Cré na Cille

I've moved the syopsis of the episodes from the film here, they were getting a bit long for the main class page.

06/06/13

Cré na Cille Plot Summary

Back to Will's Class

Death of Caitríona Pháidín. As she is dying, she calls in her son Pádraig to demand burial in the Pound Plot, a limestone cross and rails around her grave.

We see the wake, with a lovely song. But some people are grumbling that Caitríona does not deserve a nice cross, Pound Plot, etc. And the people who would usually lay her out and keen over her refuse to come.

Her sister Neil lays her out, with help from Seáinín Liam. Neil complains about Caitríona's lack of cleanliness, and rubs it in that Neil will now inherit from their sister Baba in America.

Caitríona Pháidín breaks out of her coffin underground. She meets her former neighbor, Mairéad Phroinsiais, and they talk about when they died, what killed Caitríona, and Caitríona updates Máiréad on various people in the commmunity. Caitríona's contempt for her daughter-in-law, Iníon Nóra Sheáinín, is obvious.

In fact, Caitríona starts ranting about Nóra and her daughter when Mairéad informs her that she's in the 15 Schilling Plot, not the Pound Plot. Mairéad tells her that Nóra Sheáinín is there, listening to "The Big Master" (the schoolmaster) read. So they go to investigate.

We come in on the Master reading to Nóra. From what we hear, this "novelette" is not terribly sophisticated, perhaps slightly racy, but Nóra seems almost comically anxious to soak up some "culture" from the Master. They are discussing night clubs (!) when Caitríona Pháidín sails in, guns blazing.

Caitríona unleashes her contempt with a series of insults about Nóra and the town she's from, Gort Ribeach, which Caitríona refers to repeatedly as a town of "duck-milkers." She and Nóra have quite the name-calling contest, but there's an interlude in this fight in which Caitríona finds herself alone with the Master.

Caitríona innocently (not!) brings up An Mháistreás, the Master's wife. The Master instantly turns from a somewhat pompous man of learning to a pitiful fool. After Caitríona's mention that his wife is seeing a man, she pretends she didn't mean to say anything, and leads him through a sad guessing game as to the identity of the suitor, who turns out to be Bileachaí an Phosta ("posta" is used in this area of Conamara where "post" would be used in most other places.).

The thing is, his wife promised him she would never remarry after the Master died. The scene ends with more name-calling, as Nóra scores by pointing out that Caitríona was beat out in love by her sister Neil, and Caitríona suggesting that Nóra's interest in sailors was unseemly.

The scene ends with Caitríona explaining the romantic battle Nóra raised, involved Briain Mhór, to Mairéad. Obviously, Nóra got under her skin. But the tale is interrupted by the arrival of our next guest.

Seáinín Liam dropped dead of a bad heart, and that's all he wants to talk about. Caitríona wants a report of her funeral, but she has to drag it out of him, because he keeps wandering off on the topic of his heart.

She learns that the offering wasn't as great as she expected, that the priest wasn't there. Seánín reports that there was plenty of booze, and that 8 candles were lit (more than anyone else), but that one blew out, a bad sign.

He reveals that son Pádraig intended to put Caitríona in the Pound Plot, but Neil intervened. He also reports what Neil said about Caitríona not being clean, and that Cáit Bheag and Bid Shorcha refused to lay her out or keen for her. But the cross is still promised.

She is delighted to hear news that her daughter-in-law is sickly, Caitríona is hoping that this next pregnancy will bump her off. But she also learns that her granddaughter Máirín has been taken in by the nuns to turn into a schoolteacher.

Seáinín bumps into the Master, who wants to know about his wife. Seáinín says that Bileachaí would bring the mail to the schoolchildren, and then spend a lot of time talking to An Mháistreás in the hall, and "that's not the half of it."

We see the death of Bríd, who has numerous physical ailments. She falls into her own fireplace and hasn't the strength to pull herself out, which leads her to complain that she shouldn't have been left alone.

She doesn't get a very warm welcome, and Bríd is one of the ones who fights back with some vigor. She points out that Caitríona's son Pádraig has planted many fewer potatos than Neil. She reports that Iníon Nóra Sheáinín had a daughter (named after Nóra) and came through it in fine health, and that Neil may get a road built to her house. But Caitríona is cheered to hear that Bid Shorcha is ill. Bríd provides other bits of news.

Then Bríd meets the Master, she she tells him "he would have been proud" of the generous spread his wife put on. It sounds like we are hearing about the Master's wake, but it turns out she is describing his wife's re-marriage feast! Bríd recounts a conversation with An Mháistreás in which the latter claims that the Master insisted that he would not rest in peace unless she promised to remarry. The Master calls his wife a raibiléara, a "harlot" or "hussy."

A young lad's lungs give out (TB) when soot billows out of his chimney. On his arrival, Caitriona pumps him for news.

