Dia dhaobh

how about
"bainne nam bó is san gamhain?"
is this the correct phrase/spelling for the folk song(the milk of the cow is alright for the calf)?
and the next line, "but the juice of the barley for me;" what would that be (in irish)....?


sláinte 's táinte
déirídh

The way I've most often heard that line, it sounds like

Bainne na mbó is an ghamhna

(Milk of the cows and the calf)

Which doesn't seem to make any sense.

When I sing the song, I tend to sing

Bainne na bó is an gabhar leat

(Milk of the cow and the goat for you)

Which makes sense and seems to go with the last part of the line better. So far, nobody's noticed the change:-)

It's all part of the folk process!

--Al Evans

I'm not familiar with this song, but a quick google indicates that it was written in English, and a line of Irish tagged on as decoration.

Bainne na mbó dos na gamhna

would mean "milk of cows for calves"

btw Al for you in
"Bainne na bó is an gabhar leat"
ought to be
Bainne na mbó 'is an gabhair duit


Ach sú an eorna dom fhéin
would be
but the juice of the barley for me

A Aonghus, a chara,
Could you please explain 'dos' versus 'do'?
Go raibh maith agat.
Paul

do can become dos when used with the article in the plural

i.e.
do na gamhna
dos na gamhna
are equally correct.
dos na slips easier off the tongue!

Míle maith agat, a Aonghuis.
Slán tamall,
Paul

[Aonghus]
btw Al for you in
"Bainne na bó is an gabhar leat"
ought to be
Bainne na mbó 'is an gabhair duit

Hmmm, I thought it was "na bó" (singular) and "na mbó" (plural).

As for the "duit", I agree. But the way this song is usually sung, it's impossible to read a "duit" into the last bit.

Spelled out, it's usually something like "bannya na mo is an gone-a" (or something similar). "Leat" seemed to do the least damage to the pronunciation (used in the sense "Is liom an teach seo" (This house is mine).

But we're really probably trying to make sense of something that doesn't have any:-)

--Al Evans

Yes of course,
na bó would be singular

But I feel the plural would be more natural in Irish if the sense is "cow's milk"

"Is liom an teach" is fine
but
"An teach liom" is crazy!