| Manx | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Va mish goll er gys yn scaddan roish haink yn ghobbag mygeayrt dy ee yn lieen as yn scaddan. | I used to go to the herring before the dogfish came around to eat the net and the herring. | |
| Veagh shin lhie fud ny hoie ayns ny laghyn shen er yn Vack as prowal ayns yn lhiggin dy yeeaghyn row yn Fer Beg thooilley. | We would lie all night in those days on the Back and prove in the slackwater to see if the Little Fellow was flooding. | |
| Veagh ny buick ghlassey [1] chewal yn lieen agh cha row ad jannoo monney skielley da’n lieen. | The ‘buick ghlassey’ would chew the net, but they would not do much damage to the net. | |
|
[1] buick ghlassey
[bwick ghlassey]: ‘grey geldings i.e. porpoises’ Broderick (1982b: 133); ‘a large fish of the dog-fish or shark kind; literally, a grey horse’ Kelly (s.v. bock-glass).
| ||
| Tra veagh shin prowal as cur ghaa ny three dy cheeadyn assjee veagh eh yn currym ain dy heidey yn cayrn, agh cha row ad sheidey yn cayrn gys veagh yn ghreie er boayrd er yn oyr dy beagh ny baatyn chaglym mygeayrt-y-mooin as cuirr er mullagh ny mollagyn ain. | When we would be proving and taking two or three hundreds out of it, it was our job to blow the horn, but they would not blow the horn until the gear was on board, because the boats would gather around us and cast on top of our buoys. | |
| Ta cooinaght aym er oieghyn kiune er yn Vack as gyn monney scaddan goll, as veagh ad geamagh dy cheilley myr shoh: | I remember calm nights on the Back when there wasn not much herring going, and they would call to each other like this: | |
| “Hi, yn baatey shen sthie hiar shen!” | “Hi, that boat in eastwards there!” | |
| “Hi oo hene, lah!” | “Hi yourself, lad.” | |
| “R’ou prowal ayns shen, boy?” | “Were you proving there, boy?” | |
| “Va, boy.” | “Yes, boy.” | |
| “Quoid hug oo ass yn phiyr, boy?” | “How much did you take out of the pair, boy?” | |
| “Ushtey, boy.” | “Water, boy.” | |
| “Row uss prowal ayns shen, boy?” | “Were you proving there, boy?” | |
| “Va, boy.” | “Yes, boy.” | |
| “Quoid hug oo ass yn phiyr?” | “How much did you take out of the pair?” | |
| “Ushtey myrgeddin.” | “Water as well.” | |
| Eisht veagh shin geamagh da fer elley, “Hi, yn baatey shen mooie heear, lah.” | Then we would call to another, “Hi, that boat out westwards, lad.” | |
| “Hi oo hene, lah.” | “Hi yourself, lad.” | |
| “R’ou prowal ayns shen, boy?” | “Were you proving there, boy?” | |
| “Va, boy.” | “Yes, boy.” | |
| “Row uss prowal?” | “Were you proving?” | |
| “Va, boy.” | “Yes, boy.” | |
| “Quoid hug oo ass yn phiyr?” | “How much did you take out of the pair?” | |
| “Mysh keead, boy. Quoid hug uss ass yn phiyr?” | “About a hundred, boy. How much did you take out of the pair?” | |
| “Ushtey.” | “Water.” | |
| “Quoid dy how ayd, boy?” | “How much tow do you have, boy?” | |
| “Kiare feiyghyn jeig.” | “Fourteen fathoms.” | |
| “Cre’n ushtey t’ayd, boy?” | “What water do you have, boy?” | |
| “Feiy as feed.” | “Twenty-one fathoms.” | |
| Veagh paart jeu gra, tra veagh shin briaght, “Cre’n ushtey boy?” “Ushtey sailjey, boy.” | Some of them would say, when we asked, “What water boy?” “Salt water, boy.” | |
| Veagh ad ooilley cur er boayrd tra veagh ad geddyn briaght er, as goll lesh yn baatey va’n scaddan snaue urree, as towse yn ushtey gys veagh shin geddyn feiy as feed. | They would all haul on board after they discovered it [the herring], and would go towards the boat the herring was swimming at, and measure the water until we would get twenty-one fathoms. | |
| Eisht veagh shin cuirr reesht as paart dy cheayrtyn geddyn eeastagh mie moghrey, agh dy mennick gyn geddyn veg. | Then we would cast again and sometimes get a good catch by morning, but often get nothing. | |