His particular obsession was to go to England. All the young lads from the neighboring towns had already left, but he didn't make it. He brings this up a few times, he's very disappointed, but he doesn't seem to be intimidated by Caitriona.

He tells her that there's no talk of a cross anymore, and of several insulting remarks Briain Mór made about whether she deserved a cross, or her son could afford it. He also disappoints her by revealing that Briain Mór's son Peadar won his court case, and Neil ended up with another 800 punt!

But he makes her day when he tells about the fight Caitríona's daughter-in-law had with, first, Meaig Bhriain Mhóir and then Neil, pushing Neil into the fireplace. Caitriona suddenly decides that Iníon Nóirín Sheáinín is a wonderful woman, and Caitríona retells the story with considerable enhancements.

Martin Pockfaced arrives, having died of bedsores -- something he mentions at every opportunity (and even some non-opportunities). He runs into Caitríona, who pumps him for information. Máirtín and Caitríona were the same age (when she died), and Máirtín was also having a contest with Bid Shorcha to see who would last the longest (he lost).

He reports that Tom Rua is doing poorly (she doesn't care), as is Jeaic na Scolóige (no snide remark from her on that one, notably).Tomás Taobh Istigh has new furniture, courtesy of Neil, and Briain Mór is well (she's disappointed to hear). Baba may also be doing poorly, but little has been heard about her money.

Neil is enjoying the new road to her house and thinking about putting on a slate roof. Caitríona figures Neil will end up in Áit an Phuint.

Máirtín needles Caitríona by saying that she won't get her cross, and that Iníon Nóra Sheáinín (who was in Caitríona's favor, briefly) said that Caitríona was lucky to end up in the churchyard at all. He also mentions that Nóra Sheáinín's grandson is off to sea, and that Neil's grandson is studying for the priesthood -- a matter of money, again.

Caitríona is fed up and chases Máirtín off, and he runs into the Schoolmaster. He talks about how youthful his wife is, how she takes care of Bileachaí all night, even calling three doctors in to tend to him, although she didn't summon even one doctor for the Schoolmaster in his final days. She goes to one holy well after another to pray for his recovery. The Schoolmaster reminisces aobut romantic times with his wife, how he bought a car to drive her around, and her promise never to remarry.

But Máirtín recounts how Bileachaí helped lay out the Schoolmaster, including smashing a knee that was locked in bent position. Bileachaí also closed the coffin, and lowered into the grave, and vigorously shoveled dirt over it. He also said something about the Schoolmaster going to the "dead letter office."

Máirtín also throws in a story about seeking out the Schoolmaster for help with a document, looking through a window, and seeing the Schoolmaster having sex with his wife in the school. Nóra Sheáinín and Bríd are shocked, and Máirtín looks about to expand on the tale when the next arrival interrupts things.

The episode begins with Tom and Briain Mór sitting on a wall, watching Neil (?) show off her new car to the priest. Asked how he is, Tom answers with things like, "People say I'm poorly" and "That could be" and "It's a wise person who would say", and utters a stock phrase that basically means, "There's many a thing said that is not recorded." As Neil drives by and honks, Tom flips over the wall to his death.

Caitríona has a very frustrating conversation with Tom Rua. He keeps pulling up those same stock phrases, giving kind of "maybe, maybe not" answers to her questions, and fishing around in his (limited) memory to dredge up whom they are even talking about. That hemming and hawing and hedging takes up much of the episode.

Caitríona does find out that Cáit Bheag and Bid Shorcha are sick, although she's skeptical, and that Jeaic na Scolóige is not well, and he suggests that Neil is not well, but that may be some of his nonsense.

She asks about Baba, but gets no new information, and he says some say Neil will get the money, some say Pádraig. Her inquiries about Tomás Toabh Istigh and his land are equally ineffective. The episode ends with her grumbling about his dim-wittedness.

Beartla drops dead while ejoying himself in the pub. He has a tune stuck in his head, and sings the first couple of lines again and again throughout this episode. (For more on the song, take this link for more information from an archival collection of Joe Heaney material.)

After some small talk and greetings, Caitríona asks about how things are above ground. In chatting, Beartla mentions the funeral of Jeaic na Scolóige, three weeks previously. As always, Caitríona shows she has a soft spot for Jeaic. She complains about having people like Bríd and Tom Rua for company, but not Jeaic, who is buried in the Pound Plot. Caitríona starts muttering about Neil dumping Jeaic, but Beartla reports that she gave Jeaic a fine send off.
Briain Mór isn’t well, nor are Cáit Bheag and Bid Sorcha and Bileachaí an Phost. But Neil is doing very well, especially now that she has bought a car for her son Peadar, who makes money transporting people in emergencies.

The talk turns to Bab’s will, and it turns out she died four months earlier, leaving 2,000 pounds to Neil, and hundreds more yet to come. Neil used it for the car and a window for the church.

