‘The Quiet Man’: Maureen O’Hara and Ward Bond speak the Irish

Possibly my most popular old post here is the one on the music in the 1952 John Ford movie classic “The Quiet Man.”

Around St. Patrick’s Day and every time the film is on TV, I suddenly have dozens of hits from people looking for names of the tunes and the song lyrics.

One other common question on the movie is, What are Mary Kate Danaher (played by Maureen O’Hara) and Father Peter Lonergan (Ward Bond) saying in the scene when they speak in “the Irish” language?

Out of bed. The scene follows the wedding night of Mary Kate and Sean Thornton (John Wayne). Mary Kate refused to let Sean share her bed because her brother has not given her the dowry she expected.

Here’s the scene:

Mary Kate: “Father, could I... could I tell you in the Irish?”

Father Lonergan: “Is ea, sea, sea, sea.”

Mary Kate: “Níor lig mé mo fhear céile isteach i mo leaba liom aréir. Chuir mé faoi ndearadh dó codladh i - Ó, i mála codlata! Mála codlata!”

Father Lonergan: “Mála c--? Céard é sin? ‘Bag?’”

Mary Kate: “Sleeping bag, Father, with... with buttons! Ó, mo spré, ní throid sé ar a shon. An peaca é?”

Father Lonergan: [angry] “Woman, Ireland may be a poor country, God help us. But here, a married man sleeps in a bed, and not a bag!”

And here, thanks to our friends (and particularly BridMhor) at Irish Gaelic Translator.com, is the translation of the Irish:

Mary Kate: “Father, could I... could I tell you in the Irish?”

Father Lonergan: [From Irish:] “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Mary Kate: “I didn’t allow my husband into bed with me last night. I forced him to sleep in - oh, in a bag for sleeping! a bag for sleeping.”

Father Lonergan: “Bag --? What’s that? ‘Bag?’”

Mary Kate: “[Original:] Sleeping bag, Father, with… buttons! [From Irish:] My dowry, he didn’t fight for it. Is it a sin?”

Father Lonergan: [Original:] “Woman, Ireland may be a poor country, God help us. But here, a married man sleeps in a bed, and not a bag!”

So that’s what they said. “Is it a sin?” seems to be the central point. It’s another “Quiet Man” mystery cleared up.

Frank Warner

* * *

More Irish: Earlier, Maureen O’Hara sings:

Oh, Innisfree, my island, I’m returning
From wasted years across the wintry sea.
And when I come back to my own dear Ireland,
I’ll rest a while beside you, gradh mochroidhe.

The last two words in Irish, which sound like “grah macree,” mean “love of my heart.”

* * *

See also: ‘The Quiet Man’ soundtrack: Victor Young’s music for a happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Comments

[Emmanuel Kehoe]

Hi, just a minor correction.

What Mary Kate actually says is: ``I didn't allow my husband into bed with me last night.''

A subtle difference, but one that better suits Mary Kate's forceful disposition.

Kindest regards,

Emmanuel Kehoe

[Frank Warner]

Thanks, Emmanuel. That does make a difference. I don't doubt you, but point out which part of the sentence means "I didn't allow." I'll be happy to edit, to make this more accurate.

[Emmanuel Kehoe]

Hi,
please accept my apologies, I seem not to have to have replied to your request.
``Ní lig mé'' (correctly ``Níor lig mé'') means ``I did not allow.''
Kindest regards, Emmanuel

[Frank Warner]

Thanks!

[George]

Happy birthday, Maureen O'Hara!
She would have been 92 today.
Born 17 August 1920.

[Frank Warner]

She sure is durable.

[Mary Prouty]

I just wanted to know that Maureen ohara did speak in the Gaelic tongue. It is a beautiful movie and John Wayne was so gentle and sexy. His gentleness make him that sexy.

[Charlie]

She's still aluve

[Frank Warner]

Alive, yes.

[Ellen]

Errr, Ahhhh! There was nothing gentlemanly about the way he yanked and dragged her all the way from the train station to her brother's place like a caveman and kicked her butt. It is now two and a half years since she passed. My parents loved her. Thank you for the gaelic translation.

[Frank Warner]

Mary Kate didn't say Gaelic. She said 'in the Irish.'

[Mary-Margaret Swofford]

I'd rather be dragged around with love than have a husband who allowed himself to be henpecked. I'm in my mid-50s. I'll not be beaten nor abused, but there must be clearly defined roles in a marriage. If the woman wants to be a nag and a scold, the husband should be able to assert himself. Imho.

[Stewart]

I’m watching it now and Sean Thornton threw Mary Kate on the bed, so she didn’t really have much say in the matter, tbf....👍

[Stewart]

Sorry, that was in reply to the original comment....

[Maria Alderson]

Mary Kate is going to confession. In those days it was a mortal sin to refuse your husband your bed. She asks if it was really a sin, given that Sean didn't fight for her dowry. Father Lonergan gives her his opinion in no uncertain terms. At the same time, Sean is talking to the Protestant minister who asks him, "Is your wife's love worth fighting for?" Both having consulted spiritual advisers, they consummate their marriage that night. It's really quite beautiful, because they BOTH give in.