Tomhas na Teanga – September/October 2004

I’m in a mood to tell people what to do – let’s learn some imperatives! But first, you need to be polite. There are two common ways to say “please” in Irish – “Más é do thoil é” (Mahsh ae duh hull ae – literally “if it is your will”), and “le do thoil” (luh duh hull – “with your will”). There is a plural “you” in Irish, so if you are addressing more than one person, these change to “Más é bhur dtoil é” (Mahsh ae vor dull ae) and “le bhur dtoil” (luh vor dull).

Bí ciúin! (Bee kyoon) – be quiet (to one person)! Now, commands to more than one person are actually one of the easiest things to learn in Irish. Just add “-gí” (gee) to the end of the verb! Bígí ciúin – y’all be quiet! Don’t forget the “please!” You might also say “ciúnas, le bhur dtoil” – quiet (the noun) please, y’all. Or “ciúnas ort” – quiet on you (singular). Some of these will not be taken to be very polite. “Ciúnas, más é bhur dtoil é” is the polite way. Of course, you can always be ruder – for example, “Éist do bhéal” (Aysht do vale) – means “shut up!”

Let’s get bossy and tell people to do other things! “Dún an doras” – (doon un dorus) – shut the door. To one person or more than one? There’s no ‘-gí’ ending, so it is to one person only. “Dúnaigí an doras” would be to more than one. Where did that extra ‘a’ come from? Well, as you may recall, most of the time there is a spelling rule in Irish, where there has to be a broad vowel (a, o, u) on both sides of a consonant, or a slender vowel (i, e) on both sides, but not one of each. This doesn’t happen in certain circumstances (prefixes, for example), but is usually true. The rule in Irish is “caol le caol agus leathan le leathan” – slender with slender and broad with broad. So we needed that extra ‘a’ as a buffer – it is silent.

“Ól suas!” Drink up! Plural is – “ólaigí suas!” Easy, right? “Suigh síos” – sit down! This one isn’t so easy – “suígí síos!” It’s because of the way it sounds. “Suigh” sounds the same as “suí” – see. And remember the lesson about broad and slender ‘s?’ “Síos” is pronounced “shees” (the last ‘s’ does NOT sound like a ‘z’ as it might in English). “Fan nóiméad” (fon no made) (or “fan bomaite” (fan bomitcha) up North) – wait a minute. “Bí go maith anois!” – Be good now!

Dhá mhí ó shin, scríobh mé faoi U.S. Grant sa cholún seo. Mar chuid dár laethanta saoire i mbliana, thugamar cuairt ar an iostán (teachín) ina bhfuair Grant bás, ar Shliabh McGregor in aice le Saratoga Springs, Nua-Eabhrac. Ní raibh Grant ina chónaí ann le fada, ach scríobh sé a leabhar (a chuimhní cinn faoin gcogadh) ansin. Tá an teach anois ar thalamh de phríosúin, agus ní mór duit dul trí gheata le garda ann chun an teach a fheiscint. Ach ní baol ar bith ann, i bhfírinne. Is fiú an turas é, má tá tú sa chomharsanacht sin.

Chuamar go Lake Placid, freisin, áit ina raibh na Cluichí Oilimpeacha dhá uair (sa gheimhreadh). Bhí na cluichí ar siúl sa Ghréig nuair a bhíomar ann. Chonaiceamar píosa de lárionad traenála Oilimpeacha atá ann – ceann den trí go hiomlán atá ann sna Stáit Aontaithe. Agus chuaigh mise go barr an túir as a léimeann na sciálaithe – breis is nócha méadar in airde! Dar liomsa, tá na daoine siúd as a meabhair!

Taobh thiar den chnoc ar a bhfuil an túr sin (agus ceann eile lena thaobh), tá teach ina raibh John Brown in a chónaí, agus uaigh John Brown agus a chomhghuaillithe sa ruathar iomráiteach sin ar Harpers Ferry. Dar ndóigh, bhí duine le sinsir Éireannacha ina measc, Lewis Sheridan Leary. Fear gorm ab ea é, ach bhí sé saoir, agus bhí sinsear as Éirinn darb ainm Jeremiah O’Leary aige. Throid an Jeremiah sin faoi stiúir an Ghinearál Nathaniel Greene sa Réabhlóid Mheiriceánach. Is féidir leat na túir Oilimpeacha a fheiscint ón áit seo. Ní fhaca John Brown iad, dar ndóigh!

Bhíomar in Tampa agus St. Petersburg i bhFlorida cúpla seachtain roimh hairicín Searlaisín. Bhí ceithre lá báistí againn, ach sin uile, buíochas le Dia! Agus thugamar cuairt ar Mhicí, dar ndóigh.

Tá súil agam go raibh laethanta saoire maithe ag gach duine agaibh. Ar aghaidh linn le bliain foghlamtha eile!

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