| Manx | English | |
|---|---|---|
| COONTEY-GHIARE | A SHORT ACCOUNT | |
| JEH | OF | |
| ELLAN VANNIN, | THE ISLE OF MAN, | |
| AYNS GAILCK. | IN MANX. | |
| DEC. 17TH. 1760. | DEC. 17TH. 1760. | |
| LIORISH JOE VREEJEY. | BY JOE BRIDSON. | |
| “JEH'N Ellan shoh, mychone eck ta fo’m loayrt,” | Of THIS Isle of which I intend to speak, | |
| “Nee’m y chooid share, son coontey feer y choyrt.” | I will do the best, for giving a true account. | |
| “T’ee Ellan veg ayns Keayn Noo Yeorge ny lhie, | She is a small island lying in St. George’s Sea, | |
| “S’ga d’el ee beg, t’ee costallagh dy mie. | And athough she is small, she is very precious. | |
| Ta cheer ny Albey er y twoaie j’ee soit, | The country of Scotland it situated to it’s North, | |
| As Anglesey ta er y jiass j’ee, lhie-t.” | And Anglesey is lain to it’s South,” | |
| Ta Lancashire lhie vo’ee ’sy Chiar | Lancashire lies away from it in the East, | |
| As Nerin ayns y Sheear myr ta mee curmyner. | And Ireland in the West, as I behold. | |
| Yn chummey eck ta, er yn aght shoh, noain | It’s shape is, in this way known; | |
| T’ee lane vie liauyr, cha vel ee agh feer choon | She is rather long, she is only very narrow, | |
| Veih Kione-ny-harey ’syn ayrn sodjey twoaie | From the Point of Ayre, in the part furthest North | |
| Er dys y Challoo, cha vel fys ayms’ quoi, | To the Calf. I don’t know who, | |
| Ren ee y howse, mish cha ren veg y ’lheid | Measured it, I didn’t any such thing, | |
| Ta’d gra dy jean ee towse jeih veeilley as feed: | They say she will measure thirty miles, | |
| Er son y lheead eck slane, veih cheu dy heu. | As for her total width, from side to side, | |
| Myr ta mee lhaih, ta ny screeunyn streeu | As I read, the writings conflict, | |
| Paart sailliu nuy, ny jeih, ny red gyn veg | Some, if you please, nine, or ten, or thereabouts, | |
| As paayrt ta shassoo er queig veeilly-yeig. | And some insist on fifteen miles. | |
| Agh lheid er-hastagh, ta mee cur dhyt my-reih, | But such a learned man, I give you my choice, | |
| Dy ghoaill ee son nuy queig-jeig ny jeih. | Takes it for nine, fifteen or ten. | |
| Kiare baljyn-vargee foast dyn enmys ta, | There are four market towns yet to name, | |
| Jeu nee-ym loayrt, my lowys shiu agh traa. | I will speak of them, if you only but allow time. | |
| Hoshiaght Balley-Chashtal jeh goo vooar, | First Castletown, of great fame, | |
| As Balley chronnal t’ee shickyr dy-liooar. | And a conspicuous (famed) town she is, sure enough. | |
| Ta’n valley soit er-gerrey da yn Cheayn | The town is set near to the sea, | |
| King-reïll yn Ellan bunnys ta ayns shen. | Almost all of the chief leaders of the Island are there. | |
| Ta Purt fardalagh ayn, as keint dy cheyee | There is an unavailing port there, and a kind of quay, | |
| Olk, ta’d shen hene; agh s’olk dy mooar ta’n vaïe | Bad, they are themselves; but the bay is greatly worse. | |
| T’an Chashtal aalin neesht, as veih shen hellym | There is the fine Castle too, and it is from that I guess, | |
| Ta’n valley shoh er lesh v’er ghoaill e ennym. | That this town thinks it had taken it’s name. | |
| Ayns shoh ta slattyssyn y Cheerey freilt ; | Here the Acts of the land are kept; | |
| As liorish leighyn chair ta’n Ellan reilt. | And by which just laws the Island is ruled. | |
| Nish ta mee cheet dys Doolish, sooill y Cheer, | Now I come to Douglas, the country’s ‘eye’, | |
| As t’ee, yn valley s’aalin t’ayn, dy feer. | And she truly is the most beautiful town there is, | |
| Ga t’ee neu-feeu, dys Baljyn yoarree elley, | Although worthless, to other foreign towns, | |
| Agh shegin dooin choontey jee ga t’ee ny smelley. | But we must account for her although she is worse. | |
| Ta’n valley shoh jeant magh lesh cummaltee | This town is full up with residents, | |
| Dy yoarreeyn chammah as dy Vanninee, | Of foreigners as well as of Manx, | |
| Myr shen ta’n vaïe, ta purt vie lhuingys ayn | That is how the bay is, there is a good shipping port in it, | |
| Cooid ta prowit[1] ec ny shlee ny un Ashoon. | Goods that are tested by more than one nation. | |
|
[1] prowit] ‘proved’, perhaps meaning ‘turned out well’, or ‘tested’, unless this instance of
[prowit] comes from ‘proferred’ or ‘provided’.
