Basic Phrases of Glens' Irish

Note - phrases specific to the dialect are marked *.

[I hope to put up a pronunciation guide in the future] 

Sé do bheatha
Welcome

Dia libh anseo
God be with those here.

Goidé mar atá tú?
How are you?

Goidé an dóigh atá ort?
How are you?

Goidé an chuma atá ort?
How are you?

Tá mé / sinne go maith
I / We are well

Tá mé (díreach) drotara*
I am (just) alright

’bhfeil Gaelc agat?
Do you have Irish?

Tá
Yes

Chan fheil ach rud beag
I have only a little

Tuigim go maith
I understand well

Tuigeann tú go glé mhaith / go breagha
I understand very well

Goidé an t-ainm atá ort? (ainm is pron. airm!)
What is your name?

Goidé a shaoileas tú don aimsir* seo
What do you think of this weather

Tá an lá seo giobach
This is a rough day

Cá as duit?
Where are you form

Beannacht leatgood bye

Sabháilt** ’un abhaile dhuit (**actually orignally a mistake!)
Safe home to you

Oíche mhaith (pron. mhath)
Good night

A bit of Galloway Gaelic

There is some dispute about how long Gaelic survived in Galloway and Ayrshire, what cannot be disputed however is that it must have been quite similar to East Ulster Irish, including Rathlin, to Manx and the the Gaelic of Arran.

The following is one of the few examples of what some understand as Galloway Gaelic, much of what was written in Gaelic in Galloway was of course written in literary Gaelic which would disguise any dialectical features.

The song is called Óran Bagraidh, it includes many place-names in Galloway. I found it here.

Oran Bagraidh [Fonn- "When the kye cam hame"]

Aobh Cumar an Eas dom,
Aobh Bealach na Slogh,
Aobh bruthaichean Beinn Beithich, Aobh an gleann 's an robh tu óg
Trom dom maduinn an aon-là,
Trom dom maduinn a' chró
Ni ro eirig air an eislig
Caisteal Caiseal a' chró
Nar ro geis anns a' chró,
Nir bu geis anns a' chró,
Fa tu deanma bimid diamain,
Lagaidh ceudan diogailt linn
Buille beada gom bòrr,
Goille grad beart doid,
Com gun choluin Sliochd na Feannaig
Diogailt ri dearg baradag sliom,
Riam righfinnid air an Fianta,
Ro-sar rath an rightech tu,
Riam ruighean rath na righinn
Rogaid roighean tu ar righ,
Sainndseart sighi sorcha seiti,
Caimbeart cruthach calma ceannt,
Supach suanach solma socrach
Ceudnach clota cleusta clit.
Toinnti Muinntir na Dubh-Chos,
Inn san Draoinich 's Ruigh Raoin,
Sloinnti cinneil Sliochd a' Mhaduidh,
Cingdi Cairpeach diamain saoidh
Bhite breacach Loch a' Bhàrr,
Bhite fiadhach Carrsa Feàrn,
Bhite brocach Gleann na Seamraig,
Bhite fleaghtach an Dail Righ
Do bhi treilis donna dosrach,
Air an ruaghadgh 's an do dail,
Greaghan congail tochadh sgola,
Seirbhti an deireadh gnas:
Tarpa sluagh na gruaigi ciar,
Na cneas deathar teasmailt brianta
Sosguin foirprig teanmhaidh bràgh.

Some Glens material - 'Do's and Don'ts'

Here are some 'Do's and Don'ts of Glens Irish, or if you like - how to fake Glen's Irish.

Apply these and you could certainly make standard or Donegal Irish sound quite authentically like Glens Irish, because and the end of the day, they are not really that dfferent.


Gleann Airimh



Grammar 

The fundamental  thing is to remember that 'cha', and 'cha' alone is used as the negative particle.

Pronouncation



* Words like beannacht, bean etc are pronounced as if written byean and byeannacht

* ‘ch’ is often extremely weak if pronounced at all

* Final –amh and -adh is often just like –a like in Conamara.



* Broad mh & bh are pronounced like a ‘v’ sound rather thán like a ‘w’ sound

* Words like deas are pronounced like ‘djes’ rather thán like ‘djas’

 Focail - Words

Ní - Cha 
Bhfuil - bhfeil 
bígí - bíbh 
déanaim - ním 
achan - gach / gach uile 
Gaeilge - Gaelc 
Cailín - Cailean 
Teach - Toigh / Taigh 
Buachaill - balach

Some notes on Arran Gaelic

Here is a link to some notes on Arran Gaelic, Arran Gaelic was the closet Scottish Dialect to Rathlin.

These notes are taken from Nils Holmer's 'The Gaelic of Arran', see citation below.

This is the same Nils Holmer who wrote the 'Irish language in Rathlin Island' etc.

When are we going to recognize this man properly? 

Without him, we would know little of the Irish of the Antrim Glens, and only the bare bones of the Gaelic of Kyntyre, Arran, Rathlin and even County Clare! 

Here is a link to his Celtic Studies related work although his ' Studies on Argyllshire Gaelic ' (1938) appears to be missing from that biblo. 

Holmer (Nils M.): The Gaelic of Arran.

Dublin: D.I.A.S., 1957. viii + 211 pp.