(From “Seandún,” Cork.)
27. Mar ḃíoḋ an niṁ ar an aiṫne = as fate would have it (an expression of strong feeling at meeting a serious disappointment). Cp. Trí Bior- ġaoiṫe, 98, 30, is de sin atá an sean- ḟocal go mbí neiṁ ar an aiṫne, and because of that, we have the old saying that “there is pain in prohibition.”
28. Ná cuir druim ċoiḋċe le haon níḋ aċt le dul go hIfreann.
Do not turn your back on anything but on going to hell.
29. Tá siad buaḋarṫa ṫall agus ní sos aḃus dóiḃ é.
They are troubled beyond, and they are not at peace here.
30. Ní ḟuil aon sgeul aċrainn gan ceann réiḋ air.
There is no vexed tale but has a clear ending.
31. Díoġa gaċ síne sioc (díoġa pronounced dí).
The worst of all weathers is frost.
32. Fuadar laiṫiġe sioc.
Frost is the fore-runner of mud.
33. Lá saoire ’sa ’ġeiṁreaḋ, agus a ṫrosgaḋ ’sa ḃfoġṁar.
A holiday in winter having its fast in autumn (i.e., All Saints).
34. Seaċt seaċtṁaine reaṁra ó Ṡaṁain go Nodlaig.
Seven fat weeks (54 days) from Hallow- tide to Christmas.
35. Names of days: Lá Ḟéile Muire na gCoinneal ’sa ’Teampall, the Puri- fication, Candlemas; Lá Ḟéile Muire ’sa ’ḃFoġṁar, Lady-Day in harvest.
36. Fo-ceann, “an odd one.”
37. “Do ċaiṫeas féin tréiṁse am’stalca, agus ní fiosaċ do aon-ne’ cad ba ṫruaig dam,” “I spent some time apparently dead, and no one knew what had occurred to me” words of {Taḋg O’Síoṫċáin, a Macroom poet of 60 years ago.
NOTES AND QUERIES.
(58) Scottish Gaelic: Neul cadail, a wink of sleep. Neul a’ bhais, hue of death. Neul na bochduinn, appearance of poverty. Thainig neul air, a cloud came on him (over his senses). Chaidh e ann an neul, he went into a swoon.—See Domhnall ua Laoghaire, p, 136.
Am fear a chailleas a chuid, chaillinn-se e, he who loses his portion, I would lose him,=I would drop the fellow who lost his fortune,=he who loses his fortune loses his friend.—See Galway Proverbs, 6 (December).
Ceapaire, a sandwich made of oatcake, butter and cheese:—
A the bhain taigh na srulaig,
’S e do dhuthchas bhi fial;
’S iomadh1 ceapaire2 math garbh
Rinn thu dhomh-sa gun diol.
O fair-haired woman of taigh-na-srulaig,
Thy heredity is to be benevolent;
Many a good thick ceapaire
Thou hast made to me without reward.
See N. and Q. 150, 253.
Dom, dhom, domh, dhomh, do’, dho’, to me, are all in use. Agam, in my possession is often contracted a’am. Agad, in thy possession, less frequently into a’ad. Uam, bhuam, from me, not seldom indicates a desire to possess. ’S e fuil a ta bhuam, I desire blood. Bha sibh uam, I wanted you.—See Lessons 405, 407.
Gall-Ghaidheal.
[In Connaught and Munster generally dom, ḋom, but doṁ-sa especially in Munster. In Ulster, always doṁ, ḋoṁ. In Aran, Galway, often a’am, a’ad, a’inn for agam, &c. Seaġán seo a’ainn-ne, our John. In part of Donegal, aġam, &c. (oi-am). In Munster often ḃuaim=uaim, &c.]
(59) ^'^ t ^^' bot>iAt). Gaelic Journal (Dtc, p. 136, Note i). I suppose this is a secondary use of bot)|A', to deafen. In County Mayo I have heard the English word " bother ' used : ci f Am' bAX^ApiL = he is bothering me. n. c. ['bo'pAt), to bother, and bot)pAt), to deafen, are of course the same word. bot)Ap, deaf, is in Anglo-Irish " bothered." The Scotch say, " don't deave me." The English " bother " suggests two Irish roots, bot)A] and buAit)ieAt), and, if not cognate wilh one of them, may have arisen in a confused way from both. bAtJAj^iL is evidently the English " bother" imported or re-imported into Irish, wilh the usual ending, it, with the aid of which Irish speakers whose vocabulary is poor can turn any English verb into an Irish verb, . ., pretendiL, wheelit 7 reeliL, passiL, roundiLce, squareiLce, sunkiLce, con6nediLce barbarisms, all of which have been actually met with.]
GAELIC NOTES.
Dr. Hyde has followed up his lecture in London by similar lectures on modern Gaelic literature in Liverpool, Belfast, and Cork. One member of his audience in Belfast has written to us to say that Dr. Hyde has quite convinced him of the duty of cultivating his country’s language, and that he intends to apply himself honestly to discharge that
