A chairde,
recently I’ve been working on “Fiche Blian Ag Fás” by Muiris Ó Súilleabháin which means I’m trying to understand it. But, as to be expected, there’s been problems even before the story itself starts... Unfortunately I neither have the English nor the German version (which, I was told, is in fact the translation from the English edition...) of the book, so I’d appreciate every help you could give me (I’ve got the 1998 edition of “An Sagart”; an ceathrú heagrán, an cúigiú cló)

1. in the cover: an tulphicitiúr = front picture (?)
2. Tá ceacht sa mhéid seo dá lán againn. = sth. like “we have practice in it” (?)
3. could some one explain to me the usage of “d’” in this sentence (p. 5): “dá bhféadfadh sé a chuid scéalta d’insint le peann agus le páipéar...” (I know that it’s a verbal noun structure – do you use “do” instead of “ag” in Munster?)
4. There is a reference to chapter XII in which is written: “...agus buaileann a cheann fé.” I know fé = faoi but the idiom itself...
5. “ar lár” in: “D’fhágas a lán eachtraí ... ar lár...” = I left a lot of tales out(?)
6. p. 6: “olann a chíoradh” = to comb(?) the wool
7. “Do chuireas suas do sna coiníollacha san.” = I didn’t accept those conditions (unsure about “cur suas do rud”)
8. “... féach an bhfaighimís aon lúb ar dtuathal fós ann.”
9. p. 7: “... bhí sé de rath orm aithne a chur ar an Athair ...”
10. the meaning of the last part of this sentence is completly lost to me: “Fé mar a dúirt sé féin, tá gá le caighdeán, ach ní mór é bheith ina bhall uirlise againn agus gan é bheith ina mháistir orainn.”
11. what’s the infinitive form of “thosnaíos”?
12. “Níl aon leabhar eile Gaeilge a fuair a oiread san leathantais ins na dúthaí thar lear.”
couldn’t find the words “leathantais & dúthaí”

That should do for now. Thank you so much in advance!
Le meas,
Stefan

I happen to have the same edition, so I'll have a stab at it
1) tul means front according to the dictionary. The reference is to the portrait.

2) Tá ceacht sa mhéid seo dá lán againn
There is a lesson in that for many of us

3) The d' is a feature of Munster Irish used before a verbal noun where the standard has "a"

4) agus buaileann a cheann fé
And bows his head (in shame, possibly)

5) ar lár - missing, left out

6) Yes.

7) I would say "cuir suas le" is endure, I don't know about "do"

8) Lúb ar lár means something left out. "Tuathal" is an old word for left(wards). I'd say this means "anything wrong with"

9) I had the fortune to get to know Father ....

10) As he said himself, there is a need for standards, but the must be our tools and not our masters [Amen to that].

11) thosaigh - to begin - is what you'll find it under in the dictionary.

12) leathantais - distribution
duthaí, a plural of dúiche - region

Maith thú a Aonghuis, an-fhlaithiúil sin a dhéanamh.

I have a 1933 second printing copy of "Fiche Bliain ag Fás" (with moldy pages it even smells like some places in Ireland!)
There is a quote from "Hóiméar" on the page that comes after the dedication and before the Réamhrádh. Does anyone know what it means? I am curious.

τρηχεΐ άλλ’ άγαθή κονροτρόφος

I don't know Greek and I may have copied some of the letters incorrectly.

Gabh raibh míle maith agat, a Aonghuis!!!

That helped a lot! I hope you will be around when I have even more questions... :-)

Just one further question for now on 11) wouldn't "I began" be "thosaíos", then?
At first I thought of something like *tosain... because otherwise there wouldn't be any explanation for the -n- then, would it?
(what can I say: I'm a grammar freak...)

Le meas,
Stefan

"tosnaigh" is an alternate form of "tosaigh".

Thosaíos
Thosnaíos

So ist es. Ich habe keine Ahnung von Grammatik, und das in drei Sprachen ;-). Aber FnaB hat recht. Ich fand tosnaigh nicht im Wörterbuch, daher gab ich tosaigh an.

Brunnen mindestens, das Sie in Verbindung stehen können, Aonghus. : )

Céard atá á rá agat, FnaB?

Brunnen = tobar/fuarán?

Thug www.google.ie/language_tools é sin dhom ar

"Well at least you can communicate, Aonghus."

...ach b'fhéidir nár thar barr an t-aistriúchán é?

Uafásach!

"Tobar ar a laghad" a rinneadh as "Well at least"

HA HA HA HA HA

:-) that translator made the laugh of my day!

FnaB, thanks! I had something like that in mind - just wanted to be sure.

Aonghus, ich bin beeindruckt! I know, I know, grammar's not everything but one has to start somewhere.

arís: gabh raibh míle maith agaibh!

10 Jahre Berlin, und lange davor 3 Monate Östtereich. Kein Kunstsück.

P.S. go raibh míle maith agaibh
(Möget ihr tausend Dank haben.)