| Agh lurg da’n ghobbag cheet cha row shee erbee ec deiney er yn Vack agh prowal dy chooilley lieh oor er aggle roish yn ghobbag. | But after the dogfish came the men would have no peace on the Back, but proving every half-hour for fear of the dogfish. | |
| Tra veagh shin cur warpyn dy scaddan ass yn phrowal veagh shin goaill toshiaght dy chur er boayrd chelleeragh roish veagh yn ghobbag cheet dy ronsagh mygeayrt. | When we were taking warps of herring from the proving, we would begin to haul aboard immediately before the dogfish would come searching around. | |
| As ta mee er vakin shin geddyn eeastagh mie ny cheayrtyn as keayrtyn elley cha beagh shin geddyn veg agh gobbag. | And I have seen us get a good catch sometimes and other times we would get nothing but dogfish. | |
| Tra veagh shin cur er boayrd veagh ny baatyn geamagh dooin: | When we would haul on board the boats would call to us: | |
| “R’ou prowal ayns shen, boy?” | “Were you proving there, boy?” | |
| “Cur er boayrd, boy.” | “Hauling aboard, boy.” | |
| “Quoid t’ou cur ass yn phiyr, boy?” | “How much are you taking from the pair, boy?” | |
| “Gobbag dy liooar, boy.” | “Plenty of dogfish, boy.” | |
| Ta mee er vakin yn lieen ooilley er ny stroie ayns un oie as ta mee er vakin shin geddyn eeastagh mie son ghaa ny tree dy oieghyn fegooish fakin gobbag. | I have seen the net all destroyed in one night and I have seen us getting good fishing for two or three nights without seeing a dogfish. | |
| Ta ymmodee lieen er ve stroit ec yn ghobbag liorish yn arreyder tuittym ny chadley as scaddan ayns yn lieen, agh cha row unnane freayll arrey as va’n ghobbag gee yn lieen marish yn scaddan. | Many nets have been destroyed by the dogfish because of the watchman falling asleep when there was herring in the net, but no-one was keeping watch and the dogfish were eating the net together with the herring. | |
| Ta’n ghobbag palchey dy liooar ec Crook. | The dogfish is quite abundant at Crookhaven. | |
| Ny cheayrtyn ta mee er vakin lane yn baatey beg dy vrick brisht ain. | Sometimes I have seen our small boat full of broken mackerel. | |
| Ta cooinaght aym er dooinney veagh ad gra Parick Mooar rish, as veagh eh gra dy mennick tra va ny deiney jannoo lieen noa as jannoo eh dowin as liauyr, veagh eh gra dy row eh traa dy chur screeuyn gys yn ghobbag dy heet reesht son dy stroie yn lieen daue. | I remember a man they called Parick Mooar, and he often used to say when the men were making a new net and making it long and deep, he would say it was time to send a letter to the dogfish to come back to destroy the net for them. | |
| Ta mee er chlashtyn shenn eeasteyryn gra dy row yn ghobbag feer palchey ymmodee bleeantyn er dy henney. | I have heard old fishermen saying the dogfish was very abundant many years ago. | |
| Veagh ad gee ooilley agh ny teadyn as ayns ny laghyn shen veagh ad prayal ayns ny kialteeyn dy gheddyn yn ghobbag goit ersooyl. | They would eat everything but the ropes, and in those days they used to pray in the churches to get the dogfish taken away. | |
| As ren yn ghobbag goll ersooyl, as cha row gobbag ny scaddan mygeayrt yn ellan son feed blein; agh haink yn scaddan reesht, agh v’eh ymmodee bleeantyn roish haink yn ghobbag reesht. | And the dogfish did go away, and there has not been dogfish or herring around the Island for twenty years; but the herring came back, but it was many years before the dogfish came back. | |
| Shen yn aght va Parick Mooar gra dy row eh traa cur screeuyn gys yn ghobbag dy heet reesht dy ee ny greieyn liauyr va ny eeasteyryn jannoo ayns ny laghyn shen. | That is how come Parick Mooar used to say it was time to send a letter to the dogfish to come back to eat the long nets the fishermen were making in those days. | |
