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Séimhiú agus Urú agus an Áit inar Rugadh Thú (Saying Where You Were Born in Irish) Posted by on Jul 28, 2018 in Irish Language

Séimhiú agus Urú agus an Áit inar Rugadh Thú
(téacs & dearadh le Róislín, 2018)

(le Róislín)

Since we’ve recently been talking about how to say where you were born, I thought a little more practice might be welcome.  The graphic above shows a variety of combinations of place names, Irish and non-Irish, and the changes that occur when you use the word “in” with the place names.  Remember, the word “in” has five variations in Irish: i, in, sa, san, sna.

So here’s a selection, picked carefully so some start with vowel, some with lenitable consonants, some with non-lenitable consonants, some with the definite article (“the”) as part of the place name.  All of those features can make a difference in how you actually say the phrase.   Can you fill in the “leagan Béarla”?  Are any of them actually your own “áit bhreithe”?  The far right-hand column is just a reminder of the change that has taken place.  Freagraí thíos.

By the way, I’ve stuck to the dialect of Irish I’ve learned, for some of these forms.  Putting two different types of changes in for some of these names would be too complicated graphically and would take up too much space.  But, of course, one can also say “sa gClochán Liath” (although I doubt a Donegal speaker would, since “séimhiú” is traditional there) or “sa bhFrainc.”

Frása i nGaeilge Béarla Athrú don logainm féin
1.. i bhFidsí urú
2.. i dTalamh an Éisc urú
3.. i dTimbeactú urú
4.. i dTóiceo urú
5.. i dTrá Lí urú
6.. i gCeanada urú
7.. i gCúba urú
8.. i Learpholl gan athrú
9.. i mBaile Átha an Rí urú
10.. i mBaile Átha Cliath urú
11.. i mBaile Átha Fhirdhia urú
12.. i mBaile Átha Luain urú
13. i Meiriceá gan athrú
14.. i nGaoth Dóbhair urú
15.. i Nua-Eabhrac gan athrú
16.. i Siceagó gan athrú
17.. in Alasca gan athrú (ach i > in)
18.. in Albain gan athrú (ach i > in)
19.. in Ard Bó gan athrú (ach i > in)
20.. in Uachtar Ard gan athrú (ach i > in)
21.. sa Chlochán Liath séimhiú
22.. sa Fhrainc séimhiú
23.. sa Hág gan athrú
24.. sa Nás gan athrú
25.. sa tSín “t” mar réimír
26.. san Fhionlainn séimhiú (agus  sa > san)
27.. san India gan athrú (ach sa > san)
28.. sna Forbacha gan athrú (ach sa > sna)
29.. sna Cealla Beaga gan athrú (ach sa > sna)
30.. sna Stáit Aontaithe gan athrú

Seo na freagraí.

Frása i nGaeilge Béarla Athrú don logainm féin
1.. i bhFidsí in Fiji urú
2.. i dTalamh an Éisc in Newfoundland urú
3.. i dTimbeactú in Timbuktu urú
4.. i dTóiceo in Tokyo urú
5.. i dTrá Lí in Tralee urú
6.. i gCeanada in Canada urú
7.. i gCúba in Cuba urú
8.. i Learpholl in Liverpool gan athrú
9.. i mBaile Átha an Rí in Athenry urú
10.. i mBaile Átha Cliath in Dublin urú
11.. i mBaile Átha Fhirdhia in Ardee urú
12.. i mBaile Átha Luain in Athlone urú
13. i Meiriceá in America gan athrú
14.. i nGaoth Dóbhair in Gaoth Dóbhair / Gweedore urú
15.. i Nua-Eabhrac in New York gan athrú
16.. i Siceagó in Chicago gan athrú
17.. in Alasca in Alaska gan athrú (ach i > in)
18.. in Albain in Scotland gan athrú (ach i > in)
19.. in Ard Bó in Arboe gan athrú (ach i > in)
20.. in Uachtar Ard in Oughterard gan athrú (ach i > in)
21.. sa Chlochán Liath in Dungloe séimhiú
22.. sa Fhrainc in France séimhiú
23.. sa Hág in the Hague gan athrú
24.. sa Nás in Naas (An Nás aka Nás na Ríogh) gan athrú
25.. sa tSín in China “t” mar réimír
26.. san Fhionlainn in Finland séimhiú (agus  sa > san)
27.. san India in India gan athrú (ach sa > san)
28.. sna Forbacha in Na Forbacha / Furbogh gan athrú (ach sa > sna)
29.. sna Cealla Beaga in Killybegs gan athrú (ach sa > sna)
30.. sna Stáit Aontaithe in the United States gan athrú

One interesting observation about Irish place names is that no matter how many there are that actually start with “Bally…” in English, there are even more that have “Baile” in Irish, but not “Bally” in English.  As you can see, this is true for Athenry, Ardee, and Athlone, and there are plenty of others.

As for the Irish for Dublin, being “Baile Átha Cliath,” that one’s sort of a saga unto itself, but suffice it to say that the “baile” of “Baile Átha Cliath” doesn’t become “bally” in English.  We’re looking at two completely different names for the same place here.  The “town (baile) of the ford (átha) of the hurdle (cliath)” vs. the “dark (dubh) pool (linn).”  Ábhar, b’fhéidir, do bhlag éigin eile sa todhchaí.

Bhuel, hope you found this a fun and useful exercise.  Ready-made for the classroom, a mhúinteoirí!  SGF — Róislín

Naisc shuimiúla faoi chúpla logainm:

An Nás: https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/local-news/255465/naas-residents-will-ultimately-approve-the-town-s-irish-name.html  Naas residents will ultimately approve the town’s Irish name: Vote proposed to decide on the town’s real Irish name, by Paul O’Meara, 18 June 2017 (fee for archive access)

An Clochán Liath: https://www.rte.ie/news/nuacht/2018/0329/950934-ceist-faoi-chomharthai-i-ngaeilge-amhain-ar-an-gclochan-liath/  Ceist faoi chomharthaí i nGaeilge amháin ar an gClochán Liath Nuashonraithe / Déardaoin, 29 Márta 2018 15:43

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