110
AN GAODHAL.
So, bidh, the analytic form, with the
personal pronouns, mé, tú, sé, express¬
es the same. Also, the termination,
eann, denotes habit or continuance; as
bidh-eann mé, I am wont to be; bidh-eann
tú, thou art wont to be, bidheann sé,
he is wont to be.
The endings, such as im, of the first
person; ir, of the second person singu¬
lar; muid, of the first person plural;
idh, of the second; id, of the third per¬
son plural, express in Irish what the
pronouns I, thou, we, you, they, in u¬
nion with the verb, convey in the En¬
glish language; and also the time or
tense which such helps as “do, may,
can," suggest in the conjugation of Sax¬
on verbs. Few languages, indeed, are
as limited as English in its verbal in¬
flections.
Observe, therefore, that “do, dost,
does, doth," the emphatic and interro¬
gative forms of the present tense in
English, have, in Irish, as in every o¬
ther language in Europe, no distinct
word by which they can be translated.
The verbal inflection peculiar to the
present tense supplies its place as, I
do be, bidhim ; do I be, an m-bidhim ; dost
thou be, an m-bidhir? does he have, an
m-bidheann aige? he does have, bidheann
aige.
This observation should be remembered.
[Tá an t-alt seo a leanas againn ó 'n
m-Buinneán Aorach le am fada. Tá 'n
duairceas a bhí air i n-am a sgríobhtha
iompuighthe go suairceas anois, óir atá
biseach mhór air chúis na Gaodhailge. F. G.]
TEARC-FHOCAL AIR TORUIGHEACHT
Na Gaedhilge i nEirinn.
Tar a d-tarluigh d'aoisibh ó cruthuigh¬
eadh ar g-ceapsinsir is na háirdibh soir
go nuige so níor frith aon cheann acu
chomh ilceardach in gach gne tán easamhail
leis an aois so aguinne. Mar dearbh¬
ughadh air so feuchadh an leaghthoir air
gach leith fá 'n ngréin do bhreathnughadh na
n-ealadhan n-diáirimhighthe atá ar n-a
saorthughadh anois go laothamhail nach raibh
cuimhneamh ortha go m-beidis go deo san
m-bith anallod. Ní'l beann aguinne re
n-a bh-faisnéis fo seach, ní mó ní'l fath a
n-iomadamhlachta dochoimsighthe 'na chúis
is oircheas duinn teacht tairis anois,
acht amháin gur feidir linn tabhairt fa
n-deara duthracht agus speis aigne chui¬
reas na daoine le m-baineann biseach
na n-ealadhan so ionta go beith foirbhthe
forasda dhoibh.
Tuille eile, b'fhéidir gur mór an tar¬
bha theigheamh as duinn ó leir-mhachtnamh
air a g-curam san tré bh-feudfamaois
ealadha nuadh eile .i gnothughadh teangan
na h-Eireann do chur i g-cóir agus do
dhíriughadh go foircheann foirlíonta.
Má's fior a ráidhtear tá teanga ar
sinsir ar n-a múchadh diaigh i n-diaigh air
fuaid na h-Eireann. Labhartaoi go gle-
ghlan í tamall ó shoin feachnóin gach cuige
da cúigidhibh fiu le bru na mara le ráidh¬
tear an fairrge Éireannach andiu acht
faoi 'n am láithreach ni ghabhann na daoi¬
ne dá labhairt acht air an g-ceann-fhear¬
ann imeallach sin amháin thimchiollas an
tír ó Eas Ruadh i n-Ulltaibh leath-as-t¬
siar go Gaillimh agus don stár sin soir
ó dheas go Cumar na d-tri n-Uisgeadh i
n-oirthear Mumhan. Agus fós gidh gur
mór an truaigh é tá Beurla na nGall
dar g-creim-ghearradh agus dar g-cog¬
namh an oiread sin gach ló ionnus gur
chóir a mheas go maireann anois drong
chidheas an Beurla ceudna sin faoi láin
réimh in gach mion áird dar d-tír agus
an Ghaedhilge bhocht ar na báidheadh i n-
doimhin-dearmad dearóile. Le linn ag-
us an aimsear sin ní bheidh d' fhuigheall
de Ghaedhilge ann ó thráith go bóchna acht
amháin an beagán sin ainmnigheas aibhne,
gleannta, coillte, sléibhte, agus maighe,
righne Éire do gabháil cuiche féin le
teann-ghreim diograsach daingean faoi
chlár a bochta.
Ameasg daoineadh na h-aoise úd
beidheas dream an ainbhfeasa air aon
leith ag a m-beidh meas tomhfann michiall¬
mhar fian air gach blodh bhainfeas le
seanchus agus sinsearacht Eireann, ag¬
us dream eile, iomorra, lucht féile agus
fíalmharachta, thaiscfeas agus onoireo¬
chas an suim ceudna mar oighreacht is
loghmhaire agus is ionchoiméadta dár
