Omeath Irish

Unfortuately, we do not have any recordings of Co. Down Irish but we know it was very similar to the Irish of Omeath, of which there are many recordings, like the one below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Rv-XGcnSY

Dinnseachas Chluain Daimh, Cuid IV

Dinnseanchas Chluain Daimh, Cuid IV
Le Ciaràn Dunbar
Originally Published in An tUltach

Allt a’ tSagairt

Is léir ón ráiteas seo a leanas go raibh suim ar leith ag John O’Donavan, an tópógrafóir mór, agus é ag bailiú logainmneacha Chontae an Dúin in ainmneacha na sléibhte. Is léir fosta go raibh sé ábalta duine áitiúil (nó daoine áitiúla) a aimsiú le heolas a chur ar fáil dó.

These mountains bear very curious aboriginal names, and I am very anxious to have a perfect list of them lest I omit any. While at Castlewellan and in the very wild parish of Clonduff, I got the names of persons in Mourne from whom I can derive proper information concerning the wild mountain valleys of Mourne … furnished me by John McLindon, a kind and intelligent farmer, who is more interested in the subject than myself, and who is as much obligied to me as I am to him for the trouble we have taken with them. (O’Donavan, 1909, L. 84)

Mar atá le feiceáil ina chuid nótaí thíos, bhí Allt a’ tSagairt i measc na hainmneacha siúd ar bhailigh sé.

Althothagart. Alt a t-Sagairt, altitude Sacerdotis. Here the altar is still to be seen whereon Masses were celebrated during the rage of bigotry [aimsir na péindlíthe]. (O’Donavan, 1909, L 65.)

Is sliabh cáiliúil é Allt a’ tSagairt sa dúiche cionn is go mbíonn Aifreann ar a thaobh gach bliain ag Carraig an Aifrinn atá tógtha ansin, de bharr sin tuigtear an chiall leis an logainm go forleathan. Dar liomsa, is é seo an áit is iargúlta sa pharóiste ar fad.

Tá scéal stairiúil bainte leis an áit faoi sléacht uafásach a tharla in Aimsir na Péindlíthe. Chuir an tUrramach Patrick Keenan an leagan seo den scéal i gcló (Keenan, 1941, L. 12-13).

The late Canon Rooney (P.P. Clonduff 1923-30) used to relate the story as handed down by tradition, of the martyrdom of this priest, Father Eoghan (?O’Hagan). According to the tradition a certain Col. Whitechurch , having learned from his spies that Mass was to be celebrated at Alt-an-tSagairt on a particular Sunday set out with his henchmen for the spot, reaching just as mass was ended, He is said to have murdered the priest and a number of those who assisted at the mass ... it is interesting to note that prior to the penal age the name of the “Priest’s mountain was “Altakeltie” – the wooded hill.

Baintear úsáid as an litriú Gaeilge i litríocht na háite cé go scríobhtar é mar ‘Alt’ seachas ‘Allt’ (Féach Ó Mainnín, 1993, L. 125) agus tá an fuaimniú Béarla cosúil go leor di [le teacht], cé go bhfuil an t deireanach leathan.

Tá traidisiún sa pharóiste nach raibh carraig an aifrinn Allt a’ tSagairt san áit a gceiliúrtar Aifreann na Carraige gach aon bhliain i saol na linne seo, áit atá thuas ar thaobh an tsléibhe. I mo thuairim féin, déantar seo le dreapadóireacht ceart a thabhairt do mhuintir na háite le léirchruthú do dhaoine an streachailt a bhí ag a sinsear le dul chuig an aifreann nuair a bhí na péindlíthe i bhfeidhm.

Tá carraig mhór mhín eile i bhfolach thíos sa ghleann ag bun Allt a’ tSagairt, atá taobh le coill agus níos deise don tsráidbhaile. Dúradh liom sa cheantar gurb é sin carraig an aifrinn i gCluain Daimh. Ar scór ar bith, is cinnte liom nach raibh sé thuas úd ar thaobh sléibhe, áit atá infheicthe agus doiligh éalú as! Seift déanta ag sagairt glic éigin atá i gceist dar liomsa, nuair a bhí air áit a roghnú le carraig an aifrinn a thógáil.

