Mac Rìgh Èireann fo gheasaibh gus am faigheadh e a-mach mar...

Original Track ID

SA1972.38.A-39.A1

Original Tape ID

SA1972.038

Summary

The King of Ireland's sent put under a spell to find out how the Tuairisgeul Mòr died.

The King of Ireland's son met a rider while hunting and they began to play cards. The King of Ireland's son won the first two days, winning a woman and a brown mare. The rider won the third day and he put a spell on the King of Ireland's son to find out how the Tuairisgeul Mòr died. The King of Ireland's son then put the rider under a spell to stand with his feet on different mountains till his return. The King of Ireland's son then set off with the brown mare and with letters the woman gave him to give to her father and her people.

After many events her uncle guided the King of Ireland's son to his brother's house to get information about the Tuairisgeul Mòr. He was the father of the woman. He in turn sent him to the older brother in the family who guided him to where there was a very old man in a cradle. He exchanged the mare for the old man but kept the reins which had supernatural powers. The old man guided him to where there was a cauldron and a sword buried under rushes. He wrote the tale on the sword.

The old man then told him his life history. He was a king's son who had been placed under a spell by a wicked foster mother turning him into a dog. He then killed his foster mother's sheep and was chased on to a sea rock. A sea captain rescued him. The captain took him ashore and left him with a newly married couple. When the wife bore children they were always stolen by a hand which came through the wall and the dog was always blamed. When the third child was born, the dog bit off the hand which came through the wall, but another hand appeared, stealing the child. When they followed the trail of blood it led them to a cave on an island. The dog killed the man who had stolen the children and the children were brought home.

When the captain returned, the dog gave him a great welcome and the captain said he would never part with him again. When they returned to sea, a storm arose and they were shipwrecked, but the dog saved all the crew. They made for a house and this happened to be the dog's father house. The father had died but the wicked stepmother was still alive. She tried to use her magic wand on him again and he turned into a man. He told the whole story and the stepmother was put to death.

The old man asked him to place him under the cauldron and to return the rushes over it. He looked a while later and there were only some bones of the Tuairisgeul Mòr left. He shook the reins and the mare appeared. He returned home with the woman's father and relatives. They made a great feast and he told how the Tuairisgeul Mòr died. They killed the Tuairisgeul Òg who had placed him under the spell and he married the woman he had won.

Recording Location

Language

Gaelic

Genre

Story

Collection

SoSS

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good