| Veagh shin jannoo yn lieen ec y traa tra va mish goll gys yn scaddan hoshiaght, as va Parick Mooar jannoo jeebeeyn noa eh hene ec yn traa shen, as paart jeh ny chied oieghyn v’eh cuirt er y Vack ren yn ghobbag gee ooilley yn lieen noa echey agh ny teadyn. | We used to make the net at the time I was first going to the herring, and Parick Mooar used to make new deeping-nets himself at that time, and some of the first nights he was casting on the Back the dogfish ate all of his new net but the ropes. | |
| Shen yn traa haink yn ghobbag mygeayrt reesht, as t’ad er fuirraght gys yn laa t’ayn jiu. | That is when the dogfish came around again, and they have stayed until the present day. | |
| Myr shen cha vel shee er ve ain dy chadley ayns yn oie rish ymmodee bleeantyn. | Thus we have had no peace to sleep at night for many years. | |
| Va Parick Mooar er yn Vack cuirt un oie roish haink yn ghobbag, as va John Thalhearagh ny ghooinney aeg maroo, as v’ad ny lhie er yn Vack oie chiune as va John freayll arrey, as v’eh geamagh daue dy gholl dy phrowal agh cha row ad cur geill da. | Parick Mooar had cast on the Back one night before the dogfish came, and John Thalhearagh was a young man with them, and they were lying on the Back a calm night and John was keeping watch, and he was calling them to go to prove, but they were not paying any attention to him. | |
| Myr shen ren eh jeigh yn dorrys as dooney yn chimlee as ren yn cabbane lhieeney dy yaagh, as v’ad eginit dy heet ass ny lhiabbaghyn dy gheddyn ennal, as va John agglagh eisht dy osley yn dorrys daue, as ren eh goll er folliaght voue. | So he shut the door and closed the chimney and the cabin filled with smoke, and they were forced to come out from their beds to get their breath, and John was afraid then to open the door for them, and went and hid himself from them. | |
| Ec y jerrey ren ad brishey yn boalley fuygh va jeigh ad sthie as hooar ad magh. | In the end they broke the wooden wall that shut them in and they got out. | |
| Va Parick Mooar prayal son meenid nagh jinnagh eh marroo yn dooinney, as v’ad ronsagh son John, as cha row eh ry gheddyn as v’ad ayns aggle dy row eh ersooyl harrish boayrd. | Parick Mooar prayed for clemency that they would not kill the man, and they searched for John, and he was not to be found and they were afraid he was away overboard. | |
| Agh tra va ooilley harrish as ad ayns gien mie reesht, haink John ass towl ennagh, as ren ad leih ooilley da. | When it was all over and they were in good humour again, John came out of some hole and they forgave him for everything. | |
| Ta cooinaght aym er traaghyn veagh shin roie stiagh ayns purt Ghoolish lesh sterrymyn dy gheay niar ayns yn oie ayns aggle nyn mioys, as ny baatyn brishey y cheilley. | I remember times we would run into the port of Douglas with easterly storms in the night fearing for our lives, with the boats breaking each other. | |
| Agh ta Doolish nish shiaght keayrtyn smessey ny v’eh rieau. | But Douglas is now seven times worse than it ever was. | |
| Ta mee er ve cuirt oie sterrymagh ny ghaa agh cha ren mee rieau fakin monney cosney liorish, agh dy mennick raipey yn lieen; agh ta mee er vakin fastyryn sterrymagh as yn sterrym goaill jeh ayns yn oie, as yn moghrey aalin veagh eeastagh mie goll keayrt ny ghaa. | I have been casting on a stormy night or two, but I never saw much profit by it, but often the net torn; but I have seen stormy evenings and the storm abating in the night, and in the fine morning we would get a good catch a few times. | |
| Ta mee er chlashtyn ny deiney naaraghey y cheilley jerrey fouyr tra veagh yn eeastagh ec kione, mysh mingey as scrapey ny mraane, feallagh nagh beagh enney oc er y cheilley. | I have heard the men shaming each other at the end of the autumn when the fishing was over, pinching and scratching the women, people who did not know one another. | |