Leabharliosta

Ó MAINNÍN, M. B., Place-Names of Northern Ireland, vol. III, County Down III, The Mournes (The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast 1993).

EVANS, E., Mourne Country: Landscape and Life in South Down (Dundalgan Press Ltd. Dundalk 1989).

Féilire Húi Gormáin: the martyrology of Gorman, ed. Whitley Stokes (London 1895).
The Martyrology of Donegal: a calendar of the saints of Ireland, trans. John Ó’Donavan, ed. James H. Todd and William Reeves (Dublin 1864)

DINEEN, Rev P. S., Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla (Irish Texts Society, Dublin, Cork 1904, new ed. 1927, repr. 1970).

McPOLIN, F., ‘Fairy Lore in the Hilltown District’ Ulster Folklife, vol. 9 (1963).

KEENAN, P., Brief Historical Stetch of the Parish of Clonduff, Diocese of Dromore, (Newry 1941).

Ó DOIBHLÍN, D., The Ulster Irish Translation of the De Imitatione Christi (Cumann Seanchais Ardmhacha, Monaghan 2000).

O’ DONAVAN, J., ‘Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the County Down collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1834’ pub. as supplement to Leabharlann III (Dublin 1909).

Dinnseanchas Chluain Daimh, Cuid III

Dinnseanchas Chluain Daimh, Cuid III
Le Ciaràn Dunbar
originally published in An tUltach

Hilltown agus an Chabrach.

Roinntear an paróiste ina dhá chuid, ceantar darb ainm An Chabrach (Cabra) agus ceantar an tsráidbhaile, Hilltown. Chuir clann sasanach darb ainm Hill sráidbhaile i mbun nuair a thóg siad eaglais ag na croisbealaí i 1766. D’fhás baile timpeall ar an eaglais agus is dócha gur thug na Hills féin a n-ainm féin ar an sráidbhaile nua seo. Tá Baile Hill ar fáil ach níl ann ach aistriúcháin ón Bhéarla, d’ainneoin sin, baintear úsáid as an leagan sin i scoileanna agus ar roinnt comharthaí bóithre sa dúiche. Sular dtógadh Hilltown, tugadh Eight Mile Bridge (Droichead Ocht Míle?) ar an cheantar ina bhfuil an sráidbhaile anois, de bhrí go bhfuil droichead cóngarach de atá ocht míle gaelach as Baile Mór an Iúir.

Is é an scéal is mó a bhaineann le Eight Mile Bridge na go gcreidtear go háitiúil gurb ag an droichead seo a mharaíodh an ropaire cailiúil gaelach, Reamonn Ó hAnluain mar a luann Evans (1989, L. 6) anseo.

As befitted a borderland, the Mournes gave refuge to lawless elements and adventurers, among whom is numbered the famous Irish Tory, Redmond O’Hanlon – the Irish Robin Hood – who was killed near Hilltown in 1681.

Níl aon amhras agam go bhfuil sé ag déanamh tagairt do Eight Mile Bridge nuair a deir sé ‘near Hilltown’ agus gur scríobh sé sin cionn is nach mbeadh an logainm Eight Mile Bridge ar eolas ag mórán taobh amuigh den pharóiste.

Dinnseanchas Chluain Daimh, Cuid II

Dinnseanchas Chluain Daimh, Cuid II
le Ciaràn Dunbar
Originally Published in An tUltach

Scéal Chluain Daimh (Sean-Chluain Daimh, Bushtown agus Baile Uí Eacháin)

Is dearfa an rud é go dtéann an logainm Cluain Daimh, nó leagain cosúil leis chomh fada siar leis an bhliain 1170. Tá sé le fáil i Félire Huí Gormáin (ed. Whitley Stokes, London, 1895, L. 246-247) mar ‘Clúana Dáimh’ agus déantar tagairt dó in The Martyrology of Donegal (trans. John Ó’Donavan, BÁC 1864, L.348) ina bhfuil fianaise ag baint an naomh Mochummocc nó mo Commóc leis an áit.

