743. Ciníochas sna Rannta

Ó dúirt bean rialta liom ag sochraid m’athar i 2016: Oh, you haven’t gone all Gaelic on us, have you? Ha ha ha, táim ag smaoinigh ar a d’fhoghlaim muid is muid óg. Dochar ar bith ins na rannta a mhúin siad dúinn, raight? Fan go bhfeicfimid. Bhí focal san rann seo thíos atá ag cur as dom le déanaí. Sin Paddywhack. Mé ag éisteacht le daoine ag caint faoi Paddywhackery le déanaí is sin a chuir ag smaoinigh mé ar an rann seo:

This Old Man
This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb,
With a knick-knack, Paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played two,
He played knick-knack on my shoe,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played three,
He played knick-knack on my knee,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played four,
He played knick-knack on my door,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played five,
He played knick-knack on my hive,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack on my sticks,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up in heaven,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played eight,
He played knick-knack on my gate,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played nine,
He played knick-knack on my spine,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played ten,
He played knick-knack once again,
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

Foilsithe ar dtús i 1906. Seans maith, áfach go raibh sé thart i bhfad roimh sin, fiú ag am an ghorta. Tá cumhacht ag focail. Tuigimid anois gur bhain Ring a Ring a Rosie leis an bplá. Céard a chiallaíonn na focail paddywhack agus knick-knack sa rann seo?

Úsáidtear an focal Paddy le tagairt mhaslach a dhéanamh d’Éireannaigh (fós). Ciallaíonn Whack buille láidir. Ciallaíonn knick-knack rud gan mórán luach leis. Freisin tá an bhrí cleas suarach nó dallamullóg leis san 16ú aois ach ní mhaireann an bhrí sin anois. Tá an focal Knackers againn sa Bhéarla fós agus téarma maslach atá ann. Fós, tá neart daoine ann a cheapann go bhfuil na tincéirí, na knackers ann le rudaí a robáil uainn. Mhair an ciníochas seo i bhfad agus seo an ciníochas is láidre in Éirinn anois.

Nuair a robáil na Sasanaigh ár dtír is bhí orainn cíos gan raibh againn a n-íoc do na daoine a ghoid an talamh uainn, bhí ar go leor daoine an bóthar a bhualadh is aon rud a bhí acu a dhíol, fiú rudaí gan mórán luach nó cleasanna a dhéanamh mar shiamsa le airgead a fháil is iad gan áit ná bia. Is a dtithe ar rothaí ag cuid acu bheadh siad ag rolling home nó b’fhéidir gur tagairt do mheisceoirí atá ann: bealach eile luach a bhaint dínn mar dhaoine, muid a mhaslú.

Nuair a chuaigh na tincéirí ó dhoras go doras, is minic a dúradh leo an bóthar a bhualadh. Ach leis an dehumanization ar fad a dhéantar le ‘coilíniú’ is minic a thug daoine whack do dhuine ag an doras nó ar an tsráid. Ciníochas. Cuid acu a chaitheadh cnámh go madra ach nach dtabharfadh greim le nithe dóibh.

Brí eile b’fhéidir leis an knick-knack sin. An raibh sé ag seinm Knick-knack? An na spúnóga atá i gceist anseo? Siamsa le ceol is na spúnóga mar uirlis: ar an nglúin srl

B’fhéidir é. Ciall leis.

Anois. Ar aghaidh linn go rann eile.

Goosey Goosey Gander

Goosey goosey gander,
Where shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady’s chamber.
And there I met an old man
Who wouldn’t say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg
And threw him down the stairs
Foilsithe ar dtús i 1784. Seans go raibh sé thart ón am a scar Henry VIII an Eaglais ón Róimh. Ciallaíonn an left leg sa rann Caitliceach. Chuardaigh daoine na tithe le greim a fháil ar Chaitlicigh. Bhí poll rúnda i dteach go minic le sagart a choinneáil i bhfolach ann dá mbeadh gá leis. Nach uafásach ar fad seanfhear a chaitheamh down the stairs mar sin mar Caitliceach a bhí ann.

Caitlicigh! Tincéirí! Paddywhackery!

In am dúinn a thuiscint an bhrí leo. Seo 2018. Bíodh rannta as Gaeilge sna scoileanna a mhúineann meas orainn féin dúinn, is cuma cé mhéad airgid nó cén reiligún atá againn.