768
AN GAOḊAL.
ḃaḋ; níḋ naċ m-b'ḟéidir linn a ḋeunaḋ
muna m-beiḋeaḋ go ċíḋfimís iad a g-
clóḋ.
Go m-beiḋ an Gaoḋal go goirid ní a¬
ṁáin 'na irisleaḃar seaċtṁaineaċ, aċt
fós laoṫaṁuil, — mar tasduiġeann a
leiṫid sin uainn — 'sé guiḋe do ċarad,
"Seanġualainn."
An Effective Mode of Promoting the Cultivation
of the Irish Language.
The friends of the Gealic cause in this country
could not promote the movement more effectually
than by sending as many copies of the GAEL as pos¬
sible to the Irish-speaking districts at home. Very
little effort is necessary by Irish-speaking children
in learning to read Irish. The popular songs, etc.
given in the GAEL from time to time and which,
perhaps, the parents could recite to the children,
would bring them in on reading it in a very short
time. And when the language is generally read
and consequently written, there is no fear that it
will not be preserved. It requires no argument
to bring the efficacy likely to result from this mode,
if generally adopted, vividly before the reader. It
is a self-evident fact. Therefore we hope that the
readers of the GAEL will try to impress this on the
minds of their Irish-American neighbors. For the
lucre of the cost (2 cents a year, 12 being for pos¬
tage). those who are too busy to take part in the
movement here, can render it effective service at
home in the manner suggested. They, too, will be
thereby, reminded to their friends monthly, on
the arrival of the GAEL.
The foregoing has been forcibly presented to
our mind by the following letter from an eleven
year old girl who states that she learned to read
Irish through the instrumentality of the GAEL
alone. —
CLUAN na FUINSEOIGE CONDAE
An Ċlair, Éire, mí na Nodlag, '87.
A Ṡaoi Uasail:
Cuirim ċugat an leitir ḃeag seo
le buiḋeaċas a ṫaḃairt ḋuit fá 'n tíoḋ¬
lacaḋ mór a ḃronnais orm, eaḋon, gur
ḟóġluim mé le teanga mo ḋúṫċais a
sgríoḃaḋ agus a léiġeaṁ ṫré do ṗáip¬
eur, An Gaoḋal.
Fuaireas an Gaoḋal uaḋ m'uncle
timċioll ceiṫre bliaḋna ó ṡoin, nuair a
ḃíḋeas seaċt m-bliaḋna d'aois, agus 'sé
an ċeud Ġaoḋal a fuair mé an dóṁaḋ
sileaḋ deug gon ċeud rolla, ann a raḃ
an t-sean aḃrán, "Bean an Óir Ḟoilt
Ḋoinn," Sin é an ċeud níḋ d'ḟóġluim mé
mar ḃíḋeaḋ m'uncle d'a ṡeinm agus
ċuir mé g-cuiṁne é. Tig liom gaċ h-uile
níḋ léiġeaḋ anois, & tá mé ċo práineaċ
air an nGaoḋal leis an t-súil ann mo
ċeann, & tá cóṁursa agam, Máirín Ṗai¬
dir Abúrca, tá ábulta léiġeaṁ ċo maiṫ
liom-sa beagnaċ.
Tá an t-airgiod gann againn agus,
air an áḋḃar sin, ní ṫig linn móran lea¬
ḃar a ċeannaċ. Ṫug m'uncle Searc Lean¬
aṁuint Ċríost ḋam an lá ċeana agus,
gan ḃréig, is ait an leaḃar é; tig liom
gach h-uile ḟocal de léiġeaḋ go réiḋ.
Tá na daoine ṫart-timċioll ann so
laḃairt Gaoḋailge g-coṁnuiḋe, agus tá
scoil Ġaoḋailge ḃ-foisgeaċt ceiṫre ṁíle
ḋúinn, aċt ní ḋeaċaiġ mise ariaṁ ann
sin mar atá sé ro ḟada uaim. Ní'l
moill air éinneaċ a ḃ-fuil na leaḃra
aige fóġluim le n-a ṫeanga féin a léiġ¬
eaḋ — tuige m-beiḋeaḋ?
Air son an méid a riġne tú ḋam ag¬
us atá tú deunaḋ d'ar d-teangain ḋúṫ¬
ċais, guiḋim go m-béiḋ saoġal fada ag¬
at agus go leor séin ort leis an nGao¬
ḋal a stiúraḋ.
Is mé go buiḋeaċ agus go h-ómósaċ.
Do ṡeirḃíseaċ úṁal,
NÓRA ḂREAṪNAĊ.
[Maiseaḋ, saoġal fada agad, a leinḃ,
agus go g-cosnaiḋe Dia ṫú — F. E. G.]
Nearly literal translation
Ashlawn, County Clare, Ireland.
Christmas Month, 1887.
Gentle Sir:
I send you this small letter to
thank you for the great favor which
you have bestowed on me, to wit, I
learned to write and read the language
of my country through your paper, the
GAEL. I got the GAEL from my uncle
about four years since, when I was sev¬
en years of age, and it is the first num¬
ber I got, the twelfth number of the
first volume, in which was the old
song “The woman with the gold Brown
Tresses.” (The Lady Brown]. That is
the first thing I learned, because my
uncle used to sing it, and I committed
it to memory. I can read everything
now, and I am as careful of the Gael as
