Here’s a story from Múineadh Labhairt na Gaeilge sna Coláistí Samhraidh
I hope some daltaí can enjoy it. Good luck!

An Cat is An Luch

Fadó, fadó, bhí caint ag na beithigh.
Bhí muise, agus is iomaí argóint a bhíodh eatarthu freisin.
Bhuel, ar aon nós, ní faoi argóint atá mo scéalsa ach faoi gheallúint a bhriseadh.
Seo mar a tharla sé.

Lá amháin, bhí luch ina suí ar imeall bairille biotáille.
Bhí sí ag ól is ag ól agus dar ndóigh de réir mar a bhí sí ag ól, bhí an bheoir ag ísliú sa bhairille.
De réir mar a bhí an bhiotáille ag ísliú is ea is mó ab éigean don luch a cloigeann a ísliú ina diaidh.
Bhuel, bhí sí ag ísliú, is ag ísliú, is ag ísliú agus an chéad rud eile ‘plump’ thit sí i ndiaidh a mullaigh síos sa bhairille.

Ó a mhac! Is beag nár phleasc a croí leis an ngeit a baineadh aisti!
Thosaigh sí ag béicíl agus ag béicíl in ard a cinn is a gutha agus í ag iarraidh a bheith ag snámh timpeall ag an am céanna.

Chuala an cat an bhéicíl.
Léim sé suas ar imeall an bhairille agus nuair a chonaic sé an luichín ag snámh thosaigh sé ag gáirí is ag gáirí is ag gáirí.

‘Ó ar son Dé sábháil mé,’ arsa an luch.
‘Agus céard a thabharfaidh tú dom má shabhálaim thú ?’a deir an cat.
‘Tabharfaidh mé cead duit mé a ithe,’ a deir an luch.
‘An bhfuil tú cinnte ?’ a deir an cat.
‘Ó’ a deir an luch, ‘sin geallúint, cinnte.’
‘Tá go maith’ a deir an cat, sabháilfidh mé thú.’

Ach bhí deacracht ann ansin.
Cén chaoi a bhféadfadh sé an luch a shabháil?

Shín sé amach lapa amháin ach ní raibh sé sách fada.
Shín sé amach lapa eile ach ní raibh sé sách fada.
Ach ba ghearr gur chuimhnigh sé ar chleas.
D’iompaigh sé thart agus shín sé amach a eireball.

‘Beir ar m’eireball, a luichín,’a deir sé.
Rug an luichín ar a eireball agus tharraing an cat amach as an mbarrille é.
‘Horá’ a deir an cat, ‘céard faoin ngeallúint a thug tú dom?
‘Á, ná bac leis an ngeallúint sin anois,’ a deir an luichín, ‘bhí mé ag ól nuair a thug mé í.’

Questions to check comprehension:
Ceisteanna ( Leibhéal 1)
1. Cé mhéid ainmhithe atá sa scéal? _____________________________________
2. Cá raibh an luch i dtosach ? __________________________________________
3. Céard a bhí sí ag déanamh?___________________________________________
4. Céard a tharla di?___________________________________________________
5. Céard a rinne an cat?________________________________________________

Ceisteanna ( Leibhéal 2)
1. Cá raibh an luch ina suí nuair a bhí sí ag ól?______________________________
2. Céard a bhí sí ag ól?_________________________________________________
3. Cén fáth ar thit sí isteach sa bhairille?___________________________________
4. Céard a rinne an cat nuair a chonaic sé thíos sa bhairille í?__________________
5. Cén gheallúint a thug an luch don chat ?_________________________________

Ceisteanna ( Leibhéal 3)
1. An scéal faoi argóint é seo?
2. An bhfuil aon ainmneacha áite ina bhfuil an focal ‘Mullach’ ar eaolas agat?
3. An bhfuil aon bealach eile ‘as go brách léi' a rá?
4. Meas tú, an leithscéal maith é, an leithscéal a thug an luch don chat?
5. An raibh an ceart ag an luch geallúint a bhriseadh?

