ooig - cave
masoonagh - mason
thie cailleeyn doo - nunnery
oe - grandson
grainney - to carve
clagh oaie - gravestone
cairt - cart
jesheen - ornament jannoo
dunverys - to murder
soilsheen - advertisment
1. Once upon a time in the Isle of Man lived a man called Gort.
2. He worked with stone and he lived in Peel.
3. In those days the railway had not yet reached Peel,
4. so he made use of stone from that place.
5. One day Gort was sitting in his cave by the river.
6. A rich man came to meet him.
7. "Make me a fine gravestone for my wife," he said.
8. "Right enough," replied Gort, "when did she die?"
9. "She is still alive," said the man, "but I have heard
that -
10. if you want a stone carved in Peel -
11. you should ask the mason in good time."
12. Gort was not happy with this reply -
13. but the money was good so he took the job.
14. At that time, there was not much work in -
15. so Gort started making the gravestone immediately.
16. It was finished in about a week.
17. He put the stone on his cart and set off for Santan.
18. When he brought it to the house the wife was angry.
19. She thought the rich man was thinking of murdering her.
20. She left the house immediately for a nunnery.
21. Then the rich man had no need for the gravestone -
22. so Gort and his donkey carried it back to Peel.
23. The stone was neither use nor ornament -
24. so he wrote "Gort made this and all in Man" on it.
25. He set it outside his cave as an advertisement.
26. Gort's grandson sold the stone to the Museum
27. and it stands there still, even to this very day.
aundyr - prize
meehaghyrtagh - unlucky
myn-changaroo - wallaby
mollaght - curse
neughortit - unharmed
eiyr er - follow him
liare - leather
aggairagh - wrong
bayrn coadee - helmet
snapperal - trip (stumble)
assag - polecat
cagh elley - everyone else
lhiass-chiannoort - lieutenant governor
1. Once upon a time there was a man named Stan Wiggins.
2. Stan came to the Isle of Man each year for the T.T. races
3. but he never won any prize here.
4. He was unlucky every year.
5. The first year he got on the wrong boat and landed at Birkenhead.
6. The next year he reached the Island but his bike went to Dublin.
7. A year later he was talking to Geoff Cannell and forgot the race.
8. If there were any animals on the course Stan would hit them.
9. One year he hit a dog, two hedgehogs and a wallaby.
10. The wallaby was unharmed, but Stan was in the hospital.
11. One year he was arrested for hitting a polecat.
12. Marge Joughin had been following him on another bike
13. and she had seen him kill the beast.
14. His bike was often in trouble too.
15. Each year a different bit fell off it in a race.
16. Stan is still the only rider to complete the course on one wheel.
17. After 25 years his wife was growing anxious,
18. so she decided to come to the races with him.
19. On the last day of the races, all was ready.
20. His bike was running well and he was in good health too.
21. On his way from the hotel he tripped over the hotel cat -
22. who was sleeping on the steps, and broke his leg.
23. Mrs. Wiggins said nothing, but took his helmet and leathers.
24. She was a brave woman to ride with the Wiggins' curse.
25. But her bravery turned the curse on everybody else.
26. Geoff Cannell was struck dumb.
27. Other riders hit animals or ran out of petrol.
28. At the end of the race she was the only rider left.
29. and so she got the first prize from the Governor.
30. She gave it to Stan in the hospital, and he lost it.