Tá Sir Charles Baskerville, mionuasal de chuid Devon Shasana, tar éis
bás a fháil gan choinne agus dealraíonn sé gurb é an scanradh a chuir cú
ábhalmhór scáfar air a thug a bhás. Creideann roinnt dá chomharsana
seanscéal a deir nach ainmhí saolta an madra céanna, ach cú diabhlaí
aníos ó ifreann a thaithíonn riasc sceirdiúil contúirteach na dúiche
agus atá ar tí dhíobháil mhuintir Baskerville le fada. Faoi Sherlock
Holmes agus an Dochtúir Watson atá sé a thaispeáint cén sórt ainmhí go
fírinneach an cú agus féachaint chuige san am céanna nach ndéantar aon
díobháil do Sir Henry Baskerville, mac dearthár agus oidhre Sir Charles,
atá tagtha chun cónaithe in Halla Baskerville chun a oidhreacht a
éileamh. Dar le go leor léirmheastóirí go bhfuil Cú na mBaskerville ar
an scéal is fearr de scéalta Sherlock Holmes agus níl aon amhras ach go
bhfuil sé ar cheann de na scéalta bleachtaireachta is iomráití dár
scríobhadh riamh. Foilsíodh in 1934 an t-aistriúchán Gaeilge seo de a
rinne Nioclás Tóibín. Is éard atá san eagrán nua seo leagan
caighdeánaithe den aistriúchán sin, arna chur in eagar ag Aibhistín Ó
Duibh. -- Sir Charles Baskerville, a Devon landowner, has died suddenly,
apparently from the fright given him by an enormous fearsome dog. Some
of the local people believe an old legend according to which the dog is
not an earthly animal, but rather a supernatural hell-hound which
inhabits the area's lonely dangerous moor and has haunted the
Baskervilles for generations. It's up to Sherlock Holmes and Watson to
show what the true nature of the hound is whilst seeing to it that no
harm comes to Sir Henry Baskerville, Sir Charles' nephew and heir who
has come to live in Baskerville Hall and claim his inheritance. Many
commentators consider that The Hound of the Baskervilles is the best of
the Sherlock Holmes stories and it is certainly one of the best-known
detective stories ever written. An Gúm published this Irish-language
translation by Nioclás Tóibín in 1934. In this new edition of that
translation, edited by Aibhistín Ó Duibh, the text has been standardized
to conform to the written Irish of today.