Ar fhoghlaim tú focail nua sa scéal ? ‘Bhfuil sé deacair nó easca ? An gcabhraíonn sé leat? Feedback welcome.

GRMA - Is breá liom é.

Go raibh maith agat Lucy.
Do you think I should add a list of the more difficult words with translations?
Eg. Bairille biotáille..... A barrel of spirits
Or is it better without a vocabulary list?

I'll try another story next week. If there's enough interest I'll keep going with it.

I'm not clever enough to read your stories yet but for those who are, you might consider having the story without the list of vocabulary and then having a link to such a list so that people who want one can access it.

Beir bua

Go raibh maith agat, a Chaitriona! Thaitin an scéal go mór liom. I would love to see more short stories here. This one was great practice.

I'm not sure you need to include a vocabularly list; áfach, bhí cupla focal nua dom, agus ní raibh siad i m'fhoclóir! Le do thoill, cad is brí le "geallúint" agus "beithigh"?

Riona's idea sounds good if you can do it. Otherwise, I'd say leave it out. Most times, you'll get the meaning from the sense of the story.

geallúint - a promise


beithíoch [ainmfhocal firinscneach den chéad díochlaonadh]
ainmhí ceathairchosach; ainmhí feirme.


Foirmeacha
beithíoch - ainmfhocal beithíoch [ainmneach uatha]
beithígh [ginideach uatha]
beithígh [ainmneach iolra]
beithíoch [ginideach iolra]

Go raibh maith agat, a Aonghus! I had a guess about "geallúint" but not a clue about "beithígh".

Regarding posting vocabulary, I think we can usually imply meaning from context, as Lucy pointed out, or just look up the odd word in our dictionary. Which words are hard or unfamiliar will no doubt vary from person to person.

And if the more knowledgeable members of the community don't mind, those of us with questions about specific words could just post them in the same thread.

Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.
Re. I'm not clever enough to read your stories yet but for those who are, you might consider having the story without the list of vocabulary and then having a link to such a list so that people who want one can access it.

Great suggestion. Tá tú cliste. Scríobh mé an scéal amach i mBéarla freisin mar sin ba chóir go mbeadh link nó dhó ann. Leis an leagan i mBéarla, bheadh sé cosúil le parrallel text agus i link eile, b'fhéidir foclóir. The problem is I've no idea how to make links apart from links to the Internet. Can anyone help? Go raibh míle maith agaibh,
C

grmt a Aonghuis for the aistriúchán.

I havn't the slightest idea how, I thought you might know how just because lots of people in the world do. It would probably be easier to go with what the rest say and keep them straight and without vocabulary lists. It sounds like the majority of people would be happy with them as they are.

Beir bua agus beannacht

Talking about cats, I thought Deasún Breathnach's final sentence in his article about Pat Rabbites (Sp?) was good...

"Céard é a dhéanfadh cat ach luch a mharú!"

The whole article is on

http://anghaeltacht.net/la/060606.html

E

1.An Cat agus an Luch

Cat masc. / Luch fem.

Foclóir
Ar aon nós -Anyway
Bhuel - Well
Dar ndóigh - As could be expected
De réir - according as (De réir mar a bhí one thing happening, bhí another..)
Is iomaí - ‘Tis many (followed by the singular - Is iomaí lá a chaith mé ann)
Muise - aagh, goodness, well… Expression with many different meanings
Ná bac - Don’t bother
sách - enough ( with the neg. - Níl sé sách maith.)

ag béicíl - yelling
ag ísliú - getting lower
Beir - Grab
Baineadh geit aisti - She got a fright (lit. a fright was taken from her)
Phleasc sé - It exploded
Sábháil mé - Save me
Shín sé - He stretched

An bheoir - The beer
Argóint - Argument
Bairille biotáille - Barrel of spirits (alcoholic)
Cleas - Trick
Deacracht - Difficulty
Geallúint - Promise
Imeall - Edge (ar imeall na coille at the edge of the woods)

Na beithigh - The animals (domestic)
Eatarthu - Among themselves
Eireaball - Tail
i ndiaidh a mullaigh- after her head, head first
Lapa - Paw

Just in case...