AN GAODHAL.
27.
1337 Catherine St. Phila., Pa.,
April 7, 1897
Dear Sir ;— We are indebted to Mr. Michael
Melly, Coaldale, Pa., a native of Raithnidhe near
Tuaim, in Letter macaward, Co. Donegal, Ire¬
and, for this song. It was composed by one Ed¬
ward McGeehan (Neididh Mhaire). If there be
any more verses belenging to it, I hope that our
Donegal scholars will favor us with them. I have
some more of his songs, and will send them as
soon as I go over them again with the people who
sing them.
My greatest difficulty with the Irish language,
is the spelling. I see that Father O’Growney
complains, in his letter to the “Irish-American",
of what he calls the carelessness of the scholars.
He say that one would be ashamed to spell wrong¬
ly one English word, in a short composition,
whilst there is no shame about Irish spelling.
This is not altogether true. Poor spelling in Eng¬
lish, may show ignorance * on the part of the wri¬
ter, but it does not so in Irish. The real cause of
the different spellings is, that the spellings given
in Irish books, in many words, gives neither the
roots of these words, nor the pronunciation used
by the Irish speakers. We have so much guess-
work derivation that it is more than an Irish puz¬
zle to make out what the word means. We need
not find fault with the Irish language, on this
point, which is almost without fault in its orthog¬
raphy, when we see that there is no language in
the world so illogical, in the combination of ety¬
mology and orthoepy, as the English language.
However, if you wish to make any change in the
spelling, in the song, you are welcome, you are
the editor. It is better for us to give the songs,
anyhow, whilst the language is living, than to let
them pass into oblivion.
Respectfully yours,
Rev. D. J. Murphy.
[ * We beg to differ with Father Murphy. The
spelling of Irish is as firmly fixed as that of Eng¬
lish. Anyone that spells according to O'Reilly
or Coneys cannot be objected to no more than
those who, in English, spell according to Webster
or Johnson. As to roots, we would like to see a
philological dissertation on the roots of the mod¬
ern words “boycott, and "loafer.” However, to
show the local peculiarity, we print the song
without any sensible change — Ed.]
Mo beannacht leis na buachaillidh,
A d' imthigh uainn thar sáile,
A d'fhág a' cholaidh dheas agam,
Lé dhul amach Dé Domhnaigh;
Cóta mór go talamh
Agus feiste de'n t-síoda láidir,
Brístidh bhí san fhaision,
Agus bróga de'n leathar spáinneach.
A' t-am a thidhim an fhairge garbh,
Sé mo chroidhe a tá scárthai,
A smuaitiugh' air Nial 's air Dinidh,
Mar bhí siad air na bádaidh;
Ach guidhim-sa Righ na n-aingiol,
Ó is tú a shocruigheas a' phlánóid,
Go ligidh tú slán na buachaillidh,
Gan cuntabhairt thar a' bháidhe.
Sé an sgeul a fuair mé as Albain,
Ní rabh sé ann mo shásadh,
Gur pósadh ar g-cuid buachaillidh
Air chailínidh ans an áit sin;
Chá n-é nár mhaith liom acú iad,
Dá m-beidheadh siad ann mo shásad,
Ach cailínidh na Hialans,
Chá n-iad a' dream is fearr iad.
Nach é Dorl ó Conaill a tá gan cuideachta,
Anois a teacht an áirnéil,
Doire Leac Chonaill