Mochummocc, cluana daimh, i nUibh Eabhach Uladh

Tá ‘Scéal Chluain Daimh’, an dinnseanchas a mhíníonn stair an logainm ar eolas ag beagnach gach aon duine sa pharóiste. Tá gach seans ann gur mhair an scéal seo i seanchas na háite le beagnach míle bhliain. Seo an scéal de réir mo chuimhne phearsanta féin. Cé gur minic a chuala mé an scéal seo ó bhéal, rinne muid staideár ar an ris ar scoil agus tá leagan scríofa ar fáil, sa chaoi sin, ní thig liom a rá go cinnte nach bhfuil mé ag teacht faoi anáil an leagain scríofa. Cibé ar bith, ba i mBéarla a chuala mé an scéal.

Bhí dream Críostaí ag tógáil séipéil i mbaile fearainn a dtugtar Baile Uí Eacháin (Ballyaughain) air anois, i gceantar a thugann muid Sean-Chluain Daimh (‘Oul Clonduff’) air. Faraor, ba ghnáth le damh teacht aníos as Gleann na bhFiadh, thuas sna Beanna Boirche, gach aon oíche chun an séipéal seo a leagain agus d’éiríodh leis ar feadh tamaill. Deirtear gurb sean-draoi a raibh corraí air mar gheall air theacht an chreidimh úir a bhíodh a chur. I ndiaidh tamall áfach, tharla sé gur éirigh le manach misneach óg an damh a sheoladh ar shiúil ón séipéal. Sheol sé é thart fá leath mhíle i dtreo na sléibhte agus stop sé, chuir sé a mhaide a bhí leis sa talamh ansin is chuir sé cuireadh comhraic dhúshlánaigh roimhe leis an damh gan a theacht ar ais thar an áit a bhí an maide curtha aige choíche agus cha dtáinig an damh ar ais. D’fhág an manach a mhaide mar chomhartha san áit ar chuir sé é sa talamh agus d’imigh sé leis. D’fhan an maide ansin ach chuir sé fréamh as agus d’fhás sé agus lean sé ag fás fríd na cianta. Tá crann ag fás go seadh i lár goirt in áit a dtugtar Bushtown anois air agus creidtear gurb ionann an crann seo agus an maide a cuireadh ann míle bhliain go leath ó shín.

Seo gearrleagan eile den scéal ar bhailigh Emyrs Evans (1989, L. 204), i mBéarla atá sé ar ndóigh.

The time they were building Clonduff Chapel long ago a bull used to come every night and knock down all they built the day before, till at last the priest stuck his stick in the ground and said: ‘you will hardly come past that!’ And the bull never come, and the stick took root and grew into fairy thorns.

Ba choir dom a lua go bhfuil crann ann san áit seo go fóill agus chan fheil aon amhras ann go bhfuil sé an sean amach is amach. Sceach gheal atá ann. Chan amháin go bhfuil an crann seo an sean ar fad ach tá traidisiúin sa cheantar a bhaineanns leis an slua sí é chomh maith mar a dhéantar tagairt do sa sliocht seo as scéal sí a bhailigh an Dr. Francis McPolin i gCluain Dáimh sna daicheadaí (1963, L. 86).

A certain farmer known as Atty Jack, had his home not far from the fairy settlement in Bushtown, in the townland of Ballynanny.

Tá sé spéisiúil go bhfuil an seipeal ann go fóill cé nach bhfuil ann ach ballóg anois, cibé rud a tharla dó. Níor éirigh liom aon fhianaise stairiúil a aimsiú i dtaca leis an eachtra seo ach dar le traidisiúin béil na háite, bhí baint ag Oliver Cromwell le scriosadh an séipéil. Tá sé seo le feiceáil sa sliocht seo ón tAthair Keenan, níor léirigh sé a fhoinse agus creidim mé féin go caithfear tarraingt as sin gur chuala sé an scéal as bhéal dhuine éigin (1941, L.7).

The old catholic church in Ballyaughian is believed to have been destroyed in 1642 by the Scotch army under General Monroe, who ravaged Iveagh in that year, “burning all the houses and corn before them and carrying off great spoyle’’.

Pé scéal é, baineadh úsáid as an chill féin arís i 1744 nuair a cuireadh Eoghán Ó Néill, ‘do shíoluigh ar threabha tighearnadh uasal airdchéimeach Chlann Aodh Bhuídhe’ (Ó Doibhlín, 2000, L. 46), a bháigh i linn darb ainm ‘The Mill Pool’ in Abhainn an Bhanna cóngarach don Droichead Ocht Míle.

