileart-bruekoen woman, Whlile my cross-grained oul' snool b9 of a husban'

lIuns spondin' his money witlh blackguards.) 60

Will ye nivver ha' done aggravatin' ? 61 Whly, tlhe patience o' Job eucln't stan' ye.

It's asy for you to be talkin',

List sittin' at home on ycr hunkers, 032

An' bunin' ye shins at the greeshaugh. 63

Oh! I know very well what yo're after,64 Ye wor spendin' yer money with weemen. Lord forgive ye, ye gray-headed SXinnr, I suLppose you'll be poeisonin' ma nixt. It's that malkes ye crooked an' fractious, 65

In the house with yer wife an' yer clhildthre.

J L cy . w

Will ye wlislit66 wi' yer capcrs67an' blethers,68 Before ye hev (clhriv me quite crazy, Ana' A'll tell ye it from the beginnin'. Yer oia' unclo Billy conic ptst me About half a hour afore sun-set,

An' ho said we miglt sheiough 69 a Minte

In Okey McCooisthcr's shibbeen. 70

It wos him that stuid7 th atc for the both of LLs; An'good 72 luck to tho dlhrap bud a "Yoie," 73

Cross'didy oorp74 since re-yestherdlaybmomin'. The d-l a mortyal was near us,

He ax'd for yerselC very kino-ly; An' siz I as for Bet, poor rather,

Mh A sneaking ?? Molly Caudle" of a man.

60. This word is used in the restricted sense, of a person obscene in his language and actions.

61. Annoying, or provoking to anger. 62. Squatting without a seat. 63. Red ashes. 64. What you mean. 60, Irritable. 66. Hush. 67. Foolish actions.

68* Foolish talk, or nonsense. 69. Gossip in friendly confidence. 70. A cottage in which whiskey is sold without a

license. 71. Paid for what was drunk. 72. Aeuphonismfor 'bad luck-" 73. Half-a-glass? 74. Passed my body, [ie? my lips.] 75. The day before yesterday,

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46

She's gettin' more donsy 76 nor ever;

An' can't sleep a wink for rheumaticks,

Forbye both the weed77 an' the tooth-ache."

Poor Billy appear'd very sorry, An' say'd he'd call over to see you.

" Och," siz I, " but I'm badly78 myself, too,

An' still gittin' ouldther an' waker; A'm afcard A'll be soon lavin' 79 Betty,

Poor widdy, without a purtacter.

But A'll make out my will in her favour;

An' she'll may-be live happy, in comfort,

When I'm put to bed with a shovel." 80

BES Tl T .

Now, Jemmy, ye mustn't talk that 'ay;

See, ye've set me a cryin' already,

An' my heart's in my81 mouth like a turmit.82

Poor fella, ye're kine at the bottom,

An' A'll nivver-more taze nor torment ye.

Why, yer poor bits o' breeches is wringin', 83

With the damp that comes on at this sazon.

Sit down on that furm84 by the hollan'85

An' I'll brisk up the fire in a jiffey; 86

An' see, here's half-an-ounce o' tobacky,

Ye can jist take a dhraw o' the dudyen, 87

While the tay in the pot is confusin'.

There's no time for a wee bit o' slim-cake, 88

So I'll jist whip 89 across to the hunter's 90

For a bap, 91 that agrees with yer stomacb,

Or two penny roulls, an' some bacon. E.

81. This expresses the sensation caused by fright. 82. Turnip. 83. Saturated. 84. Form, or long bench. 85. A jamb to protect the fire from the wind of the

door. It was introduced from Holland, and usually has in the centre a triangular spying hole.

86. An instant. 87. A small pipe. This term is of Celtic origin, and

is frequently represented by **

cutty," 88. Bread made from flour and potatoes. 89- Move quickly. 91. A spongy cake of loaf bread. 90. Grocer's.

76- Delicate in health. 77. A short feverish attack, to which women are some

times liable. 78. Unwell. 79. The Irish have many circumlocutory expressions

to represent dying. Thus, a man is ?'disaysed;" [i.e. deceaed.] or ?'departed;*' or "gone to glory;" or# " there's his place empty;"

" they have lost one of the

place ;*' he is " undther board ;" there's " a wake in the

family ;" and if he was executed, he merely ** suffered ;"

or was ** put down." Even when foul play is suspected,

it is mildly suggested that some one " helped God Al

mighty away with the crathur," SO, Buried.

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