Here is Reading #3, another short, simple story from the school reader "Scéalaíocht 1".
Chuaigh bean síos go hIfreann uair. Bhuail an Diabhal léi ag an doras.
"Tá fáilte romhat, a bhean chóir," ar seisean. "Tar isteach."
Nuair a bhí sí istigh chas sí air: "Dún an doras sin go tapaidh!" ar sise. "Tá an teas go léir ag éalú amach. Tá tú chomh holc le m'fhear féin sa bhaile. Fágann sé siúd an doras ar oscailt i gcónaí leis! Cad as duit? An mó duine eile san áit seo? Cé hí an bhean sin thall? An é an gual atá á úsáid agaibh sa tine sin?"
"Tóg bog é, nóiméad," arsa an Diabhal, ag cur cluas le héisteach air féin. "Is dóigh liom go gcloisim cnag eile ar an doras. Imigh, led thoil, agus lig isteach pé duine atá ann."
Amach leis an mbean go dtí an doras, agus d'oscail é. Má rinne, tháinig an Diabhal taobh thiar di, agus chaith amach sa chlós í. Dhún sé an doras go tapaidh ina diaidh agus chuir an glas air.
"Bíodh sí siúd ag an bhFear Thuas!" ar seisean.
A woman went down to hell once. The devil met her at the door.
"Welcome, good woman," he said. "Come in."
When she was inside, she turned to him: "Shut that door quickly!" she said. "All the heat is escaping. You're as bad as (1) my own (2) husband at home. That one (3) always (4) stands with the door open too! (5) Where are you from? (6) Are there (7) anymore men in this place? Who is that woman over there? Do you have coal to use (8) in that fire?"
"Take it easy (9) a minute," said the devil, pricking his ears (10) to listen. "I think I hear another knock at the door. Please go and let in whoever is there."
Away went (11) the woman to the door and opened it. When she did, (12) the devil came up behind her, and threw her out in the yard. He shut the door quickly behind her and locked it.
"Let (13) the Man Up Above have her!" he said.
(2) "Féin - self" is here translated "own", its common meaning when used in conjunction with possessive pronouns.
(3) "Sé siúd" literally "he, that one". There is a derrogatory tone to this. When "sin", "seo", and "siúd" are used pronominally, as here, they are commonly found with the pronouns "sé", "sí", and "siad", as appropriate.
(4) Note how the adverbial phrase of time "i gcónaí - always" tends to be found near the end of the sentence rather than near the front as in English.
(5) "Leis" here means "also, too" rather than "with him" -- a common use.
(6) Literally "What from to you?" This is a good example of an idiomatic expression -- one that makes little sense when translated literally.
(7) "An" is the interrogative form of the copula "is".
(8) Literally, "Is there coal which is for its using with you (plural) in that fire." Several points here. First, Irish says "an gual" where in English we leave off the definite article when referring to something in a general sense. Second, the object of a verbal noun (úsáid in this case) is in the genitive. This means that when it is a pronoun, it is a possessive pronoun (here combined with the preposition "a" to form á (a + a = á). Finally, we see here again the preposition "ag" (here agaibh) used where we use the verb "to have" in English.
(9) More correctly "Tóg _go_ bog é", "Take it easy." The adverbial "go" is dropped in colloquial conversation.
(10) Literally "putting ears (cluas - genitive plural) to hear on himself."
(11) Literally "away with the woman", a common idiom in Irish. Note also that the preposition "le" has the form "leis" before the definite article "an".
(12) Literally "If (she) did."
(13) Literally "Let that one be with the Man Above!" "Bíodh" is the third person singular imperative form, which we translate "let" such and such "be done". Note again the use of "siúd" in a derrogatory sense.
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