Cú na mBaskerville

By Arthur Conan Doyle, translated into Irish by Nioclás Tóibín

Click on the book cover on the right to order this book from Amazon.co.uk!

Or if you are in North America, order the book from Amazon.com!

Also available in English and in Cornish.

“Sir Charles lay on his face, his arms out, his fingers dug into the ground, and his features convulsed with some strong emotion to such an extent that I could hardly have sworn to his identity. There was certainly no physical injury of any kind. But one false statement was made by Barrymore at the inquest. He said that there were no traces upon the ground round the body. He did not observe any. But I did—some little distance off, but fresh and clear.”		“Bhí an fear bocht sínte ar a bhéal agus ar a aghaidh, a ghéaga amach, a mhéara in achrann sa talamh, a cheannaithe in arraing ag corraí millteach éigin, chomh mór sin go raibh sé deacair dom a rá gurbh é a bhí ann ar aon chor. Ní raibh aon loitiméireacht d’aon sórt déanta ar a chorp. Ach dúirt an buitléir aon rá amháin nach raibh fíor ag an gcúirt. Dúirt sé nach raibh aon rian ar aon chor ar an talamh timpeall an choirp. Níor thug sé aon rian faoi deara. Ach thug mise faoi deara iad tamaillín beag ón áit, ach mar sin féin, bhí siad go húr agus go soiléir.”
“Footprints?”		“Rian cos?”
“Footprints.”		“Rian cos.”
“A man’s or a woman’s?”		“Rian cos fir nó mná?”
Dr Mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant, and his voice sank almost to a whisper as he answered.		D’fhéach an Dochtúir Mortimer go hait orainn ar feadh tamaill bhig, agus is beag nach raibh a ghuth ina chogar ag freagairt dó:
“Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!”		“Ba é rud a bhí iontu ná rian crúb cú ábhalmhóir!”
Sir Charles Baskerville, a Devon landowner, has died suddenly, apparently from the fright given him by an enormous fearsome dog. Some of the local people believe an old legend according to which the dog is not an earthly animal, but rather a supernatural hell-hound which inhabits the area’s lonely dangerous moor and has haunted the Baskervilles for generations. It’s up to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson to show what the true nature of the hound is whilst seeing to it that no harm comes to Sir Henry Baskerville, Sir Charles’ nephew and heir who has come to live in Baskerville Hall and claim his inheritance. Many commentators consider that The Hound of the Baskervilles is the best of the Sherlock Holmes stories and it is certainly one of the best-known detective stories ever written. An Gúm published this Irish-language translation by Nioclás Tóibín in 1934. In this new edition of that translation, edited by Aibhistín Ó Duibh, the text has been standardized to conform to the written Irish of today.		Tá Sir Charles Baskerville, mionuasal de chuid Devon Shasana, tar éis bás a fháil gan choinne agus dealraíonn sé gurb é an scanradh a chuir cú ábhalmhór scáfar air a thug a bhás. Creideann roinnt dá chomharsana seanscéal a deir nach ainmhí saolta an madra céanna, ach cú diabhlaí aníos ó ifreann a thaithíonn riasc sceirdiúil contúirteach na dúiche agus atá ar tí dhíobháil mhuintir Baskerville le fada. Faoi Sherlock Holmes agus an Dochtúir Watson atá sé a thaispeáint cén sórt ainmhí go fírinneach an cú agus féachaint chuige san am céanna nach ndéantar aon díobháil do Sir Henry Baskerville, mac dearthár agus oidhre Sir Charles, atá tagtha chun cónaithe in Halla Baskerville chun a oidhreacht a éileamh. Dar le go leor léirmheastóirí go bhfuil Cú na mBasker­ville ar an scéal is fearr de scéalta Sherlock Holmes agus níl aon amhras ach go bhfuil sé ar cheann de na scéalta bleachtaireachta is iomráití dár scríobhadh riamh. Foilsíodh in 1934 an t-aistriúchán Gaeilge seo de a rinne Nioclás Tóibín. Is éard atá san eagrán nua seo leagan caighdeánaithe den aistriúchán sin, arna chur in eagar ag Aibhistín Ó Duibh.