Duinnín in Áth na Lachan (tuilleadh)

Dineen in Duckford (continued)

• “Tháinig tú ar an tuiscint sin uait féin, gan leid ó chara léi?”
  ‘Sceith an bhean bhocht uirthi féin go rialta agus go minic, an té a thuigfeadh. De réir mhuintir Ath na Lachan, Bhíodh sí ag ceartú a mbéasa boird agus a gcuid foghraíochta mar a bheadh bean dá sórt. Ach ní raibh aon dealramh in aon chor leis na nodanna a thugadh sí uaithi. Delias, ambaist, seachas /i>Dahlias! Ar ndóigh is dócha gur thug bean ti éigin uirthi fadó “Tea is served” a rá, seachas “Tay, Missus”, agus gur shíl sí ó shin nar den ghalántacht an ‘a’ leathan. Bhíodh sí ag caoineadh laethanta rachmais, ach is é an siopa a luadh sí, ní hé an teach ná a seoda. Nuair a dheineadh sí tagairt do “Mr. Prunty, my husband”, bhíodh daoine ag magadh faoi aistíl chainte na nDuibhlinneach. Tá’s againn gur nós le daoine bochta i mBaile Atha Cliath an leagan san a úsáid, ach níor den chosmhuintir [d.l. 185] Bella Prunty.’

  
  

  ‘You came to that understanding by yourself, without a hint from a friend?’

  
  ‘The poor woman informed on herself regularly and often, to whom would understand. According to the people of Duckford, she would be correcting their table manners and their pronunciation like a woman of her sort. But her appearance did not match at all the hints she gave. Delias indeed, rather than Dahlias. Of course probably some lady told her a long time ago to say “Tea is served”, rather than “Tay, Missus”, and that she had since thought that the broad ‘a’ was elegant. She would be lamenting the days of prosperity, but it is the shop she mentioned, not the house or its jewels/treasures. When she referred to “Mr. Prunty, my husband”, people used to mock the strange speech of the Dubliners. We know that poor people in Dublin used that version, but not the followers of Bella Prunty.

  leid	Hint, inkling; prompt; pointer, clue	f
  sceith	vomit, burst forth
  béas	custom, habit, manners	m
  dealramh	Sheen, splendour, radiance; Look, appearance; likeness, resemblance	m
  nod	hint; abbreviation	m
  ambaist = ambaiste	Indeed! Really!
  seachas	Besides, other than, rather than; compared to
  rachmas	Wealth, abundance	m
  luaigh	mention, cite	v
  cosmhuintir	Hangers-on; followers, dependants; Poor people, proletariat	f

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