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AN GAOḊAL.
De 'n dliġe ċeap síolraċ Ṁartain †
Tíoranaċ na g-cor,
Nár ċlaoiḋ le Muire Ṁáṫair
Ar intinn ḃeiṫ ag Sátan
Mac-tíre niṁe ann Ṗároah
'S na táinte mar leis.
Más fíor cad deir na fáiḋe
Ní fágfaiḋear an torc
Gan díbirt uainn tar sáile
Fé lá Nodlag Beag,
Ag gíoglaig 's ag grásgairt
Gan fíonta ar biṫ ná cáise,
De ḋruim a g-cuid púnáiste
Ar ár sean ṁnaoi ḃoiċd
Críoċ.
Corrupt Local Pronunciation.
an-ṁileaḋ, great hero,
pron. ana-ṁileaḋ
blánait, blanid
" plánait.
bacaḋ, hindrance,
" bacaint.
ċum, to or for,
" ċun.
canaḋ, chanting
" canaid.
de, of,
" do,
fá, under
" fé.
mór, large,
" muar.
sean, old,
" seann.
siolraṫ, progeny,
" síoraṫ.
The letter n of the article an is gen¬
erally omitted in pronunciation espe¬
cially when the an is followed by a
word commencing with an aspirated
or eclipsed consonant; as, ca ḃ-fuil an
ċearc. Tá sí ar an g-carraig (pron.
thus, ca ḃ-fuil a ċearc, tá sí ar a' g-
carrag) The same rule holds true
too with regard to the letter g of the
particle ag, which is omitted in all ca¬
ses except when the following word
commences with a vowel; as, tá Doṁ¬
nall ag an aifreann agus táim-se ag
dul ar mire tre ḃeiṫ ag ól diġe (pron.
thus : tá Doṁnall ag an aifreann, ag¬
us táim-se a' dul ar mire tre ḃeiṫ a'
gól diġe).
All languages are subject to corruption and con¬
sequently, change. It is only when corruption
becomes universal in any language that it is re¬
cognized by its grammarian, and then it becomes
part and parcel of the language itself. The omis¬
sion of the n from the article an in Irish, for in¬
stance, is a corruption which is observable in all
the dialects of the language, and therefore it is
not to be looked upon as a local corruption. Ev¬
en in English the article the is subject to change
in pronunciation according as the word following
it commences with a vowel or a consonant. Take
the following phrase for example ; “The waves of
the ocean,” which is universally pronounced thus,
Thu waves of thee ocean. Corrupt pronunciation
is sometimes legitimate and should be promoted
rather than checked.
— J. O’D.
* Local uame for Cahirciveen.
† The progeny of Martin Luther.
OBITUARY
It is our painful duty to have to record the de¬
mise of our friend and co-worker in the Gaelic
cause, the late Mr. Thomas Griffin, of Lawrence,
Mass., which sad event occurred on August 7th
last, after a few days’ illness. Little did we ex¬
pect it for it was only a few days previously that
we received from him the proof of his poem
complimentary to Rev. Father P. H. O’Donnell,
O S A, St. Mary’s Rectory, Waterford, N Y. and
an excellent Irish writter he was.
Mr. Griffin took a prominent part in every
movement tending to elevate the condition of the
unfortunate land of his birth, and his dollars were
there to back them.
At the initiation of the Gaelic movement he
was in the front rank and organized his Class
in Lawrence, and never lagged to the day of his
death — in fact he was of the very few who were
at the birth of the Gaelic movement that perse¬
vered to the end — we say the end, because Prov¬
idence vouchsafed him the happiness to live to
see the movement firmly fixed, without the fear
of relapse, in the land of his love and of his affec¬
tions. The whole sixteen pages of the Gael could
not contain a moiety of Mr Griffin's exertions in
the Gaelic cause were they to be written. Many
a man, both in Ireland and America, received a
copy of the Gael (not knowing who sent it) thro'
Mr. Griffin’s bounty, for he used to get bundles
of Gaels to mail to those who he thought would
appreciate them as effective instruments in the re¬
vival of the language, and also sent them to the
National and other schools in his native parish,
Mr. Griffin was born in the neighborhood of
Dingle, Co. Kerry, but has been in America 46
years. He died fortified by the rites of the
Church, and surrounded by his loving family,
wife, two sons and four daughters.
By Mr. Griffin's death, the Gaelic movement
has lost a friend, the Gael a financial prop, and
Ireland, a devoted son.
May his soul rest in peace — Amen
Mrs Griffin contemplates the erection of a mo¬
nument with a Gaelic inscription over his grave.
