AN GAODHAL.
901
Donovan, and O'Curry have used it in the same i¬
dentical manner. John Fleming and all the natu¬
ral writers and speakers of the language to-day
use it, and yet the parties to whom we refer in the
course of a scandalous article on the Editor of the
Gaelic Journal in the Irish-American and Chicago
Citizen say that no respectable man is on his side
But where is the respectable authority that is not
on his side? If The Four Masters, O'Donovan,
O'Curry, Archbishop McHale, Canon Bourke etc.
be not respectable, we ask, Who are?
The parties to whom we refer would have stud¬
ents learn that
chum fear do bhualadh
teans, To strike MEN, and that
chum fir do bhualadh
means, To strike a MAN, thus changing the sin¬
gular to the plural, etc. and, strangest of all, there
are some so-called Irishmen (ignorant, of course,
though a little more, perhaps, some of them) who
advise that it would be better to employ chum be¬
re the genitive case only so as to please the par¬
ty and thus put a stop to his blackguardism. No,
no. He had the same grounds for attacking the
leaders of the Irish language cause that the WOLF
had for attacking the LAMB — Just the same.
His primary object was, as he boasted, to kill
THE GAEL, but when he saw that the authors a¬
bove named supported THE GAEL’s construction
he attacked them in the vain effort to attain his
end — the disorganization of the Gaelic movement.
But THE GAEL will live when he is in his grave.
Much has been said in relation to classical scho¬
larship and its bearing on the Irish language. It
has nothing to do with the Irish language because
Irish is a living language and already formulated
Does the ordinary reader comprehend what is
meant by, A classical scholar? It means simply a
person who writes languages according to rule but
yet may have no knowledge of their idiomatic con¬
struction. For instance, a person knowing Eng¬
lish classically only would write, “I not will go,"
whereas the natural speaker would say, “I will
not go," yet the former is as classically correct as
the latter, though idiomatically incorrect.
We regret to see a considerable number of our
young students follow the ludicrous example of
the party referred to in turning the passive into
the perfect participle, etc. whenever they chance
to place chum before it. In such cases the student
should see if any other simple preposition, such as
go, do, le, etc, could be employed instead of chum,
end if it could, chum in such instance is a simple
preposition and cannot govern the genitive case.
We would remind those students that the Irish
is a living language, as much so as the German
or the French, and that it is governed by gramm¬
ar rules and living usages and that it cannot be
changed to suit the caprice, or otherwise, of quibb¬
lers.
SLIABH NA m-BAN.
(Le Risteard de h-Enebre.)
is iomdha fear leigheanta a's crobhaire
maordha
Tógadh in Éirinn anois le seal,
Le córdaidhibh caola buaint lúth a ngeug
díbh,
No i ndinnsiún dhaora, go deimhin, fá
ghlas;
Bhídheadh gárda air taobh díbh na bh-fágh¬
faidhe sméid ortha
Chum a gcúis a phlé dhóibh arís thar lear
Agus tabharfadh saor iad ó dhiabhailibh
gan buidhcheas
I n-am a t-saothair air Sliabh-na-mBan
'Sé an Ros a bhreoigh mé a's chlaoidh ro-
mhór mé
A's a liacht fear óg bhí claoidhte, lag,
Bhí na páisdidhe óga 'na smuil go dóighte,
A's an mheud a d'fhan beo díbh i lúb
claoi nó sgairt;
Geallaim dóibh súd gníomh feolmhar (?)
Go m-beidhmídne 'na g-comhair dóibh le
píce no sleadh,
A's go g-cuirfimíd na yeomen ag múin
'na m-brógaibh,
Sin cuntas cóir díbh air Sliabh-na-
m-Bán.
Gorta léir air an dream le chéile
Nár d'fhan le féirm a's le h-oidhche
raist,
Go m-beidheadh dúithchidhe Dhéise a's iar¬
thar Éireann
A's iad go léir le faobhar ag teacht;
Bheidheadh ar g-camthaidhe deunta le fór¬
saidhibh treuna
Bheidheadh congnamh Dé againn a's an
t-saoghail air fad,
Mar a m-beidheadh gur dhíol aon mhéir¬
leach de mhuintir Néil sinn
Do buadhfaidh an sway linn air Sliabh
na m-Ban.
Is óil liom féineach buille an lae sin,
Dhoil air Ghaodhal bocht a's na ceudta
chreach,
A's tá na méirligh a deunadh game dinn
Dá rádh nach aon rud leo "pice" no
sleadh,
Níor thainic ar major o d-tús an lae
chugainn,
Ní rabhamar féineach i g-cóir no g-
ceart,
Acht mar a sheudfaidhe aodhaire le bó