| ||
| ’Sy valley shoh, dy smooinaght er y voayl, | In this town, to think of the place, | |
| Ta dellal vioyr, ayns lane chaghlaaghyn choid | There is lively commerce, in many varieties of goods, | |
| Ny thieyn ta mie as sie cordail rish fort | The houses are good and bad according to means, | |
| Ny honneryn, cha kiart as oddyms loayrt | The honours, as correct as I can speak, | |
| Paart berchagh as paart boght jeh’n cummmaltee | Some wealthy, and some poor; of the residents | |
| Yn valley shoh, myr ta stayd ymmodee. | Of this town, as is the state of many. | |
| Nish Purt-ny-Hinshey, ’sy trass ynnyd ta | Now Peel, in third place is, | |
| Cheet stiagh ayns cair dy ve er ny imraa | Coming in, in right to be mentioned, | |
| T’an valley shoh ’sy sheear-hwoaie ny lhie | This town lies in the North-West, | |
| T’ee beg dy feer, agh lane dy liooar dy leih, | She is truly small, but full enough of people, | |
| Ayns shoh ta cashtal neesht, er ynnyd sunt, | Here there is a castle too, on a sound place, | |
| Dy schleïoil troggit, lesh creggyn chreoi son grunt, | Skillfully built, with hard rocks for a grounding, | |
| Ta baïe ayn neesht, yn sauchys eck cha s’aym | There is a bay too; of her safety I know not, | |
| Agh smie da lheid ve ayn son cour traa feme. | But it’s good for such to exist for a time of need. | |
| Chamoo nee’m lane y ghra ayns moylley’n phurt | Neither will I say much in praise of the Port, | |
| Myr t’adsyn feddyn eh lhig dagh er loayrt. | As they find it let each one speak. | |
| Ny-yeih ’sy vaie ta lhuingys cliaghtey raad | Still, in the bay there is usually shipping riding at anchor, | |
| As ayns yn awin paart folmaghey nyn laad. | And in the river some discharging their load. | |
| Eisht liorish shoh shegin daue ve castre-cair | Hence thereby they must be reasonable, | |
| Er-nonney ennaght ad mooads nyn ghanjeyr. | Otherwise they would perceive the extent of their danger. | |
| Reggyryn neesht ny vud oc, ta mee toiggal | There are some amongst them too, I know, | |
| Ta lane vie loor ayns caghlaaghyn ghellal | Who are quite strong in a variety of commerce, | |
| Ny thie-yn t’oc, mie as sie, myr boayl ny ghaa, | The houses they have, good and bad, like many places, | |
| Cre smoo mychione eck bailliu mee dy ghra. | What more about her would you like me to say? | |
| Rhumsaa, ’sy chiarroo ynnyd ta cheet stiagh | Ramsey, comes in in fourth place, | |
| Ny veg roie raait, ee, sodjey twoaie dy bragh. | Not previously mentioned, it is, ever further North. | |
| Dy loayrt dy feer, ga t’ee yn valley sloo, | To speak truly, although it is the smallest town, | |
| ’Sy cheer shoh noain ny-yeih ta foddey smoo | In this country, it is known nevertheless that there are far more | |
