The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

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Gat Lie 1 licaiitations. 229
The foregoing is the story as told in Uist ;
and the
birth ceremony as now practised is as follows :—The woman
in travail takes the Ainie Moire in her right hand, and
repeats the Ave Maria three times. Thereafter the midwife,
or other woman in attendance, takes the amulet, and
with it makes the sign of the cross on the sick woman
(air taobh cearr broinn a' bhoirionnaich fo 'n imleag), at
the same time repeating the dialogue above given, or the
following version of it :
—
" Faic a' bhean, a Mhoire,
'Si aig fod a' bhais."
" Seall fhein i Mhic,
'S ann agad a tha" ['n cumhachd].
" Cuiribh an gin air an lar,
'S fagaibh slan a' bhean."
Translated
Jesus—
" Mary, behold the woman
In the throes of death."
Mary— " Succour thou her, O Son,
For thou hast the power."
Jesus—
" May the child be born.
And the woman again be well."
Lady Wilde, in her " Ancient Cures of Ireland," tells
us that if an Irish woman is in great danger of death during
her confinement, and is not wearing the scapular, she must
be invested at once ; and the midwife always carries one
with her, ready for the purpose (page 71). It would thus
appear that the scapular serves much the same purpose
in Ireland that the Airue Moire does in Uist.
An Incantation somewhat similar to the one above
given is used in the West of Ireland. I am indebted to
Professor O'Growney for the following version of it :
Di's a casadh dham, Cabhair agus Cri'ost,
Mar rug Anna Muire, a's mar rug Muire Cn'ost,
Mar rug Eili's Eoin Baisde gan dith chois' no laimh',
Foir air an bhean, a Mhic !
foir 1, a Mhathair.
O
O is tii ghein an mac, tabhair gein o 'n chnaimh
Agus go mba slan a bheidheas an bhean.
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