AN GAODHAL.
381
THE GAELIC ALPHABET.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound
Irish.
Roman.
Sound.
a
a
aw
m
m
emm
b
b
bay
n
n
enn
c
c
kay
o
o
oh
d
d
dhay
p
p
pay
e
e
ay
r
r
arr
f
f
eff
s
s
ess
g
g
gay
t
t
thay
i
i
ee
u
u
oo
l
l
ell
Bh and mh sound like w when followed
or preceded by a, o, u, as, a bhárd, his
bard, pronounced a wardh; a mhart,
his beef or ox, pronounced, a warth ;
and like v when preceded by e, i, as,
a bhean, his wife, pronounced, a van, a
mhian, his desire, pronounced, a vee-un
Dh and gh sound like y at the beginning
of a word; they are almost silent in
the middle and perfectly so at the end
of words. Ch sounds like ch; ph, like f;
sh and th like h ; and fh is silent.
LESSONS — Ceotinued
AN BHAINTREACH agus an CHAORA.
Vocabulary.
Pronunciation
baintreach, a widow. baintrucgh.
airighthe, special, particular, awrihe.
caora, a sheep. cayrah.
dheunóchadh, would make, yaynugh.
sochar, profit or gain, sugh-ar.
olan, wool, uhl-ann
bearr, clip or shave, baw-ur.
gearr, cut; short. gawur.
croiceann, skin, crackunn.
lomradh, fleece, lhumrah.
goineann, does wound, guing-unn.
meadhachan, weight, mawhun.
teastuigheann, want, thastheeun.
brócaire, a butcher, broke-uire,
bearradóir, a shearer, barro-dho'irh.
Bhí Baintreach airighthe ann na rabh ai¬
ci ach aon Chaora amháin, agus chum go
n-deunóchadh sí an sochar budh mhó d'a h-
olan, do bheárr sé í cho lom agus gur
gheárr sí a croiceann cho maith leis an
lomra; ach dubhairt an Chaora, ag crádh¬
adh faoi 'n úsaide seo, "Cia 'n fáth a n-
goineann tú mé mar seo? a meudóchaidh
m' fhuil meadhachan na h-olla? ma theas¬
tuigheann m' fhuil uait, a mhaighistreas,
cuir fios air 'n m-brócaire, ce chuirfeas
críoch air mo phiantaibh air b-puinnte;
ach ma theastuigheann mo lomradh uait
cuir fios air an m-bearadóir, ce bhearr¬
feas m' olan agus nach d-tarraingeóch¬
aidh mo chuíd fola."
Translation.
The Widow and the Sheep
There was a certain Widow who had
an only Sheep, and, wishing to make
the most of her wool, she sheared her
so closely that she cut her skin as well
as her fleece. The Sheep, smarting un¬
der this treatment, cried out “Why do
you torture me thus ? what will my
blood add to the weight of the wool?
If you want my blood, Dame, send for
the butcher, who wll put me out of my
misery at once; but if you want my
fleece, send for the Shearer, who will
cut my wool without drawing my
blood."
An SEANGÁN AGUS AN DORSÁN.
seaca, gen. of frost, shockah.
tarraing, drawing. thorringt.
arbhar, corn, arwur.
leag, lay, as to lay up. lhag.
Samhraidh, of Summer. sowry.
tirmiughadh, drying, thrim-oo.
agair, to beseech, awgir.
leath-bhasca, half-perished, lhah-voska.
greim, a morsel, grim.
bheatha, life, bah-hah.
coimheud, to preserve, cuvayudh.
arsan, said, arson.
díomhaoinach, idle, dheewenach
sgioból, barn, skub-ole.
ó tharla, since, because, ohawr-lhah.
bh-feudtha, thou couldst, vaydhhaw,
domhsadh, dancing, dhou-sah.
faghann, finds, faw-unn.
La fuar seaca do bhí Seangan a tar¬
raing amach cuid de 'n arbhar, noch do
leag sé suas air feadh an t-Samhraidh,
le na thirmiughadh. D' agair Dorsan, a
bhí leath-bhasca le ocras, air an Seangan
greim beag dhe a thabhairt dhó le na bheath¬
a choimheud. "Cad a bhí tú i dheunadh an
Samhradh seo chuaidh thart," arsan Seang¬
