NOTES AND QUERIES

(308.) Mac Tíre is not mistaken in the supposition
that dálta (see July Irisleabhar) is found in Connacht.
In Aran, at any rate, it is in quite common use, but is
there pronounced neither dálta nor dáltha, but dalta.
Examples:— ní hé dalta an lae indé é (not like yesterday,
not as on yesterday); a dhalta an fhir úd (as in the case
of that man); ní hé do dhalta fhéin é ('tis not as with
yoursealf). I heard an Aran man say: “Níl an t-airgead
sin agam anois, acht cuirfidh mé 'in na(=chum na)
tighe agat é. Ní hé dalta Phádraig é: gheall sé go blasda

agus is fada gur íoc sé.” The word fearacht has exactly
the same meaning and construction as dalta, and is com-
moner in Aran. — P. H. MacPhiaris.

The thing which frightens me most is the prospect
which “D. B. H. ” holds out of ommiting the “accents”
eventually. They are not accents: they are quantity-marks.
There are no accents in Irish. Sometimes the
quantity-mark corresponds to the accent. Sometimes it
does not. They can never be omitted without the most
dire confusion. If you omit them, how will you
distinguish the following words?

bas, the palm, bás, death
cas, gnarled, cás, a case.
fan, stop; fán, a wandering.
speir, the heel; spéir, the sky.
rath, prosperity; ráth, a fort.
ros, flax-seed; rós, a rose.
min, meal; mín, fine.
geire, of tallow; géire, sharpness.
sin, that; sín, stretch.
sin é! Where! sín é, stretch it.
sin lámh, there is a hand; sín lámh, stretch a hand,
&c, &c.

The fact is, our quantity-marks constitute one of the
most exquisite beauties our language possesses. To in-
terfere with them would mean wreck and ruin.

PEADAR UA LAOGHAIRE.

(310.) Snaidhm ar b. (Nóta 299). Is fad'ó chuala an
sgeul sain i gCiarraidhe, ach i n-ionad Snaidhm ar b., sé
ainm a bhi ar an leannán, Brobadóir. Is mar seo
chuireadh lucht an leasa fá'n abhrán a bhi ghá ghabháil
acu:-

“Dá mbeadh a fhios ag bean an lín seo
“Gur Brobadóir atá ghá shníomh di,
“Is ró-bhreagh mar chodalóch sí an oidhche."

Ní fuláir nó bhí file 'sa lios.

D. O'F.