A chairde,

For homework, I need to translate a prayer from Irish into English. One of the lines of the prayer begins with "Bail na gcúig arán agus an dá iasc." I think I know what "na gcúig" means (amount), but I don't understand what "Bail" means. My dictionary shows "bail" as "prosperity, state," and gives the example "Bail ó Dhia air" (God bless him).

Does "bail" mean "bless" in the prayer line above?

Go raith maith agaibh,

Dáithí

My dictionary gives 'bail' as, (proper)order, condition, state.
Ex. bail a chur ar rud - to mend something.
From just that single line, I'm not really sure of what the meaning of 'bail' is contextually in that prayer. It seems to be as a blessing - a return to good order.

-Maidhc.

could be to have blessed the loaves and the fishes, or, could it refer to the subsequent multiplication of the loaves and fishes?

I'd prefer to see the rest of that line, Dáithí.

Bail ó Dhia ort is a stock phrase which means "Good condition from God on you" i. May God make sure everything is good for you.

I expect the prayer is referring to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and that the sense is "May God grant you a (miraculous) increase of goods"

But I too would like to see the context.

Maidhc, Antaine, Aonghus,

Thanks for the help. I was reluctant to post the complete line for fear of being expelled from class for cheating (just kidding!).

Here's the complete line:

"Bail na gcúig arán an dá iasc a roionn Dia ar an gcúig mhíle fear."

Dáithí

There is still something missing, but this confirms my reading that it is the multiplication of teh loaves and fishes - there is an object still missing, i.e. who is the condition to be applied to.

(Bail ó Dhia ort) -> ort

(Bail na .... what goes here?)

Dáithí - don't follow this link until you've handed in your homework!

http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaeilge/corpus/urnaithe/altu.html

It looks like this is a grace before meals, and that blessing is being asked for the dinner and the diners.

(The second Grace given is the one I've used all my life, but this one is more poetic!)

A Aonghus,

Tá bron agam. I forgot a word - "agus."

Here's the corrected line: "Bail na gcúig arán agus an dá iasc a roionn Dia ar an gcúig mhíle fear."

I don't know the answer to your question "what goes here." That's precisely my problem. Is it perhaps an idiom, with the object understood?

Dáithí

Look at the last line of what you were given, that is the object for the two preceeding lines.

(PS I'm sorry - tá brón orm)

Go raith míle maith agat a Aonghus! I may finish my translation....then look at the link.

Tá brón orm faoi "tá bron agam" :) I realized after posting that something wasn't right - I appreciate the correction.

Dáithí

Thanks again Aonghus for your help. I did better than I thought with my translation. The last part, "ar ár gcomhroinn" threw me. I couldn't figure out what comhroinn is, so I wrote "neighbors."

I checked out the website you listed. I enjoyed reading the other blessings. I see the college is in Alba. Is that in Scotland?

Le meas,

Dáithí

Tá. Ar oileán Sciathánach (Skye)

Go raibh maith agat, a Aonghus. Ni thuigim "oileán," ach chuaigh mé ar An Foclóir Beag agus tuigim é anois.

Le meas,

Dáithí

>> Ar oileán Sciathánach (Skye)

An t-Eilean Sgitheanach a thugtar air i nGaeilge na hAlban. Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil údar ar bith ann "The Winged Isle" a thabhairt air i nGaeilge na hÉireann, cé gur galánta an t-ainm é sin!

Seans nach mar sin a litrítear é. Níl fhios agam an bhfaca mé riamh scríofa é.