AN GAOḊAL
139
"A nation which allows her language to go to ruin, is
parting with the best half of her intellectual independence,
and testifies to her willingness to cease to exist." — ARCH¬
BISHOP TRENCH.
"The Green Isle contained for more centuries than one,
more learning than could have been collected from the rest
of Europe ... It is not thus rash to say that the Irish
possess contemporary histories of their country, written in
the language of the people, from the fifth century. No
other nation of modern Europe is able to make a similar
boast." — SPALDING'S ENGLISH LITERATURE, APPLETON & Co.,
NEW YORK.
Who are the Scotch? A tribe of Irish Scots who crossed
over in the 6th century, overcame the natives, and gave
their name to the country. — J. CORNWELL, PH.D., F. R. S.'s
Scotch History.
The Saxons Ruled in England from the 5th century and
were so rude that they had no written language until the
14th, when the Franco-Normans formulated the English. —
SPALDING.
A monthly Journal devoted to the Cultivation
and Preservation of the Irish Language and
the autonomy of the Irish Nation.
Published at 247 Kosciusko st., Brooklyn, N.Y.
M. J. LOGAN, - - - Editor and Proprietor
Terms of Subscription — $1 a year to students, 60
cents to the public, in advance ; $1. in arrears.
Terms of Advertising — 20 cents a line, Agate.
Entered at the Brooklyn P. O. as 2nd-class matte
Sixteenth Year of Publication.
VOL 11, No. 12. DEC. 1896
Remember that the First Irish Book is given free
of charge to every new subscriber.
Subscribers will please remember that subscrip¬
tions are due in advance.
Any man or woman who applies one half-hour
daily to the study of Prof. O'Growney's Simple
Lessons in Irish will be able to carry on a simple
conversation in one year. Are Irishmen then,
so bereft of National pride as not to devote that
short space of time to the removal of that badge of
slavery to which a total ignorance of their Nation¬
al language sujects them, and debars them from
raising their heads as members of a distinct nat¬
ionality, barring that of the Anglo=Saxon
On Oct. 18 a branch of the Gaelic League was
organized in Ballinacarriga, county Cork.
The Farney, Co. Monaghan, branch of the Gae¬
lic League has resumed its Winter sessions.
The Irish Shamrock has started an Irish column
A professorship of Irish has been established in
Harvard University, Mass — F. L. Robinson, Prof
A second branch of the Gaelic League (the Lee
Branch) was formed in Cork last month.
An Irish class has been formed in Kenmare.
SIMPLE LESSONS IN IRISH.
FOURTH SERIES. — Written for the GAEL
BY
Rev. EUGENE O'GROWNEY
PROF. OF KELTIC.
LESSON IX (continued).
To make the study of the declen¬
sions as simple as possible, we will
first give the simplest form of the de¬
clensions, laying special stress on the
way in which the BEGINNINGS of words
change through the declensions. We
will afterwards explain in detail how
decension affects the ENDINGS of those
words which do not follow the sim¬
plest form of declension, such as those
which involve a vowel change; as
cat, cuit; long, luinge; duṫaiġ, ḋuiṫ¬
ċe.
THE FIRST DECLENSION.
66. All words of this declension
END in a consonant, or two conson¬
ants, is preceded by a BROAD vowel;
as, aol, uan, asal, casúr. The words
capall, dorn, banḃ, are examples of
words ending in two consonants.
67. All words of this declension,
without exception, are of the MAS¬
CULINE gender.
68. Although all words of this
declension end in a consonant pre¬
ceded by a o, or u, it does not follow
that all words in the language end¬
ing in a consonant preceded by a,
o, or u, belong to this declension.
See second and third declensions.
69. The genitive in this declension
is formed from the nominative by
what is called "attenuation"; that is,
by giving to the last consonant a slen¬
der sound; in the written language
the genitive is formed by prefixing
the letter i to the last consonant or
consonants: as, báis (baush) of death,
death, death's; capaill (kop'-il) of a
of a horse.
