Bhí mo chéad eispéireas leis an Tarot agam nuair a bhí mé 17 bliana déag d’aois. Iarradh ar m’athair, arbh dhíoltóir leabhar ársa é, lámhscríbhinn a scríobh WB Yeats a mheas, le linn a chuid ama leis an ngrúpa diamhair Ord Heirméiteach Fháinne Gheal an Lae. Bhí an lámhscríbhinn i bhfoirm leabhar nótaí ina raibh íomhánna de na cártaí éagsúla ar fud. Bhí mé faoi dhraíocht aige, agus chaith mé an chuid is mó de mo chuid ama saor ag déanamh taighde ar an Tarot chun tuilleadh a fhoghlaim. Go gairid ina dhiaidh sin, bhí Stuart Kaplan ó US Games ina chustaiméirí de chuid m’athar. Bhí spéis aige i léaráidí le Pamela Colman Smith a bhailiú bhí sé ina mhisean aige feasacht a mhúscailt faoina cuid oibre, ós rud é go raibh neamhiontas á dhéanamh dá cuid saothair le fada an lá. Nuair a d’inis m’athair dó faoi mo shuim sa Tarot, thug Stuart paca tarot cuimhneacháin Pamela Colman Smith dom mar bhronntanas agus ba sin an uair a thosaigh m’aistear tarot i gceart, agus thosaigh mé ag déanamh staidéir ar na cártaí ar bhealach níos foirmiúla.

Nuair a bhí cónaí orm sa Ríocht Aontaithe ar feadh cúpla bliain, tháinig cumha orm i ndiaidh oidhreacht chultúrtha na hÉireann mar gheall ar an bhfad a bhí mé ó mo bhaile dúchais. Agus mé ar shiúl, mhothaigh mé go raibh cuid díom féin ar iarraidh; cuid chríonna mhistiúil, ceann nach bhféadfainn a mhíniú – mar nach raibh na focail agam lena mhíniú. Chreid mé go raibh baint thábhachtach ag an nGaeilge leis an bhféinléiriú easnamhach sin agus bhí easpa ceangail agam le mo theanga, m’oidhreacht, agus an mothú láidir muintearais nach mothaím ach nuair atáim amuigh faoin tuath in Éirinn.

In 2015, d’fhill mé abhaile agus chinn mé go ndéanfainn rud éigin faoi mo Ghaeilge thruamhéalach agus thosaigh mé do mo theagasc féin ó leabhair agus ó na hacmhainní digiteacha thuasluaite, ach bheinn ina staic i gcónaí nuair a thosódh duine éigin comhrá liom i nGaeilge. Ba mhian liom taca a bheith agam, rud éigin a bhainfeadh m’aird de chomh neirbhíseach agus a bhínn. Rud éigin a fhéadfainn foghlaim faoi roimh ré, chun mo féin a ullmhú le haghaidh comhrá. Ach níor smaoinigh mé ar rud ar bith, agus mar sin rinne mé dearmad faoin nós sin, go dtí go raibh mé ag obair trí cheann de na cúrsaí Tarot iontacha ar líne de chuid Biddy Tarot. Agus páirt á glacadh agam in Eadráin Anama do chárta na Réalta, chonaic mé paca iomlán Rider-Waite i nGaeilge i m’intinn. Ní raibh mé ábalta dearmad a dhéanamh ar an smaoineamh go mbeinn féin ag obair ar aistriúchán an phaca, in ainneoin nach raibh taithí ar bith agam ar fhoilsiú agus nach raibh agam ach Gaeilge mheasartha.

Smaoinigh mé ar phaca a chruthú mé féin, ach níor tháinig dada as sin ach an oiread. Bheinn ag brionglóideach gach oíche faoi Rúnchártaí Móra Pamela Colman Smith i nGaeilge, ba chuma cé chomh minic a tharraing mé amach as an tionscadal agus mé i mo dhúiseacht. Mar sin, chuir mé tús leis an dialann foilsithe, amhail Fear na gCrúb aircitíopúil, an chéad chárta sa phaca Tarot. Díreach cosúil le Fear na gCrúb, bhí mé lán chomh dóchasach agus a bhí mé neamhréitithe, agus bím ar crith anois nuair a smaoiním ar an mbeagán eolais a bhí agam ag an tús. Le ceithre bliana iomlána, bhí moilleanna agus bacainní os mo chomhair agus theastaigh go leor íobairt phearsanta chun iad a shárú. Bhí amhras orm go dtiocfadh rud ar bith as an tionscadal (bhí an Fear Crochta i ngach léamh a fuair mé, agus cúis mhaith leis sin...). Bhí an cuar foghlama géar, ach gach am a bhí mé réidh le héirí as, thiocfadh duine cabhrach nó píosa comhairle chugam, agus mar sin choinnigh mé ag gabháil, agus choinnigh mé orm ag foghlaim, agus d’éirigh liom sa deireadh thiar thall!