| Dy cummaltee ’as dy reggyryn ayn, | Inhabitants, and a few in it, | |
| Cooid ta cur er nyn meaghey ve cha goaun, | (Some) who make their food be so scarce, | |
| Cha bliass da ve ayns balley veagh wheesh elley, | There is no need for it to be in a town, which would be so much more, | |
| Son shen scoan ta’d veg share, agh foddey smelley, | Because of that they are no better, but far poorer. | |
| Ayns traaghyn ta’n dellal oc mie bioyr, | At times their commerce is good and brisk, | |
| As ta’d, ec traaghyn, elley, lhagg dy liooar, | And they are, at other times, rather slack, | |
| Lane joarreeyn ta ayn jee jeh ny Albanee | A lot of foreigners are there who are Scots, | |
| Paart t’ayn ta cheet as goll, as paart ny cummaltee | Some who come and go, and some who are residents, | |
| Ta purt vie ayn, as baïe veg share cha lhiass | There’s a good port, and no better bay is required, | |
| Chamoo ta lheid ’sy Cheer, er twoaie ny jiass— | As good as any the country has, North or South— | |
| Ny thieyn injil to’c ta soilshaght er cheu-mooie | The low houses they have show on the outside, | |
| Ymmyrch vooar, ny neu-freoose ny cummaltee. | Great need, or extravagance, of the residents. | |
| Nish stayd ny Baljyn-vargee inshit ta | Now the state of the market towns is told, | |
| Mychione ny Baljyn-veggey shegin gimraa | About the villages I must make mention, | |
| Jeu shoh ta kiare ny wheig ayns earroo noain | Of these there are four or five in number that are known, | |
| Agh feer fardalagh ta’d, dy chooilley unnane. | But they are very insignificant, every one. | |
| Ta aer ny cheerey coontit feer slayntoil, | The country air is considered very healthy, | |
| As dooghys y thallooin ta fegooish foill. | And the nature of the land is without fault; | |
| Gymmyrkey curnaght, pishyr, corkey’s, oayrn. | Bringing forth wheat, peas, oats and barley, | |
| As shoggyl neesht, yn sleih ta fegooish moyrn, | And rye too. The people are without conceit, | |
| Son y chooid smoo, as dooie rish joarreeyn | For the most part, and kind to strangers, | |
| Ta’d giastyllagh rish boghtyn nyn jeer hene. | They are charitable to the poor of their own country. | |
| Ollagh, cabbil, kirree, guoiee, as goaïr | Cattle, horses, geese, and goats, | |
| Ta’n cheer dy ymmyrkey ayns palchys vooar | The land bears in great abundance, | |
| Monney dy fuygh, cha vel ’sy cheer shoh gaase, | Not much wood grows in this country, | |
| Keayrt palchey va, agh geaney nish te’r naase, | There was once plenty, but it has grown scarce now, | |
| Ta oc son aile, kypp, rhennagh[2], conney[3] ’s moain, | For fire they have logs, ferns, furze and peat, | |
|
[2] rhennagh]—‘ferns’, ‘bracken’.
[3] conney] ‘gorse’, ‘heather’.