Maidir leis an damh féin, tá an Dr. Micheál Ó Mainnín (1993, L. 74) cinnte go gciallaíonn an focal damh beithíoch fireann sa chás seo. Go dearfa, mar atá le feiceáil sa leagan ar thaifead Evans thuas, tuigtear sa cheantar mar sin chomh maith. Tá sé suntasach áfach, go gciallaíonn an focal damh, fia fireann chomh maith, go háirithe sa teanga níos sine (Féach Dineen, L. 305). Chomh maith leis sin, creidtear gur tháinig an damh ó Ghleann na bhFiadh, tá seans ann mar sin, go bhfuil an bunús sin, gur fia fireann a bhí i gceist, leis an scéal.

Clonduff Place-Names Folklore, part I

Dinnseanchas ó Chluain Daimh.
le Ciaràn Dunbar
Originally published in An tUltach

Tá Paróiste Chluain Daimh (Clonduff) suite i lár dheisceart Chontae an Dúin, ceantar mór atá ann faoi bhun na Beanna Boirche. De réir cosúlachta, mhair idir an Ghaeilge bheo agus logainmneacha Gaeilge ní b’fhaide sa cheantar seo ná i gceantar ar bith eile i gContae an Dúin. Bhí sé seo le rá ag Ó Mainnín (1993, L. 73) fá dtaobh de na logainmneacha.

…one is left with the impression that, of all the parishes in this part of the county, the original Irish forms of place-names lingered longest in Clonduff.

Luaigh Eymrs Evans ina leabhar, ‘Mourne Country’ a scríobh sé i 1951 Down (1989 L. 6), cainteoirí dúchais na Gaeilge thart ar Hilltown, sráidbhaile Chluain Daimh.

The Gaelic language could still be heard in Hilltown in the late nineteenth century, and the last native speakers, as distinct from those who have learnt Gaelic in the schools, have only recently died out.

The Clonduff Story

Today in Clonduff everyone knows the Clonduff Story from school or from the cover of the book of the same name but does anyone have an authentic version from the oral tradition, i.e. uninfluenced by school or a written source, if so, get in touch through this site.

Some Co. Down 'dos and donts'

Here are some 'Do's and Don'ts of Co. Down Irish', useful for those with a little Irish, apply these simple rulesand you could certainly make standard or Donegal Irish sound quite authentically like Co. Down Irish, because and the end of the day, they are not really that dfferent.

Focail - Words

Ní > Chan fheil
An bhfuil > An bhfeil
Gaeilge > Gaelc
Cailín > Cailean
Teach > Toigh / Taigh

Pronouncation

* ‘ch’ is often extremely weak if pronounced at all
* Final –amh and -adh is often just likein Donegal - /u/ but in the intial position at the start of a word broad mh & bh are pronounced like a /v/ type sound rather like Munster Irish and Scottish Gaelic
* Words like deas are pronounced like ‘djes’ rather thán like ‘djas’

More on this latter

Great news for the Irish language in Co. Down

Efforts are underway to establish an Irish medium secondary school in Castlewellan, great news for the language.

It is important to understand that the Irish language survived much longer in Castlewellan and surrounding districts that it did in Newry for example.

Indeed, Cill Chua was once an important centre of Gaelic leanring and literature, as was Loch an Oileàin.

A Co. Down Gaelic song

This song was has been traced to Mayobridge but other versions have been found in other parts of the country, it is quite clear however that it is a Co. Down song.

Bóthar an Mhaighre

Bhí me lá beag aerach ag dul Bóthar an Mhaighre,
'Sé chas damh an spéir-bhean as Conntae Lughmhaighe;
D'fhiosruigheas féin di, ag iarraidh téamfaidh,
An bpósfadh sí gréasaidhe as Conntae an Dúin.

Tá tú ag pléideadh 's charbh áil liom féin thú,
Cha rabh mo spéis ariamh in bhar nDún;
Tá an t-arán daor ann, 's char chleacht mé féin é;
Ba mhíle b'fhéarr damh i gConndae Lughmhaighe.