Is é an rud a bhfuilim ag súil leis don phaca seo go dtabharfaidh sé meabhrúchán faoin draíocht atá le fáil i dteanga na Gaeilge agus go spreagfaidh sé daoine ag a bhfuil Gaeilge ar gach leibhéal le triail a bhaint as comhrá (déan dearmad ar bhotúin ar bith, ní hé an Ardteistiméireacht atá ann – níl duine ar bith dár ngrádú!). I mo shaolsa, trí cheangal a dhéanamh leis an nGaeilge tríd an Tarot cheangail sé mé féin ar ais de chuid díom féin a bhí folamh ach nach raibh dearmadta i ndiaidh sin uile. Guím draíocht, bunathrú agus mothú láidir muintearais ar léitheoirí tríd an bpaca galánta seo.

Grá mór,

Regina de Búrca

My first experience of the Tarot was when I was 17. My father, an antiquarian bookseller, had been asked to appraise a manuscript penned by WB Yeats, during his time with the occult group the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The manuscript took the form of a notebook with images of the different cards throughout. I was spellbound by it and spent most of my spare time researching the Tarot to learn more. Not long afterward, Stuart Kaplan of US Games became one of my father’s customers. He was interested in collecting illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith as it was his mission to raise awareness of her work, seeing how her work had been overlooked for so long. When my father told him about my interest in the Tarot, Stuart gifted me a Pamela Colman Smith commemoration tarot deck and that was when my tarot journey began in earnest, and I started studying the cards in a more formal way.

When I moved to the UK for a few years, the distance from my homeplace made me deeply nostalgic for the cultural heritage of Ireland. While away, I felt part of me was missing; a wise and mystical part, one I couldn’t explain fully – because I didn’t have the words to do so. I believe that the Irish language held the key to this deficient self-expression as I was lacking connection to my language, heritage, and the deep sense of belonging that I only ever experience in the Irish countryside.

In 2015, I returned home and decided to do something about my woeful Irish and began teaching myself from books and the aforementioned digital resources, but I always froze when someone engaged me in conversation in Irish. I wished for a prop, something that would distract me from my nerves. Something I could learn about in advance, to prepare me for a conversation. But nothing came to mind, so I forgot all about that notion, until I was working through one of Biddy Tarot’s excellent online Tarot courses. While taking part in a Soul Mediations for The Star card, I saw the entire Rider-Waite deck in Irish in my mind’s eye. The idea of me working on a translation of the deck just would not go away, despite me having zero publishing experience and average Irish.

I looked into creating a deck myself, but that idea hit even more dead ends. very night, I dreamt about Pamela Colman Smith’s Major Arcana cards in Irish, no matter how often I talked myself out of the project during my waking hours. So I began the publishing journey, like the archetypical Fool, the first card in the Tarot deck. Just like The Fool, I was as optimistic as I was unprepared, and I shudder now when I think how little I knew at the start. For four solid years, I hit nothing but delays and obstacles that required a lot of personal sacrifice to overcome. I doubted anything would ever come of the project (every reading I received over this time featured The Hanged Man, for good reason…). The learning curve was steep, but every time I was about to quit, a helpful person or piece advice would pop up, so I kept going, and I kept learning, and I got there in the end!

My hope for this deck is that it provides a reminder of the sheer magic inherent in the Irish language and that it encourages people with Irish of all levels to give a conversation a try (never mind any mistakes, it’s not the Leaving Cert – no one is grading us!). In my life, connecting with Irish via the Tarot has connected me back with a part of myself that was latent but not forgotten after all. I wish readers enchantment, transformation and a deep sense of belonging as they work through this beautiful deck.

With love,

Regina de Búrca