| ||
| Ayns ynnydyn jeh ’cheer ta shen hene goaun. | In some of the country places even that is scarce. | |
| Ny baljyn-vargee bunnys ta jeant magh | The market towns are mostly satisfied | |
| Lesh aile ta joarree, lheid’s geayl cheet stiagh. | With fire that is foreign, such as imported coal. | |
| Ayns shee as fea yn sleih ta ceau nyn draa, | The people spend their time in peace and calm, | |
| As reill yn Ellan er yn aght shoh ta. | And this is how the rule of the Island is: | |
| Ta un Chiannoort, ’s daa Vriw ’sy whaiyl-thea | There is one governor, and two judges (deemsters) in the public court | |
| As ny quaiyllyn elley, inshym ad dy leah. | And the other courts; I’ll tell of them soon. | |
| Aspick ny cheerey ta, as daa Phesson marish, | There’s a bishop for the country, and two parsons with him, | |
| Ta’d shoh nyn droor ta yannoo yn whaiyll Agglish, | These three make up the Ecclesiastical Court, | |
| Mysh mean ny cheerey, nagh myr thie ny hoie, | Around the middle of the country, doesn’t, set like a house, | |
| Immyr dy sleityn, twoaie as jiass ta roie. | A channel of mountains, run North and South. | |
| Ny vud oc shoh, yn slieau son yrjid ta | Amongst these, the mountain for height is | |
| Cronnal dy mie as feeu dy liooar, gimraa | Very conspicuous and worthy enough to mention, | |
| Enmyssit Sniaul; veih’n vullagh syn un cheayrt | Called Snaefell, from the summit at the same time | |
| Troor dy reeriaghtyn hee shiu cruinn mygeayrt | You see three kingdoms around about, | |
| Ayns earish ter’ ngholl shaghey, ny manninee | In bygone time the Manx | |
| Va ashoon niartal, as sleih mooar chiaggee | Were a mighty nation, and a great martial people, | |
| Agh nish cha vel wheesh boirey cheet nyn raad. | But now there is not so much trouble coming their way. | |
| Smaynrey ’n skeeal, feer vaynrey ta nyn stayd. | How happy is the story, our condition is very happy. | |
| Yn cheer shoh noain, my ta shiu er chlashtyn jeh, | This country none, if you have heard of it | |
| Dyn dooyt nagh vel yn skeeal ta foddey shlea. | No doubt the news isn’t far wider, | |
| Na’n cheer shoh hene, yn goo myr shoh ta goll, | Than this country itself, the reputations goes like this, | |
| D’el ferrishyn as beishtyn ayns dagh voayl | That there are fairies and beasts in every place, | |
| Jeh’n cheer veg shoh, as kinjagh te d’imraa | Of this little country, and it is always said | |
| Dy vel ad er nyn vakin oie as laa ; | That they are seen by night and day. | |
| Nish cre dy ghra ’sy chooish shoh, cha saym | Now, what to say in this matter, I know not, | |
| Agh son lane pleat cha nakym monney feme, | But I don’t see much need for a lot of chatter, | |
| Paart trooid faase chredjue, paart trooid gaasit vooar | Some through superstition, some through great ??? | |
| Myr ennym jeu, myr shoh nee ad m’ansoor. | As for their character, I will answer like this, | |
| Ta lheid dy feer, cre oddyms roo y ghra? | Such are truly, what can I say to you? | |
| My jirrym, dty hilley oo er dty volley ta. | If I say, your sight is deceiving you, | |
| Jir ad nagh vel, as cowraghyn ta’d ginsh | They will say not, and signs they tell | |
| Ve myr shoh noain, ve’h cha baghtal shoh ny wheesh. | Being known like this, being this much evident, | |
| Cha jirym roo, cha veer dhyt, as myr shen, | I will not say to them, not even to you, and like that, | |
| Ta skeealyn gaase, ta’d credjit as ta’d beayn. | Stories grow, they are believed and they endure. | |
| Nish lhig dagh er, tra ’chlinnys eh lheid shoh, | Now let every one, when he hears such as this, | |
| Edyr mychione corp varroo ny corp vio, | Whether about a dead body or a living body, | |
| Yn ymmyd saillish yannoo jeh yn skeeal | Make the use he pleases of the story | |
| Cordail rish goo, as sheeltys feer e veeal | According to the reputation, and true sobriety of his mouth, | |
| Ta ginsh da lheid, agh share lhiam eh dy mooar | That tells such, but I greatly prefer it, | |
| Eh ve dyn chredjal, as shickyr te dy liooar | Him to not be believed, and it is certain enough, | |
| Ta lheid ny niaghtyn toilliu lane dy chraid | That such reports deserve much mockery | |
| Cooid ta’d dy gheddyn, dagh voayl ta’d goaill raad. | Something that they get, everywhere they prevail. | |
| Bunnys ny oddyms ghra mychione y cheer | Most of that which I can say about the country | |
| Vel ooilley shoh ny taym’s ve raa-it dy feer, | Is all this that I have, being said truly, | |
| Myr shen ’sy traa cha jeanyms lesh my veeal | So for the time being I won’t, by my mouth, | |
| Ny smoo y ghra, agh ta jerrey er my skeeal. | Say more, but my story is ended. | |
| JEO VREEJEY. | JOSEPH BRIDSON | |