ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN IRISH.

Not knowing exactly, in our diminished
size, how much of our space we could
afford for the elementary lessons, as in
No. 24 of the Journal, we have taken for
this issue two lessons from the “Teacher's
Journal.” One of them we have selected
specially, in order that the poetical exercise
in it may be preserved. It is a very popu-
lar song in the county of Waterford, and
was composed by James Power, known as
Séamus na Srón, James of the Nose — lucus
a non lucendo — he having only the rudi-
ments of that appendage to his face. He
was one of the smaller gentry of the county
of Waterford; and he soon got rid of his
small property in law and dissipation;
living afterwards altogether on the bounty
of his friends. Of course, he lost his self-
respect, too; and it is curious with what
humour he describes his own debasement.
Caisleán cuanach, called in English, Four-
mile-water, is a village about four miles
south of Clonmel. The parish is named
from the village; and in this parish is the
townland of Gráig-na-ngabhar, the “village
of the goats,” where Power lived while he
had a house of his own. The piece tells its
own tale. It begins: Lá d'á rabhas ins
an g-caisleán cuanach. D'á from de, of,
and a, those which, shows that he was often
in Four-mile water, in the ale-house, of
course. Had he been there but once, or
seldom, he would have said lá do bhídheas.

Cur tuairisg, inquiring for, i.e., calling
out for the foeman's son to come forth and
fight. Faoid' thuairim, an abbreviation of
faoi thuairim do shláinte, towards your
health; lom me, I stripped off; took off
my coat; gave myself up to the drink.
Gach le Domhnach, every other Sunday; gach
Domhnach, every Sunday. In the first stanza,
'n a suighe, means sitting, and in third, the
words mean standing. Cáirt, a card, is
pronounced long in East Munster; but
cairt, when it means a title or chart, is
short: ní fheadar mé fad mo chairte air an
saoghal, I do not know the length of my
bond or chart of the world. Spiúnsas,
wealth, is not in dictionaries; the reader
may recollect it in the opening lines of
Giolla an Amaráin. Bás lúibe or súil
ruibe, is a noose at the top of a fishing rod.
Grán, is shot; bucla, a buckle; púdar,
powder. Tácla, a tackle, is an uncommon
word. Deoch, gen. dighe, a drink, in the lan-
guage of topers, is beer or ale. Píob or
píop, gen. pibe or pípe, pipes.

I.

Lá d'á rabhas ins an g-caisleán cuanach,
A's me ag cur tuairisg mhic an namhad,
Casadh bruingeal orm 'na suighe air
fhuarmadh,
Le h-ais tighe muair (móir) air thaoibh an
róid.
Do labhair sí liom go banamhuil, stuama,
A dhuine uasail, suigh go fóil,
Go n-ólfair deoch uaim, gan tart, faoid'
thuairim;
Cad as do ghluais tú, no cá bh-fuil do ghnó?

II.

A ngráig na ngabhar 'seadh bhídhinn am
chomhnuidhe;
Is ann do lom mé chum an óil;
Gach le Domhnach ag dul chum teampoill,
Ag súil le cabhair bheag d'fághail ó'n
g-coróin.
Bhídhinn go h-uasal i m-bailtibh muara
(móra)
'S go ro stuama i d-tighthe an óil;
'S do geóbhainn-se bruingeal dhuas gan
fuadach
Acht gur mhuar (mhór) léi fad mo shrón.

III.

Is maith an gobha mé, dhéanfainn táirne
[tairnge)
No sciuirse ráinne do dhéanfadh romhar;

Threabhfainn iomaire cnoic no báin duit;
A's chuirfinn stáca 'na shuighe 'san bh-foghmhar.
Dhéanfainn súgradh ameasg na ngárlach;
D'ólfainn sgála le sir John Jones;
D'imreóghainn cluiche go cliste air thaiplis
No chúig cháirt le Seón Ó Bró.

IV.

Is maith an ceárduighe mé, d'fháisgfinn
funnsa,
A's dhéanfainn damhas do gach ceól do gheó-
bhainn;
'S dá bh-faghainn-se dís a m-beidheadh aca
spiúnsas,
Do chuirfinn clampar a d-tuigsin dóibh.
Do dhéanfainn cóta dom' stór a m-beidheadh
hoop ann,
Agus d'fáisgfinn bucla buidhe in a bróig;
Chóróghainn bréidin air fheabhus na dúithce;
A's nár mhaith súd ó réic dem' shórt.

V.

Dá m-beidheadh súd agam-sa grán a's púdar
Do mharbhoghainn cúpla cearc air móin;
Geirr-fhiadh sgairte níor bh'as om chú dho,
Maidin dhrúchta 'smé gabhail an róid.
Dhéanfainn sealgaireacht le slait do
lúbfadh,
Le bárr lúibe, nó taclaibh róin:
Do dhéanfainn marcuigheacht air each caol
lúthmhar,
A's nach deas do mhúnfainn-se cailín óg.

VI.

