17. The Reason for the Name “Na Foiriúin Bháite”
Peadar Ó Ceannbháin, Bantrach Ard, Cill Chiaráin
—tranlsated by Heinrich Becker
The was another place called ‘ Na Foiriúin’ —two rocks. A very high tide would submerge them. It was a place people used to go long ago to pluck creathnach, or as sume people call it — duileasc. Creathnach grew in abundance on Duchleac and on Carraig na Meacan.
When the tide was out, the women went in to pluck this creathnahc, or duileasc. They were brought in there by boat and the men put them ashore, on the rocks. They went perhaps into Galway Bay. The sea got very rough.
Then when they came back the sea was rough around these rocks and they were unable to go ashore, as there were shallow breakers around them. It was not possible to rescue these women as the boat could not go up as far as them. It is a shallow, wild place, which was very dangerous when the sea was rough.
When the tide rose, the rocks were submerged and the women were left on the rocks. They were looking at these from outside the island, being drowned. And that is the reason they have been called Foiriúin bháite ever since. If there had been a helicopter at that time, perhaps they would not have drowned. But that was three hundred years ago since that happened.
They usually go out on a fine day without any wind at all. But the sea rises and they do not go near the shallows. The sea would be roaring and beating between the rocks.
Addendum from version 213 b Well, no boat could go ashore in a pace of this kind as it would become matchwood. It was a sailing boat, a púcán, they had, a boat of up to about four tons. It would not be as big as a turf boat.