A chailleach tútach de threibh na mbrúideadh,
Nach dtuigeann súgradh, 's nach n-aithigheann greann!
Cha rabh mise ach 'súgradh, is chan olc liom diúltadh,
'S a liacht sin cúilfhionn beag deas sa Ghleann.

Bíonn min agus plúr ionn, agus ubhla cumhra,
In áit na gcrústa bhíos agaibh ann;
Nuair a bheas na doirse dúnta ar dhruim an diúltaidh
Béidh fáilte dhúbalta síos fá'n Ghleann.

Translation to come.

Foclóir CLG - GAA Dictionary

Seo liosta focail agus eochair abairtí CLG. Níl sé críochnaithe go fóill, fáilte roimh ionchur.

Here is GAA Irish phrase book / word list. It is not finished yet, fáilte roimh ionchur, input welcome.

Road-Names / Ainmneacha Bóithre

You can find out alot about Newry and Mourne road and street-names here. You will find the Irish language form for each and any other information which was gathered.

More Surnames from Clonduff

I pulled this list from the Clonduff GAA website, it isn't bad at all, apart from the misreading of an 's' for an 'r' in Gaelic script with is very common, I have skipped the translations for now.

Remember, the Irish / Gaelic forms of names are almost alway the original form, they are not translations, not equivalent.

ANDERSON: If this is a native name, then it from the Irish Mac Giolla Aindréis
BRADY: Mac Brádaigh
BRANIGAN: Ó Branagáin
BROWN: de Brún (the brown) - Could also be Mac Giolla Dhuinn.
BURNS: Ó Broin
CAULFIELD: Mac Cathmhaoil
DOYLE: Ó Dubhghaill
FAGAN: Ó Faodhagáin
FITZPATRICK: Mac Giolla Phádraig (Note, in this case, Fitzpatrick is the original#)
GRANT: Mac Gránna
GREENAN: Ó Grianáin
GRIBBON: Mag Roibin (note in Down, the -ín diminutive ending is alway simply pronounced -in.
HANLON: Ó hAnnluain
McALINDON: Mac Giolla Fhionndáin (Note Lindon is also used to anglicise this name);
McAVOY: Mac Giolla Bhuide (could also be Mac Aodha Bhuí, more research needed.
McCONVILLE: Mac Conmhaoil
McGAW: Mag Ádaimh
McGEE: Mac Aoidh
McGINNIS: Mag Aonghais
McGILL: Mac an Ghoill
McGINN: Mag Fhinn
McGREEVY: Mag Riabhaigh
McLOUGHLIN: Mac Lochlainn
McPOLIN: Mac Póilin (note in Down, the -ín diminutive ending is alway simply pronounced -in. Note also that the McPolins formerly anglicised their name as (Mc)Poland before they caught themselves on.
MORGAN: Ó Muireagáin
MURNAN: Ó Murnáin
O'HAGAN: Ó hAgáin
O'HARE: Ó hÍr (Note Ó hÍr is pronounces approximately Ó Heersh)
WALLS: de Bháil
WILSON: Mac Liam (Mac Liam is a translation of Wilson, which is an English name. In Irish people simply pronounced Wulsana)

The second most important trait of Clonduff Irish - feil

Leid # 2, feil and fuil

The second most important distingushing feature of the Irish of Clonduff, and the wider Oirialla area is the use of 'feil' as opposed to 'fuil'

Most people who have studied Irish will remember the words, níl, and an bhfuil.

'Níl' is made up of the elements 'ní fhuil'. We have already seen that cha takes the place of ní in Down, but there is a little more to it.

In Down and Oirialla these forms are Chan fheil (often shortened to ' 'n'eil ' and 'a' bhfeil'

Therefore, 'is not' was chan fheil in Down as it was in Antrim, Omeath and South Armagh, and Scotland and Man as can be seen of the map.

'Chan fheil' is pronunced /han nʲel/ or /han nʲil/ approximately. The important thing is to remember that the n is pronounced slender as in 'Newry'.

'Bhfeil' differs from 'bhfuil' in that the 'bh' is slender, it is a 'v' sound, not a 'w' sound as in Donegal Irish. 'Bhfeil' is there pronounced /vʲel/ or /vʲil/ or even /vʲol/ approximately.

Note, the Irish of Meath and Tyrone / Derry employ 'fuil'.