| Veagh paart jeu gra tra veagh ad shiaulley shaghey fer va ny lhie cuirt, “R’ou prowal ayns shen, boy?” | Some of them would say when they were sailing past someone lying with the nets cast, “Were you proving there, boy?” | |
| “Va, boy.” | “Yes, boy.” | |
| “Vel eh jannoo veg ort?” | “Is it doing anything for you?” | |
| “Cha vel, boy.” | “No, boy.” | |
| “T’eh traa dhyt cur er boayrd as goll thie dy chleiy ny puddaseyn.” | “It’s time for you to haul on board and go home to dig the potatoes!” | |
| Veagh fer elley gra, “Gow thie as yeeal yn ven myr boallagh oo.” | Another would say, “Go home and beat the wife as you usually do!” | |
| Veagh fer elley cheet as geamagh, “Cre t’ou jannoo ny lhie ayns shoh, boy?” | Another would come and call, “What are you doing lying here, boy?” | |
| “Ceau yn traa gys moghrey.” | “Passing the time till morning.” | |
| “Vel yn ghobbag gee, boy?” | “Is the dogfish eating, boy?” | |
| “Cha vel monney.” | “Not much.” | |
| “Naik oo caslys erbee tra chuirr oo, boy?” | “Did you see any sign when you cast the net, boy?” | |
| “Va’n pherkin ayn, boy.” | “The porpoise was there, boy.” | |
| Nane ennagh va er boggeeys as veagh ad gra red ny ghaa nagh row eh lowal dy ve grait er yn cheayn. | Someone who was in high spirits, they would say a few things that it was not permissible to be said at sea. | |
| Agh tra veagh yn eeastagh ec kione veagh ad gra focklyn feer ommijagh. | But when the fishing was over, they would say very foolish words. | |
| Ny-yeih cha row ad goaill yn chorree rish y cheilley. | Nevertheless they would not be angry with each other. | |
| Ta cooinaght aym er un oie feer aalin as va shin mooie ayns traa fastyr, agh cha row veg jeh ny baatyn elley mooie ayns traa, son ren eh gaase kiune, agh va shin er faagail yn vaie hoshiaght roue, as va shin ny lhie cuirt tra haink yn chied nane er-gerrey. | I remember one very calm night and we were out in the evening, but there were none of the other boats out in time, for it became calm, but we had left the Bay first before them and we were lying put when the first one came near. | |
| Va dooinney voish Lingague er boayrd ain as va fer elley voish Lingague ayns yn chied vaatey ren geamagh dooin, “R’ou prowal ayns shen, boy?” | There was a man from Lingague aboard us and there was another man from Lingague in the first boat that called to us; “Were you proving there, boy?” | |
| Dooyrt fer, “Cha row, boy.” | One said, “No, boy.” | |
| Dooyrt yn fer Lingague ain, “Vel oo fakin foyd eh, boy?” | Our Lingague man said, “Do you see it beneath you, boy?” | |
| “Ta reeayllagh mie ayn,” dooyrt eshyn. | “There’s a good spread,” he said. | |
| “Nee shen oo, Sargeant [MS Sargon]?” dooyrt yn fer ain. | “Is that you, Sargeant?” said our man. | |
| “She,” dooyrt eh. | “Yes,” he said. | |
| “Nee shen uss, Weaver?” | “Is that you, Weaver?” | |
| “She,” dooyrt Weaver. | “Yes,” said Weaver. | |
| Shen va’n far-ennym oc, as v’ad gyllagh yn baatey ‘Hurdy Gurdy’, agh Phoenix va’n ennym cair eck. | Those were their nicknames, and they called the boat ‘Hurdy-gurdy,’ but Phoenix was her correct name. | |
| Va Thom Yeorge yn mainshter eck, as va Juan Nan as Puther Beg as ghaa ny three elley feer luckee ec yn scaddan, as va leagh mie goll son scaddan ayns yn traa shen: veagh eh dy mennick er-gerrey da punt y meaish, ga dy beagh ooilley yn flod as eeastagh mie oc. | Thom George was its master, and Juan Nan and Puther Beg and two or three others were very lucky at the herring, and there was herring fetched a good price in those days: it would often be near a pound a measure, although all the fleet would have a good catch. | |