‘Ach cerbh i Peig Sayers?’
Niorbh i in aon chor an tseanbhean ologonach i ar chuir na glunta de dhaltai scoile aithne uirthi. Is leir o chuntais uathu siud arbh eol doibh i gur bhean ghramhar thuisceanach i a raibh acmhainn grinn inti; bean a fuair blas ar ghal tobac agus ar bhraoinin fuisce, agus a bhi oilte ar chraiceann a chur ar sceal.
Saolaiodh Peig i nDun Chaoin i gCo. Chiarrai i 1873. Thug si bua na scealaiochta lei ona hathair agus tugadh a sarchuimhne agus an le a bhi aici le comhluadar faoi deara go luath. Phos si iascaire on mBlascaod agus chaith si saol cruogach i dteaghlach lionmhar ag deanamh curaim don seisear leanbh lei a mhair.
Tugann Labharfad le Cach le cheile den chead uair na taifeadtai a thog an BBC agus RTE uaithi i 1946, 1947 agus 1953, mar aon le haistriuchain Bhearla orthu. Leirionn siad fairsinge repertoire Pheig idir scealta craifeacha, paidreacha, scealta romansacha, scealta faoin osadur agus cuntais ar an saol a caitheadh trath ar an oilean ach go bhfuil a chuimhne ag dul i leig anois.
‘Who was that Peig Sayers?’
She was anything but the maudlin and old-fashioned Peig remembered by generations of school children. From the descriptions of those who met her, the real Peig emerges as a warm, wise and humorous woman, with an addiction to tobacco, a fondness for a sup of whiskey and a mastery of the art of ‘spin’.
Born in Dun Chaoin in County Kerry in 1873, Peig learned the art of storytelling at her father’s knee, and quickly became known for her sociable nature and excellent memory. Marrying a fisherman from the Great Blasket, she enjoyed a full life with a large extended family and the care of her six living children.
I Will Speak to You All collects, for the first time, in both Irish and English, the recordings made by the BBC and RTE of Peig Sayers in 1946, 1947 and 1953. They illustrate Peig’s repertoire, ranging from religious stories and prayers to humorous, romantic, even supernatural tales, as well as descriptions of an island life that is passing from living memory.
