[ page ]in the idiom and grammar of the language will follow, and easy texts, such as that given in another part of this number, will be prepared. Suggestions upon the lessons, and contributions towards the publication of the books, may be sent to Father O’Growney, Maynooth, Ireland. The Archbishop of Dublin has already promised a contribution of £10, and Mr. J. J. Murphy, Cork, the same sum.
EASY LESSONS IN MODERN IRISH.
THE IRISH ALPHABET.
§ 1. In commencing to study any language from books, we must first learn the alphabet—the characters in which the language is written and printed. A glance at an Irish manuscript or printed book will at once tell us that the letters used in writing and printing Irish are somewhat different from those we use in English. They are also fewer in number. We give the characters of the Irish alphabet, both capitals and small letters, with the English letters to which they correspond:—
| Irish Letters. | Corresponding | ||
| Capitals. | Small. | English Letters | |
| A | a | a | |
| B | b | b | |
| C | c | c | |
| D | d | d | |
| E | e | e | |
| F | f | f | |
| G | g | g | |
| H | h | h | |
| I | i | i | |
| L | l | l | |
| M | m | m | |
| N | n | n | |
| O | o | o | |
| P | p | p | |
| R | r | r | |
| S | s | s | |
| T | t | t | |
| U | u | u | |
§ 2. These eighteen letters are the only characters needed in writing Irish words. It will be noticed that the Irish “c” corresponds to the English “k,” as it is never soft as c is in the word “cell,” but always hard as in “cold,” or like k in “kill.” Similarly, g is never soft, as g in gem, gaol; but hard, as in rag, get, goal.
§ 3. It will also be noticed that these letters differ but little from the ordinary Roman letters which we use in printing or writing English. The Irish forms of the letters d, g, t, are often used in ornamental English lettering. The only letters which present any difficulty are the small letters r, r, and s, s; the student who can distinguish these from each other has mastered the Irish alphabet. This so-called “Irish Alphabet” is not of Irish origin; it was taught to the Irish by the early Christian missionaries who came from the Continent in the fifth and sixth centuries of the Christian era. The letters are thus of the same form as the letters then used on the Continent for writing Latin and Greek.
§ 4. The forms of the Irish letters used in writing do not differ from those used in printing. Irish copy-books can be procured of the Dublin booksellers.
VOWELS AND CONSONANTS.
§ 5. The letters are divided, as in other languages, into vowels and consonants. The vowels are a, e, i, o, u. The other letters are consonants.
THE VOWELS.
§ 6. Each vowel has two sounds—a SHORT sound and a LONG sound. When a vowel is to be pronounced with a LONG sound it has a mark over it, as, á, é, í, ó, í,. When there is no mark, the vowel has a SHORT sound.
§ 7. Vowels are also divided into two classes—the BROAD vowels, a, o, u; and the SLENDER vowels, e, i. This is an important division. The student is not to confound BROAD and LONG vowels; any of the three broad vowels may be either long or short; they are long when marked, as á, ó, ú; they are short when unmarked, as a, o, u. In the same way, the slender vowels may be long, é, í; or short, e, i.
THE CONSONANTS.
§ 8. A consonant is said to be BROAD when the vowel next it, in the same word, is BROAD; and SLENDER when the vowel next it is SLENDER. Thus, s in sona, as, mias, is BROAD; s in sí, siar, mise, is SLENDER.
§ 9. Consonants, in addition to their ordinary natural sounds, have, in modern Irish, softened sounds. These will be treated in a special chapter.
PRONUNCIATION OF IRISH.
§ 10. Although it is true that no one can learn, from books alone, the perfect pronunciation of any language like Irish, still it is possible to give a very fair approximation to every sound in the language except, perhaps, two. Of these two, one is not essential.
The plan of these lessons is the following:—We give in each exercise a number of simple sentences in Irish to be translated
