AN GAOḊAL
347
air Éireannaiḃ a adḃáil go d-tuigfidís
a d-teanga tíreaṁla, aċ buiḋeaċas le
Dia, ta an spioraid neaṁ-ṫíreaṁuil, ur
isioll, ṡuaraċ sin ag euluġ'd as intinn¬
iḃ Éireannaċ, & tosuiġeann siad uaḃar
& luṫġáir d' ḟaġail i d-teangain, & i g-
ceol a d-tíre.
Ní cóir dúinn na daoine boċta & úṁ¬
la ċuaiḋ róṁainn do ṁasluġ'ḋ & do loċ¬
tuġ'ḋ air ṡon a neaṁ-aire & a neaṁ-
ṡuim in a g-ceol & a d-teangain ṫíreaṁ¬
la; ḃí siad i leaṫ-ṡuan; ḃí trioblóidiḋe
ṁóra orṫu; ḃí siad air feaḋ geinealaċ
fada 'na d-trailliḃ boċta, & is teirc go
m-béidir leo a raḋ go m-buḋ leo a m-
beaṫa féin. 'Nuair i ṫimċiolluiġeas an¬
fa & dorċadas loing an ṁáirneulaiġ, ní
ṡeinneann sé órain aċ déunann sé ur¬
nuiġṫe. 'Nuair eiriġeas an ġrian agus
nuair i ṡuaiṁniġeas an stoirm, tigeann
misneaċ in a ċroiḋe & briseann fuaim
na luṫġaire 'gus na h-aereaċda amaċ
as a ḃeul. Is fad ata anfa agus dor¬
ċadas air aġaiḋ ar d-tíre, 's fada ḃí sí
faoi neul agus faoi ċeo, agus ní h-iong¬
naḋ go n-déarna sí urnaiġṫe níos min¬
ce 'na órain. Aċ anois ta na neulta 'g
eiriġe, agus ta an ceo 'g scapaḋ; ċíḋ¬
mid splanċ an t-soluis ata teaċt agus
tóigeannmuid suas ar nguṫa agus ar
ngleusa i óran agus i g-ceol.
Ta Éireannaiġe ann a ṁeasas gur
cuma cad í 'n teanga a laḃrasmuid, a¬
gus cad é 'n ceol ṡeinneasmuid, — go d-
tig linn a ḃeiṫ 'n ar n-Éireannuiġiḃ fío¬
ra gan focal aċ teanga an ḃuaiḋṫeora
in ar m-beulaiḃ & ceol an ḃuaiḋṫeora
d'a ṡeinm in ar ḃ-féisiḃ. Níor ċuaiḋ i-
riaṁ asteaċ in intinn duine smuaine
níos breugaiġe 'na an smuaine sin. 'Sé
sin i d'ḟág sinn indiu 'nn ar m-blocmag¬
uiḃ do 'n doṁan, le focal saoirse in ar
m-beulaiḃ & smuaintiḃ tráille in ar g-
croiḋṫiḃ. Creud a déarfas na ciniḋea¬
ċa eile linn, nuair a ḃeiḋeas sinn ag
gairm orṫu sinn a ṡaoraḋ ó 'n g-cúṁ¬
aċd atá d'ar ngeur-leanaṁuin & d' ar
milleaḋ, muna g-cleaċtfaiḋ sinn ar g-
ceol & ar d-teanga féin? Naċ n-déar¬
faiḋ siad gur cineál daoirseaċda agus
leaṫtroime sinn, agus naċ fiú sinn aċt
do ḃeiṫ 'n ar d-tráilliḃ go deo!
Cad as a d-tainic an neaṁ-ċúram &
an ḟailliġe seo air Éireannaiḃ timċioll
teanga agus ceol a d-tire? Cad fáṫ
i mí-ṁeasann mórán díoḃ na neiṫe seo
aṁáin as a ḃ-fuil fios ag daoiniḃ gur
cine fa leiṫ iad agus go ḃ-fuil ceart ó
Ḋia acu do ḃeiṫ saor? Ta freagra na
g-ceisteaḋ seo le fáġail in aon ḟocal, i,
droċ-ṁúinteoiriḃ. Ma ḃí doaine riaṁ
air an talaṁ do rinne a n-diṫċioll dún-
ṁarḃaḋ do ḋeunaḋ air ṫeangain, buḋ
ṡiad cuid de na daoiniḃ ar ṡiúḃal muin¬
tir na h-Éireann faoi na d-toil agus fa
na d-treoruġ'ḋ air feaḋ ceud bliaḋain,
agus a siúḃalann mórán díoḃ fós indiu;
aċ d' inneoin gaċ niḋ a rinneadar, ta
an Ġaeḋilge beo fós, & beid sí anuair a
ḃeiḋeas ainmne na g-cinn a ṡaoil í ṁar¬
ḃaḋ caillte go léir ar aigniḃ fear.
Na deunamuis failliġe 'san obair ṁór
seo do ċuir sinn róṁainn; biḋeaḋ mis¬
neaċ ṁaiṫ againn, óir tiocfaiḋ sí ċum
ċinn gan aṁrus, & ní fad uainn an lá in
a m-beiḋ muintir na h-Éireann sa m-bai¬
le, agus Clanna na n-Gaoḋal in gaċ tír
d'a ḃ-fuil siad scapṫa, ag seinnim dán
na saoirse i d-teangain a sinnsear ag¬
us a d-tíre.
[The N. Y. Herald devoted two columns to the
report the next morning, printing the Gaelic near¬
ly as above.]
The following is a translation of Mr. O'Donnell's
address, as nearly literal as the structure of the
English language will allow :—
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, — We have
come here to-night to magnify and honor the lan¬
guage and the music of our country. We have
come here also to show the world that we possess
a language and a music as noble as those possess¬
ed by any other nation on earth. There was a
time when Irish men would be ashamed to admit
that they understood their National Language;
but, thank Heaven, that unnational, base and mis¬
erable spirit is passing away from Irish minds, and
they are beginning to feel pride and joy in the lan¬
guage and music of their country.
We must not blame or condemn too severely the
poor people of past generations, on account of their
carelessness and neglectfulness in the matter of
their national language and music ; they were
only half awake as to the importance of these things,
they were little better than slaves during long gen¬
erations ; they had great troubles to contend a-
gainst ; and they could scarcely say that their
lives were their own. When storm and darkness
