The Summer King (39 page)

As a native language or mother tongue, Irish is found only in a number of small communities called
Gaeltachtaí
, located chiefly on the west coast of Ireland. Sadly, these communities are declining due to economic factors, reduced rural population, social disintegration, intermarriage with non-native speakers, attrition, and the settling of non-native speakers in the areas. Some estimates put the demise of the
Gaeltachtaí
within the next few generations, a loss that would be of incalculable magnitude to Irish culture and society. It must be said, however, that native speakers ignore these rumors of their death with characteristic forbearance.

Meanwhile, the knowledge and use of the Irish language is increasing among the English-speaking population of the island. In the most recent census of 2002 (preliminary results), over a million people in the Republic and 140,000 in Northern Ireland reported having a reasonable proficiency in the language. Census figures for the use of Irish continually increase. Globally, study groups and language classes are popular not only among the Diaspora—those Irish and their descendants who have emigrated throughout the world—but also among non-Irish peoples such as the Japanese, Danish, French, and Germans. In the United States (
Na Stáit Aontaithe
), Irish language classes are available throughout the country, while the Internet lists countless sites that teach and encourage Irish.

Back home in Ireland, the grassroots phenomenon of
Gaelscoileanna
—primary and secondary schools teaching in Irish—is widespread and rapidly growing, despite tacit resistance from successive Irish governments. These schools guarantee new generations of Irish speakers whose second language is fluent Irish. The longstanding Irish-language radio station
Raidió na Gaeltachta
continues to broadcast from the viewpoint of native speakers, while the new television station
Teilifís na Gaeilge
(TG4) caters to both native and second-language speakers. Many institutions both private and public support the language, the most venerable being
Conradh na Gaeilge (
www.cnag.ie
)
.

There are several dialects within the Irish language which express regional differences among the provinces of Munster, Leinster, Connaught, and Ulster. Also extant is Shelta, the secret language of the Irish Travellers (nomadic people who live in caravan trailers) which weaves Romany words with Irish Gaelic.

In whatever form, long may the language survive.
Gaeilge abú!

Verse from Runrig song on page 52 “Faileas Air An Airigh” words & music by Calum & Rory MacDonald © 2003, Chrysalis Music Ltd. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verse on page 55 is from the poem “Connemara,” from
The Collected Poems of Oliver St. John Gogarty:
Constable, 1951.

The lines on page 130 are from “The First Elegy” copyright © 1982 by Stephen Mitchell, from
The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke,
translated by Stephen Mitchell. Used by permission of Random House, Inc.

The poem on pages 124 and 140 and extracts from “The Colloquy of Fintan and the Old Hawk of Eacaill” in Chapters Eleven and Twelve are taken from
Achill Island: Archaeology-History-Folklore
by Theresa McDonald (IAS Publications, Tullamore, Ireland, 1997), reprinted with the kind permission of the author.

In addition to the above, there are two traditional Irish-language songs on pages 160 and 195–196 as listed in the glossary.

The lines on page 334 are from “The Stolen Child” by W. B. Yeats.

All other poems and songs written by the author.

O.R. Melling was born in Ireland and grew up in Canada with her seven sisters and two brothers. A champion Irish dancer, she has a B.A. in Celtic Studies and an M.A. in Medieval Irish History. She lives in her hometown of Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, with her teenage daughter, Findabhair. Visit her Web site at
www.ormelling.com
.

The print version of this book was designed by Jay Colvin and art directed by Becky Terhune. It is set in Horley Old Style MT, a Monotype font designed by the English type designer Robert Norton. The chapter heads are set in Mason, which was created by Jonathan Barnbrook based on ancient Greek and Roman stone carvings.

he stepped through the spinney of tangled trees that crept over the back of the small mountain by the sea. The earth felt cool beneath her feet. The green hem of her gown brushed the damp grasses. Stopping to press her ear to the bole of an old hawthorn, she closed her eyes to listen. With a smile, she sang the refrain that coursed through its veins.

Tá grian gheal an tsamhraidh ag damhsa ar mo theach.
The summer sun is dancing on the roof of my house.

She broke from the trees and came to a cliff that plunged down to cold waters. Her smile faded. A confusion of memories clouded her thoughts; shadows of another self, another life. She gazed down at the waves that struck the rocks in a fury of white froth. Why had she come here? What had drawn her to this place? Her skin shimmered faintly with a tint of gold. Her hair was wreathed with white blossoms. She stared around her, lost.

Then she froze.

It was like a wound in the earth: a gash of red mist like vaporized blood. Writhing through the grass, it trailed over the stony summit and into the mountains beyond.

She let out a cry.

The wind caught her cry and cast it through the air like a net, a summons. Out on the water, a gray seal surfaced. Overhead, the skirr of bird wing as seagulls came to land. A robin fluttered onto her shoulder. Small animals scampered from their hideaways to form a circle around her—foxes, hares, field mice, badgers. On the slope above, a horned goat and a wild deer inclined their heads to hear what she might say.

“A shadow of the Destroyer has entered the kingdom.”

Her words were met with sounds of dismay and terror. She herself was undone. Trembling, she struggled to keep her voice firm.

“Be of good courage. I will take charge of this matter. Keep watch for the one I will send among you.”