Tomás Taobh Istigh comes up next, Caitríona worried that Neil will get his land. But Beartla says that no one has his land, and that he shifted to Pádraig’s house. It seems Tomás got some money from Baba and has been drinking his brains out ever since, and Neil’s house was too far from the pubs.Beartla recounts a funny story of Tomás riding along when Peadar was driving some people to a dance. Tomás spit his tobacco out the window, which flew right in the back seat and smeared the priest’s sister (who wears the trousers).

Caitríona brings up the cross, which doesn’t interest Beartla. But he does mention how Pádraig is prospering, which Briain Mór attributes to his having gotten rid of his mother. Both of Pádraig’s kids are off to college, and Caitríona envisions Máirín as an elegant schoolmistress.

That’s where Nóirín jumps in and says it is from her side of the family that Máirín got her brains, not from Caitríona’s. A battle ensues, and Nóirín appeals to An Máistir Mór.

He avoids her and tries to get information about Bileachaí from Tom Rua. He tries to flatter Tom into answering his questions, and then gets furious when Tom pulls the usual dumb act. After some interruptions from Nóirín and Caitríona, An Máistir Mór weepily reminisces about being with his wife by the creek, and her promise of eternal love.

That inspires memories from Nóirín about her sailor, and the tiff that broke up their romance: she hit him with a book when he felt her calf. But Bríd jumps in and says that Nóirín told her the story differently.Then Nóirín claims that Tomás wanted her to marry him, and was always trying to get her into the pub, but she never drank a drop. Caitríona bursts in to tell tales about the “drunkard” Nóirín drinking away and sharing her brew with a goat in a pub.

The scene starts in the pub, where Tomás Taobh Istigh gets a bottle of whiskey. Riding away with what’s left of it, on his bicycle, he is stopped by the priest and warned to give up his drinking. Continuing on, his bike gets out of control and Tomás flies over a stone wall.

Arriving below ground, Bríd is the first to notice his arrival, followed by Nóirín and then Beartla. He doesn’t quite seem to “get it” at first. (By the way, his tag lines are “T’anam ón docks é, “what the devil,” and repeating how he never had pain or sickness but he died anyway.) Caitríona asks him if he expected to live forever, and he recounts his encounter with the priest. After the accident, he was half dead, half alive, but Peadar Neil picked him up in his car and took him home, where he later died.

Caitríona ribs him about his drinking, and Tomás replies that he always found Neil to be kinder hearted than Caitríona. Nóirín interjects a couple of things, but Tomás still hasn’t figured out who she is.

Caitríona asks him what he did with his land, and he says he left it to Pádraig and Neil – together, as the land was too small to divide. Then she asks, of course, about her cross.

Tomás says he’s heard the island limestone is exhausted, but that she will get her cross. Nóirín chimes in again, and this time Tomás realizes whom he is dealing with. Nóirín puts on her usual airs of “culture” but Tomás will have none of it, saying he has had his fill of her. He mentions that she was always looking for him to buy her a pint.

Along comes An Máistir Mór, who wants to know if Bileachaí is due to arrive soon, and Tomás assures him that that is the case. Tomás also theorizes that An Mháistreás will marry again. He tells of meeting her, but the conversation was short as Bileachaí showed up (disparaging references to him from Tomás).

Caitríona brings the conversation back to her cross. Tomás responds that he’s tired of hearing about it, but before they can continue, the next arrival is indicated.

Bríd announces the arrival of Bileachaí an Phosta, and she immediately asks him whom he thinks An Mháistreás will marry next. Meanwhile, An Máistir Mór starts yelling at him, and Bileachaí comments that that’s not much of a welcome to the afterlife. They fight a bit about the mail, of all things, and Bileachaí mentions encountering her when she had the car stopped on the road, and how he “put air in it” (tires), a double entendre that enrages An Máistir (although Nóirín takes it literally and thinks it’s romantic).

Bileachaí also relates how they went to a familiar spot near the sea, and she told him her love was deeper than the ocean –exactly what she said to An Máistir. They fight some more, and Bileachaí finally says that if he knew that she would bury him right next to An Máistir, he never would have married her.

Caitríona asks about her cross, and Bileachaí says she is going to get it. He says that when Jeaic na Scolóige died, they decided to do the crosses for both of them at the same time.

She asks if it is of island limestone, and that starts a ruckus as everyone puts in their opinion about where it is from and what it might be made of.

While everyone is arguing, all talking at once, Caitríona walks off by herself and recounts the initial scene in the movie, where she called Pádraig in and told him how she wanted her cross done. She realizes she can’t hear anyone else, they seem to have gone, and she quotes a common proverb that fighting is better than loneliness. But there’s no one there, and the movie ends with Caitríona giving a kind of a scream.