AN UNEXPLORED REGION.
The vocabulary of many Gaelic-speaking districts is still practically unexplored. It stands to reason that a native of a district is not the best person to study the peculiarities of the local Gaelic vocabulary, but rather a stranger, who will at once note every word, phrase, and intonation new to him. I was enabled, during the month of August last, to spend a few days in the parish of Ballyvourney, in West Cork, and was much struck by the richness of the vocabulary and idiom of the local Gaelic. Ballyvourney is practically an Irish-speaking parish—the children at school, with two or three exceptions, speak Irish out of school hours. Following the good example of many of the Cork National Teachers, Mr. Scannell, of Ballyvourney National School, studied for and obtained a certificate, and a few months afterwards presented for examination in Irish 31 children, of whom 27 passed. This was a splendid beginning, and both teachers and children look forward to even better results.
From Father Lyons, P.P., Kilmichael, I obtained the great majority of the words annexed. For convenience of reference I divide them into three classes: (1) words altogether new to me; (2) words similar to or derived from words already known to me; (3) doubtful or peculiar words or phrases. I have not observed alphabetical order.
I.—New Words.
1. umárd or iomárd (um-aurdh′), an accident, a misfortune = tubaiste. [Curiously, the words=accident appear to be very many: ciotarainn, in Waterford; tiompuiste, or -sne, in W. Connacht; tuisme, in Donegal; tionóisg, usual word in Cork; also, bárr-ṫuisle, míoṫopaḋ, &c.]
2. méam: gan m. ann, without a stir, motion, life, in him. In Aran, when the sea is perfectly calm, they say níl mae′-ou ar an ḃfairrge i.e., méaṁ, with last ṁ aspirated.
3. ar ġeaḃair or ḋeaḃair, mad, in a frenzy.
4. pas: ḃí sé pas (pos) deireannaċ, he was a bit late. Possibly from Latin passus, a step?
5. bata lang (both′-ă loung) is mór an b. d’imṫiġ air, another word for an accident.
6. tonaċaḋ: do ḃiḋeaḋas ag a tonaċaḋ, they were preparing the corpse (for being waked). Fr. Lyons heard this in Inchigeela.
7. ní ḟeacaiġeas riaṁ ṫú gan foċar aga ort, I never saw you that you were not in some trouble, confusion.
8. níor ċuir sé garraḃuac (gor-ă-voo′-ŭk), air, trouble, annoyance.
9. níl sé fé yee′-a (ḋiaġ ?) an tiġe, under the roof of the house, in the house.
10. ḋá lee (luiġe?) an doruis, the two jambs of the door [cf. leaṫ-lee (leaṫ-luiġe), one shaft of a car, just like leaṫċos, leaṫ-ṡúil, etc.]
11. ar dínn an lae, in the very middle, height or heat of the day; cf. dinn, a hill.
12. liaċarnaċ, sighing.
13. ríobún, a drink of meal and milk (called cuḃrán in Mayo.)
14. ḃí sé aer aige (? d’éire), he was forced to do it; cf. dḟiaċaiḃ.
I may also add, although I think they have been printed before:—
15. seis (i.e:. saġas or saġas), sort, kind; cf. the proverb, saġas maiṫ biḋ saġas maiṫ fir.
16. soiniuġaḋ: ḃí sé gá ṡ-orm, he was pressing or forcing it on me = taṫḃann.
II.—Known Words in New Forms or Meanings,
1. bleaṫaċ, a large supply of anything. (In Connaught, bleiṫeaċ, a portion of corn sent to a mill; bleiṫeaċán, a glutton.)
2. gráinseaċán, roasted wheat.
3 sgoṫ lín, a handful of flax; tréislán, a bundle of twelve sgoths.
4. on′-ă-hă (= anfa?). Even in its ordinary sense of “storm” anfa is pronounced anḟa: for aspiration of f cf. future of verbs, and such words as mianfaċ (meen′-hoo-ăCH), yawning. ḃí anḟa air, he was out of breath atter a long run, or, ḃí an t-anfa air, he was pursued; also fuair sé an t-anfa, he got a great start.
5. pinniuir an tiġe, gable end. The old binn-ċoḃair of the round towers—so Fr. Lyons thinks.
6. ní ḟeacaiġeas oiḋre riaṁ air aċt é, I never saw any one so like him (lit., an heir to him).
[ 111 ]7. for-ṁóin, turf left lying for a year in the bog.
8. Ins na Faoide, in February. Duḃ-Luaċair na bliaḋna, the cold spring season of the year. Compare the article of Mr. MacRury in Trans. of Inverness Gaelic Society on Mairneulachd.
9. suiḋeaċaint, a duel, lit., proof, cfs. the mediæval custom of putting an accused person to tests of fire, sword or water, or of single combat.
10. teasbaċ, lit., heat, hence, passion, wantonness, mischief.
11. ní ḟeaca a ċinneaṫa (h-yin-a′-hă), I did not see his face. In Aran cinn-aġaiḋ=countenance. Possibly our word may be cinn-aiġṫe, aiġṫe being the gen. case.
12. bocaire, a small puffy cake of bread: ceapaire, a pat of butter.
13. stráicire, lanky person. In Aran stráic = long scattered crowd or shower.
14. Siuḃán alla, spider.
15. clagar, thick, soft rain: cf. clagarnaċ donn go trom ag túirling, in Midnight Court.
16. saṁluiġim=saoilim, both used.
III.—Peculiarities, &c.
1. sé Seaġán na steile ḃeaṫaig é, he is the “dead picture” of John. This seems to be the dative of beaṫa, with some word, unknown to me, prefixed.
2. ag ól tobac, d’ólás tobac. Why they say “drinking” tobacco is a mystery to me. It is not gaḃáil.
3. osna Bhriain, a deep sigh of weariness given by person or animal. Why?
4. ag iṫe na feola fuaire, eating the cold (raw) flesh,=calumniate. This reminds one of the Jewish metaphor familiar to students of St. John, vi.
5. nár a dé do veis, may you not prosper: we all know dia do beaṫa (in Munster usually dé do beaṫa, or dė beaṫa), hail! welcome! The opposite is nár ab é do ḃeaṫa and nár a dé do ḃeaṫa. I take it that the latter form is for nár ab dé (dia) do ḃeaṫa. Possibly our phrase is nár a dé do ḃeaṫa-sa, shortened to ḃeaṫs, and changed to veis?
There are a few other things which I may note on a future occasion, and in the meantime I invite criticism on those now given. When I state that this collection is the result of a few days desultory conversation, the reader may gather how much still remains to be done in the study of spoken Gaelic. I have great pleasure in adding, that in future we may look forward to notes on the Gaelic of Ballyvourney and Kilmichael from Father Lyons, Father Hennessy, P.P., and Mr. Scannell.
E. O’G