Is maith mo thréighthe, do réir mo smuainteadh;
Do dhéanfainn nídh dhíbh nár áirmheas fós;
Dimreóghainn le meuraibh air teudaibh míne,
'S as chrann na pípe bhainfinn flainne ceoil.
Iomarca céirde — ag an té a m-bidheann sí,
Is leis bheith choidhche air bheagán stóir:
A rún mo chléibh na tréig mé choídhche,
Tabhair mug dighe dham no gloine am dhóid.

VOCABULARY

Ais, re h-ais. cp. prep., near.

Banamhuil-mhla, adj., modest.

Bruingeal, a young woman. I have not seen the words
in any position from which its declension could be
inferred.

Bréidín, g. id., pl., níghe. s. m. frieze.

Cas, inf., -sadh v. t., turn, return, twist: in the pass.
voice, with air it sometimes signifies, meet with.
Do casadh orm é, I met him, past, passive.

Cluiche, g. id., plur. chthe, s. m. a game; in Waterford pl.
is -chthídhe.

Clampar, g. -air, plur. id., s. m., a dispute; cheating.
chuirfinn clampar a d-tuigsin doibh, may be either,
I would make them go to law, or, I would teach
them to cheat.

Ceárdaighe, g. id. pl. -ghthe, s. m., a tradesman. Coneys
says pl. like sing; but in East Munster it certainly
is aighthe.

Damhas, g, -air, pl. id. s. m., a dancing.

Faisg, inf. fasgadh v. t. to squeeze or press, d'fhaisgfinn,
I would press, cond. mood. first pres. sing.

Flainne, this word is not in dicts. nor in the spoken
language, “strains” (?)

Foghmhar, g. -air, s. m. a harvest; autumn.

Funnsa, g. id. pl. -aidhe, s. m. a hoop.

Fuadach, g. -aigh. s. m. an abduction, a very common
practice in the time of Seumus na srón.

Garlach, g. -aigh. pl. -aighe, s. m. a young child.

Geirr-fhiadh, g. id. pl. dhacha, s. m. a hare (Coneys). In
Waterford the pl. is geirr-fhighthe.

Gnó, g. id. pl. gnotha. s. m. a business.

Imir, v. t. inf. imirt, play: cond. mood d'imireochainn
(pronounced in Waterford, d'imreóghainn, I would
play.

Iomaire, g. id. pl. -ridhe, s. m. a ridge.

Lúb, g. Lúibe, pl. Lúba, s. f. a loop; here it is a noose
on a kind of fishing-rod with which the trout is
caught and swung out or the water: it is also called
súil ruibe.

Lúb, inf. -badh, v. t. and i bend. Do lubfadh, that would
bend.

Namhaid, g. –mhad, pl. naimhde and namhuid, an enemy.

Rón, g. róin, s. m. hair, especially of a horse's tail or
mane.

Sealgaireacht, g. –da hunting or fowling. Iasgaireacht,
fishing should be said here.

Sgiurra, g. id. pl. –saidhe, s. m. a scourge. In another
part of the journal this word is well explained: the
poet certainly said sgiuirse.

Stuama, ind. adj. discreet.

Tairnge, g. id. pl., -Gídhe, s. m. a nail, a horse-shoe nail:
in Waterford it is pronounced táirne.

Táiplis, g. -se, s. f. chess, Foley. O'Don. App. alea.

Teud, g. -da, pl. id. a string of a musical instrument; a
rope.

Teampoll, g. –oill, pl id. a church; generally a pro-
testant church, as here.

Treabh, inf. -bhad, v. t. plough do threabhfainn, I would
plough, cond. mood.

Treighthe, a plur. noun, accomplishment, especially good
accomplishments.

Tuairisg, g. -ge, s. f. an account, a character.

Tuigse Tuigsin, g. -siona, s. f. knowledge. Cur a d-tuigsin,
to make understand; pronounced as if writ-
ten tuisgin.

Mór, adj. móire, móir, great; pron. in Munster, muar,
muaire, muair.

Da bh-faghainn (cond. mood of faghaim, i find), if I could
find.

Do gheobhain (cond. mood of gheibhim, I find), I could get.

Marbh, inf. -bhad, b. t. to kill. In the future and condi-
tional it is irregular, maróbhad, I will kill; mharó-
bhainn, I would kill.

Nior bh'as ó'm chú dho = níor bhud as do ó'm chú, it was not
out of it for him from my greyhound, i.e., it could
not get away from; beir as, escape.

Iomarca céirde, too much trade; in Waterford, a clever,
handy man never succeeds in the world.

Faoi úir na lice so shíos tá'n fíor cneádhaire
Do shnámh an t-Sionainn fé cheann gloine 'sgan baoghal
baidhte air
A gharbh-leac ceangail, agus faisg go dlúth
Air an easmailteach malluighthe 'sa chnamha [na]
brúig;
Air eagla go rachadh sé do snhamh faoi'n t-Siuir
Fear treasgartha chlár Banba do thárla fút.