It is also worth noting, that outwith the occasional usage in song, 'fuil' is not used in Ireland today apart from perhaps a tiny percentage of learners. Its usage however is not as frowned upon as the use of 'cha'.

Dinnseanchas - Scéal Chluain Daimh

Nuair a tháinig na manaigh Críosta chuige Cluain Daimh chuaigh siad i mbun oibre ag tógáil séipéil i mbaile fearainn a dtugtar Baile Uí Eacháin (Ballyaughain) air anois, i gceantar a thugann muid Sean-Chluain Daimh (‘Oul Clonduff’) air.

Ba ghnáth le damh teacht aníos as Gleann na bhFiadh, thuas sna Beanna Boirche, gach aon oíche chun an séipéal seo a leagain áfach, agus d’éiríodh leis ar feadh tamaill.

Deirtear gurb sean-draoi a raibh corraí air mar gheall air theacht an chreidimh úir a bhíodh a chur.

I ndiaidh tamall áfach, tharla sé gur éirigh le manach misneach óg an damh a thiomáil ar shiúil ón tséipéal. Thiomáil sé é thart fá leath mhíle i dtreo na sléibhte agus stop sé ansin, chuir sé a mhaide a bhí leis sa talamh is chuir sé cuireadh comhraic dhúshlánaigh roimhe leis an damh gan a theacht ar ais thar an áit a bhí an maide curtha aige choíche agus cha dtáinig an damh ar ais.

D’fhág an manach a mhaide mar chomhartha san áit ar chuir sé é sa talamh agus d’imigh sé leis. D’fhan an maide ansin ach chuir sé fréamh as agus d’fhás sé agus lean sé ag fás fríd na cianta.

Tá crann ag fás go seadh i lár goirt in áit a dtugtar Bushtown anois air agus creidtear gurb ionann an crann seo agus an maide a cuireadh ann míle bhliain go leath ó shín.

“shŏwitchshough”

From The Irish language in Co. Down by Dr. Ciarán Ó Duibhín

On 11 March 1945, McPolin re James Cowan, farmer, Stang [Cluain Daimh], aged 60: ‘Traditional Irish: Cowan was able to repeat a number of phrases in Irish which his grandmother who knew the language taught him when he was a child, e.g. bless himself, count from one to ten, and such phrases as “shŏwitchshough”. At the same time he says his mother knew no Irish. She apparently was born about the transition period when parents did not wish their children to learn Irish. That would be about 1840-50 in this district. Cowan’s granny belonged to Drumboniff; she was born in the place where Barney Murnin now lives.’

What does “shŏwitchshough” mean and what can it tell us of the Gaelic dialect spoken in Clonduff? More than you might think. “shŏwitchshough” is clearly seo dhuit seo, 'here you are, there you go, here it is'.

What is interesting is that we can tell that the standard and Donegal form duit 'to you' was lenited (or aspirated) in the dialect - dhuit.

The phonetic spelling also seems to imply that this lenition had left the initial consonant very weak so that it seems to have been pronounced 'uit (witch) by this speaker.

The Fundamental Trait of Clonduff Irish

It may surprise many to know that much is actually known about the Gaelic spoken in Cluain Daimh and County Down for at least two thousand years but sadly now lost.

Not as much as is known as is about the Irish of South Armagh and North Louth, as recording exist of these dialects and well as a considerable body of folklore and song, but a considerable amount can be gleamed from the evidence available nevertheless.

The fundamental aspect of Irish as spoken in Cluain Daimh, as opposed to theIrish taught in schools today is that the dialect of Cluain Daimh was a 'cha' /xa/ dialect.

That is to say that the negative particle was 'cha' rather than 'ní'.

For example, 'ní raibh mé' (I was not) was 'cha rabh mé' in Clonduff. As it would be everywhere above the line in the map opposite.

The evidence being that Cluain Daimh is above the line in the diagram, which is known as an isogloss.

That is not to say that 'cha' does not occur below the line, it does, but only in specific cases to denote emphasis, see the bibliography listed below.

It may be the case that 'cha' was used more extensively in Leinster than denoted by the diagram, but the evidence is lacking either way.

To find out more about how to use 'cha' click here.

'Cha' was traditionally never used anywhere in Ireland in literature as it was seen as a vulgarism, a stain it has never fully lost.

