Skeealyn Vannin, Disk 4 Track 06: Conversation: John Kneen, Ballaugh with Charles Craine
https://www.youtube.com/embed/JhNT4BfFeUkDate(s): 1948
Creator(s): Irish Folklore Commission
Transcript: C. C. Craine
Kiart, nish.
Right, now.
J. Kneen
Er, tra va mee goll gys keird, ghooinney, va mee... C’red v’eh gra? Kiare feed, er, kiare, kiare bleeaney jeig dy eash.
Er, when I was going to a trade, man, I was… What was he saying? Four twenties, er, four, fourteen years of age.
C. C. Craine
Kiare blein jeig dy eash?
Fourteen years of age?
J. Kneen
Ta. Oh, ta mee ersooyl cam.
Yes. Oh, I am away crooked (wrong).
C. C. Craine
Well, try again.
J. Kneen
Eisht va mee gobbyr ec y cheird aym son three blein son veg. Cha row mee geddyn lheing son eh.
Then I was working at the trade at me for three years for nothing. I was not getting a halfpenny for it.
Erreish va’n three blein’ eisht ren mee goaill keirdee er my hene as va mee gobbyr son tree feed as jeih ayns y cheirdee
After the three years, then I did take a smithy for myself and I was working for sixty and ten in the smithy
as va mee freayll tree guillyn g’yndyr…. da’n keird as cha row mee cur phing da ad.
and I was keeping three boys learning…..to the trade, and I was not giving a penny to them.
As eisht va mee crou cabbil son daa skillin ’s kiare pingyn son y kiare crouyn,
And then I was shoeing horses for two shillings and fourpence for the four shoes,
as nish t’ad geddyn punt son jannoo yn obbyr shen.
and now they are getting a pound for doing it.
C. C. Craine
Yn traa ghow oo toshiaght dy gobbraghey va jeih keirdeeyn as feed er yn twoaie.
The time you started to work there were thirty smithies in the north.
J. Kneen
Ah, ta mee ersooyl noght, cha jargym jannoo monney jeh.
Aw, I am away tonight, I cannot do much of it.
C. C. Craine
Carry on. Gow shiu er.
Take you on.
J. Kneen
Well, va jeih as feed dy cheirdeeyn er y twoaie, va mee - ayns y traa shen as v’ad ooilley gobbyr as gobbyr creoi.
Well, there were thirty smithies in the north, I was - in that time and they were all working and working hard.
As nish cha nel agh kiare ayn, as yn deiney, as kiare deiney son yn keirdeeyn nish as cha nel kerroo gobbyr
And now there is only four in, and the men, and four men for the smithies now, and not a quarter (of) work
son dy freayll ad goll. As ta’n - as bee’n dorryssyn jeh dagh ooilley keirdee ayns y twoaie jeiht ayns dagh…..blein elley.
for to keep them going. And the..and the doors of every smithy in the north will be shut in each…another year.
Va mee gobbyr - cha row treiney, ny boult, ny red erbee cheet voish Sostyn. Veagh yn shenn ghaaue jannoo eh ooilley
I was working - there was not a nail, nor bolt, nor anything coming form England. The old smith would do it all
v’ou laccal ayns y cheirdee. V’eh jannoo bollaghyn? as v’eh jannoo chebbyn? as v’eh jannoo dagh ooilley red v’ou laccal
you were wanting in the smithy. He was making... and he was making... and he was making every thing you were wanting
eh dy ghobbyr er y thalloo. As nish cha nel veg cheet, cha nel veg goll er jannoo, as t’eh ooilley cheet voish Sostyn.
him to work on the land. And now there is nothing coming, nothing is being made, and it is all coming from England.
C. C. Craine
Oh, nish t’ou jannoo mie, ghooinney, nish t’ou jannoo mie. Insh dooin mychione ny queeylyn nish.
Oh, now you are doing well, man, now you are doing well. Tell us about the wheels now.
J. Kneen
Uh?
C. C. Craine
Insh dooin mychione ny queeylyn.
Tell us about the wheels.
J. Kneen
Aw, well, va mee ga ... va mee gaaue, ghooinney, va mee boandalley ny queeylyn, queeyl. Agh nish cha nel queeyl laccalit
Aw, well, I was ... I was a smith, I was banding the wheels, wheel. But now there is no wheel wanted
dy chur boand er. Ooilley son boand er t’ad cur da nish... ta cur reddyn. Shen ooilley ersooyl , ah, cha s’aym.
to put a band on. All for a band on they give to it now... putting things. That’s all away, ah, I don’t know.
C. C. Craine
Feed minnid gys hoght.
Twenty minutes to eight.
J. Kneen
T’eh orrym nish. Well, va mee aeg, ghooinney, va mee gobbyr er y thalloo as va kiare deiney gobbyr er y voayl
It’s on me now. Well, I was young, man, I was working on the land and there were four men working on the place
as ooilley yn argid va’n dooinney laccal eh, er Jesarn ta mee dy eeck eh da yn kiare deiney, v’eh un phunt queig.
And all the money the man was wanting it, on Saturday, I am to pay it to the four men, it was one pound five (shillings)
v’eh laccal.
he was wanting.
Shen ooilley... v’eh geddyn. As yn vee v’ad geddyn v’ee poddash ayns y voghree as praaseyn son y shia-,
That (is) all... he was getting. And the food they were getting, it was porridge in the morning and potatoes for the...
son y jinnair as, ayns yn oie v’ad geddyn poddash reesht as skeddan as oarn, er . . .
for the dinner and, in the night they were getting porridge again and herring and barley, on….
C. C. Craine
Arran oarn?
Barley bread?
J. Kneen
Arran oarn son dy gee as shen ooilley v’ad geddyn son y laa. As v’ad gobbyr woish yn voghree gys yn oie.
Barley bread for to eat and that is all they were getting for the day. And they were working from the morning to the night.
As yn reddyn v’ad gobbyr lesh va keeaght fuygh, as va shen ooilley bunnys ooilley yn reddyn
And the things they were working with, there was a wooden plough and that was all, nearly all the things
v’ad gobbyr lesh. V’ad jannoo ooilley yn gobbyr lesh yn tr . . .
they were working with. They were doing all the work with the …
C. C. Craine
Keeaght
Plough.
J. Kneen
Le’ yn traaue, le’ yn....
With the ploughing, with the….
C. C. Craine
Keeaght.
Plough.
J. Kneen
Le’ yn keeaght. Va’n keeaght jannoo dagh ooilley red. V’ee goll ayns yn praaseyn as ayns yn hunnipyn, as v’ee jannoo
With the plough. The plough was doing every thing. It was going in the potatoes and in the turnips, and it was doing
as ooilley yn red elley v’ad goaill son dy ghobbyr v’ee yn grep v’ad gra da.
and all the other thing(s) they were taking for to work, it was the grep (fork) they were saying to it.
……. as feeackleyn cur dooin. Shen ooilley v’er y boayl.
……. and teeth putting to us. That (is) all that was on the place.
(Transcribed by Robert (Bob) Carswell, Douglas. Translated by Fiona McArdle, Kirk Michael)
Language: Manx
Collection: Sound Archive
Level: WHOLE
ID number: SA 0579/4/6