I just got the lyrics to this beautiful clannad song off the web, and I'm confused by some words in the second line: " 's grian bhui an fhomhair ag tomadh sa weir" I couldn't find "weir" in my dictionary. Since it begins with a "w" I figure it's a loan word. Does anyone know what it is? Actually the whole phrase, " ag tomadh sa weir" would be helpful. thank you.

Ed, a chara,

It's probably the word 'weir,' the English word for 'a fence or enclosure set in a river to catch fish.'
My dictionary says it comes from an old Norse word.

Is mise, Paul

go raibh maith agat, a Paul. It's really interesting to see old Norse words surviving in the modern language. You don't happen to have a translation of the song, do you?

le meas, Ed

Tá mo uncail ina chónaí i gCóra Cháitlín i gcontae an Clár! Córa is the word used for weir in Irish if I am not wrong!

Córa Cháitlín is Newmarket on Fergus by the way!

Funnily enough his son in law is called Weir! A surname as well!!!

This is merely a thought but...could the use of "w" be a transcriptional error? The use of "sa" would require lenition of the following word and a "beir" would become "bheir" (sounds like weir)...don't know if this is even a word, though. I'm away from my books for now and can't check. This was just my intial reaction. Again, just a thought.

Le meas.

A Dhiarmuid, a chara,
An-spéisiúl ar fad....
Tá seanchairde agam atá cónaí orthu i gCorbally i gCathair Luimní.
Cheap mé go raibh “Cora Bhaile” an leagan Gaeilge a bhí air
(mar gheall tá Corbally suite ar an tSionainn).
Ach dar leis an Ordaithe Logainmeacha: “Corrbhaile.”
Feach ar: http://www.pobail.ie/ie/AnGhaeilge/AnBrainseLogainmneacha/OrdaitheLogainmneacha/

Is breá liom an ábhar seo!

Slán go fóill,
Paul

A James ( Sheamuis ? ), a chara,
I originally thought the same thing - that it was an error in transcription. But I've seen the same spelling in other sources. Now I'm wondering if the word is peculiar to Ulster Irish.

slán

I was thinking it could be:

tumadh sa weir

Tumadh means to immerse in water. The yellow autumn sunlight dipping into the weir...

Weir is not Irish at all. Songs often use english words; after all even in the Gaeltacht people have been exposed to English for centuries. There are even songs where alternate lines are in Irish and English.