It is generally assumed that Ireland's official standard prohibits its use, this is however an urban myth, indeed it is to be found in the Standard Irish dictionary.

Its lack of promotion is simply due to the preferences of teachers and examination boards.

Its use is generally frowned upon by learners of Irish even in East Ulster today.

Féach chomh maith :

Ó Buachalla (Breandán): Ní and cha in Ulster Irish.
In Ériu 28 (1977), pp. 92–141.
1. Scottish Gaelic influence [on Ulster Ir.]; 2. O’Rahilly’s theory [cf. BILL II: 527]; 3. Present for future in Ulster Irish; 4. Present for future in Early Irish; 5. A reconstruction of the data; 6. An alternative interpretation [cha associated with ‘informal’ style in Ulster].

Ó Dochartaigh (Cathair): Cha and ní in the Irish of Ulster.
In Éigse 16/4 (Geimhreadh 1976), pp. 317–336.
Incl. sections on [1.] Areal distribution of the forms ní and cha; [2.] Transitional zone; [3.] Emphatic use of cha; [4.] Vowel quantity in cha; [5.] Diferential use of cha and ní; [6.] Origin and spread of cha.


Ó Buachalla (Breandán): Nótaí ar Ghaeilge an tuaiscirt I.
In Éigse 16/4 (Geimhreadh 1976), pp. 285–316.
On the use of ní and cha in Uster Irish.

Wagner (Heinrich): Iarfhocal ar ní agus cha sa Ghaeilge.
In FS de Bhaldraithe (1986), pp. 1–10.

Most common surnames in Clonduff in 1863-4

Surname, Households, Gaeilg

Murphy, 51, Mac Murchaidh (pron. A' Wurfee)
Morgan, 49, Ó Muireagáin
Fitzpatrick, 46, Mac Giolla Phádraig
O'Hagan, 43, Ó hÁgáin
McPoland, 35, Mac Póilín (pron. Mac Póilin)
Grant, 33, Mac Gránna
Branagan, 22, Ó Brannagáin
Fagan , 22, Ó Faogáin
Brady, 21, Mac Brádaigh
McGinn, 19, Mag Fhinn.

NOTE : In East Ulster 'Ó' is pron. as 'Á' and Mac (Mhac) as 'wac / vac' or even 'wa'

Bailte Fearainn Chluain Daimh / Clonduff Townland Names

Ballyaughian, Baile Uí Eachaín, "O'Haughian's townland"

Ballycoshone Lower, Ballycoshone Upper, Baile Cois Abhann "townland beside a river"

Ballygorian Beg, Baile Ó gCorraín Beag "Curreens'/Currans' townland (little)"

Ballygorian More, Baile Ó gCorraín Mór, "Curreens'/Currans' townland (great)"

Ballykeel, Baile Caol, "narrow townland"

Ballymaghery, Baile na Machaire, "townland of the plain"

Ballynagappoge, Baile na gCopóg, "townland of the dockens"

Ballynanny, Baile an Eanaigh, "townland of the marsh"

Ballyweely, Baile Mhaoile (?)"townland of the bare or round hill/summit"

Cabragh, An Chabrach, "rough/bad land (?)"

Carcullion, Carr an Chuilinn, "rugged place of the holly"

Cavan, Cabhán, "round/small hill (?)"

Cleomack, Of uncertain origin, - The Irish spelling Cliumac respects the sound and probably the meaning however.

Drumbonniff, Droim Banbh, "ridge of the suckling pigs"

Drumnascamph, Dromainn na Scamhthaí (?, "ridge/hillock of the bare patch of rocks"

Goward, Guthard (?), "resounding height"

Islandmoyle, An tOileán Maol, "the bare island"

Kinghill, Caomhchoill, "pleasant wood"

Leitrim, Liatroim, "grey ridge"

Lenish, Leithinis, "half-island/peninsula"

Leode, Leathfhód, (?), "sloping strip of ground"

Lisnamulligan, Lios Uí Mhaoileagáin, "Mulligan's fort"

Mullaghmore, An Mullach Mór, "the great top/summit"

Stang, An Stang, also Baile na Stainge, "the stang"

Tamary, Teamhraigh, "conspicious/elevated place"

Bain úsáid as do bhaile fearainn!