I am looking to translate the phrase
"Do not resist growing old-Many are denied the privilege"
I have read this is an Irish saying and would like to get a lead on where to find it tranlated to Gaelic and also the origins of the phrase..when did it become a known phrase? Any help would be appriecated, I continue to search on Gaelic League sites, but I know none of the language.

I dont recall ever hearing that phrase before but if i was to translate it id try ;
" Ná bíodh faitíos ort faoin sean-aois, ní bhíonn an deis ag cách"
Which is more or less - Dont be worried about old-age, not everyone has the oppurtunity..
Translating is hardly my speciality so id say some of the others here could be of more assistance to you..

faoin tsean-aois

Ná cuir i gcoinne na éirí sean. 'Sé séanta é ag (nó acu?) a lán daoine.
Not sure of my grammar there, but I think that's a little more literal.

It's so litteral that it's wrong. And grammatically wrong as well. Cuir i gcoinne is allright, but I don’t think you can say "i gcoinne an éirí sean". In the second part you can’t use "is" like that "is é séanta é" > you can only have a noun in that kind of sentence; acu means "ag+iad", you can’t use it before "a lán daoine". Use "acu" alone or "ag a lán daoine" but you can’t mix the two solutions.

I would say

"Ná bíodh eagla ort dul in aois, is iomaí duine nach dtéann." or something like that.

Domhnall’s answer sounds right as well.

BTW, I doubt very much that this is an Irish saying. Most sayings are rather sceptical about old age.

But often apparently profound statements will be palmed off a "Irish wisdom" or "Chinese wisdom" or whatever.

With very english phrases like this, it is hard to get a punchy Irish equivalent by translating, it usually ends up very wordy.

"Ná bíodh doicheall ort" would be an alternative to "eagla" in Lughaidh's version.

doicheall [ainmfhocal firinscneach den chéad díochlaonadh]
easpa fáilte roimh dhuine nó rud; drogall, dochma.


eagla [ainmfhocal baininscneach den cheathrú díochlaonadh]
taom uafáis a bhuaileann duine agus contúirt nó cruachás ag bagairt air, faitíos, scanradh.

A Fhir na mbróg - "faoin tsean-aois"... Not in my book its not..

quote:

A Fhir na mbróg - "faoin tsean-aois"... Not in my book its not..

"sean-aois" = feminine

In the dative case a feminine noun beginning with an "s" gets a "t" when the noun is preceeded by the definite article.

faoin tsean-aois

Funnily enough though, I've seen masculine nouns get a "t" in the dative aswell:

den tsaoil

I've never understood that... and I presume that "saoil" is just an alternate dative form of "saol"?

>Funnily enough though, I've seen masculine nouns get >a "t" in the dative aswell:

>den tsaoil

That's what we say in Donegal. Actually, it is the old form (in Old Irish there would be a t as well); if in Standard there's no t- it's by assimilation with nominative case.


>I've never understood that... and I presume >that "saoil" is just an alternate dative form of "saol"?

Well, i just think it's a mistake, saoil is the genitive case, in the dative it remains saol.

Maybe you mix up with "(tús) an tsaoil" (genitive).

an an lch seo ó Ghaeltacht Chonamara tá
"tráth den tsaoil"

http://www.naomhanna.ie/pairc_an_mhaimin.htm

Is dócha gurbh ginideach seachas tabharthach atá ann (nó an ea - ceist atá anseo, ní tuairim!)

- "once upon a time" an chiall atá leis - nó "at a stage of time"

fch freisin seo:
http://nualeargais.ie/gnag/de.htm

Is dóigh liom nach bhfuil ann ach meancóg (ghramadaí nó litrithe), sin an méid. Níl cúis ar bith ann le úsáid a bhaint as an tuiseal ghinideach ansin.

Aríst:
- gurb (láithreach & fáistineach)& gurbh (caite&coinníollach) roimh ghuta,

- gur (gan athrú, láithreach & fáistineach) & gur (+séimhiú, caite&coinníollach) roimh chonsan.

Ní Gaeilg ar bith "gurbh ginideach". Brón orm. Gheobhfá "gur ginideach" nó "gur ghinideach" de réir na haimsire.

A Lughaidh,

Cuir mé á thuiscint seo le do thoil maidir le "t" a chur roimh "s".

Seo an méid atá agam anois díreach:

an tsráid
barr na sráide
ag labhairt faoin tsráid

an siúcra
an lorg an tsiúcra
ag labhairt faoin siúcra

An bhfuil tú ag rá go gcuireann sibh "t" roimh "s" ar ainmfhocal firinscneach nuair a bhíonn an t-ainmfhocal sa tabharthach i ndiaidh an ailt? Mar shampla:

ag labhairt faoin tsiúcra

I dTír Chonaill (nó i nDún na nGall más fearr leat), cá gcuirfeadh sibh "t" sna habairtí seo a leanas?:

an ()siúcra
ag lorg an ()siúcra
ag labhairt faoin ()siúcra

>An bhfuil tú ag rá go gcuireann sibh "t" roimh "s" ar >ainmfhocal firinscneach nuair a bhíonn an t-ainmfhocal >sa tabharthach i ndiaidh an ailt? Mar shampla:

>ag labhairt faoin tsiúcra

Sin an rud a bíos againne i dTír Chonaill.

>I dTír Chonaill (nó i nDún na nGall más fearr leat), cá >gcuirfeadh sibh "t" sna habairtí seo a leanas?:

an ()siúcra
ag lorg an tsiúcra
ag labhairt faoin tsiúcra

Deirfeadh muid: a’ siúthra, a’ lorg a’ tsiúthra, a’ labhairt fán tsiúthra/fá dtaobh don tsiúthra.

Tuigim!

'Sí an t-aon difríocht amháin ná go gcuirtear "t" roimh "s" i ndiaidh an ailt sa tabharthach.

Go raibh maith agat.