My sister will be getting married next year in England. We are from Galway originally and lived there until we finished school. My Sister has asked me to do a reading at the ceremony which is going to held in a registry office and as a result they do not allow religious readings. I want to do a reading in Irish because it would mean a lot to my sister but I don't know where to start looking for a suitable extract or poem. If anyone has any suggestions I would be very grateful. My level of fluency has slipped a lot since leaving school but I always loved the language and feel confident it will come back to me once I start trying again.

Thank you in advance

If you're reading in Irish, who in a registry office in england is going to know?

...but anyway...that's the rebel in me talking...

With even Cambridge teaching modern Irish, you never know...

http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=clippings&id=1932&viewby=date

Nothing occurs to me; I've never thought of a wedding apart from religion, and I don't know that there is a lot there.

There are plenty of love poems, but few about happily fulfilled love.

Perhaps you could take some of the praise from
Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire

http://homepage.eircom.net/~abardubh/poetry/gael/caoineadh.html

Antaine, half the wedding party will be coming over from Galway and at least half of them have an appreciation for the language (even though they may not all be fluent speakers). I understand what you mean though, it would be tempting to wing it but I don't want to let my side down, they want to be proud of where we are from. Also I have encountered so many English people who don't even know that Irish people have their own language, it would be nice to open their eyes a little. The English half of the wedding party are all lovely people and I think they would be interested to hear it.
Aonghus, thanks for your comments I'll check those links and see what I can find. I was thinking from what I remember of the peotry I studied in school there wasn't a lot of happiness in marriage! But There must be something out there. Not all Irish poets are unhappy. I'll keep looking. Thank you for your comments and suggestions. It is nice when people are wiling to take an interest!

Do you want something like this?

Sonnet CXVI

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.


William Shakespeare

An grá buan daingean.......

Aon chosc ar phósadh meon fíor dílis bíodh
Gan m'aitheantas: ní grá ar bith é an grá
A dhéanann athrú, athrú nuair a chíonn,
Don séantoir ' chúbann 's séanann leis i bpáirt.

A mhalairt ghlan! - is marc buan daingean é
Ag réabadh spéirlinge nach mbogtar riamh;
Tá sé do gach bárc fuaidreamhach ' na réalt
Nach fios, cé tomhaiste a airde, a thairbheacht fhíor.

An grá ní mogha don Am cé luíonn gach grua
Is beol faoi réim chorrán an bhuanaí tháir;
Ní athraíonn grá le mion-nóiméid ná uair -
Ach foighníonn trí gach cor go deireadh dáin.

Más earráid seo a chruthaítear a ním
Ariamh níor scrí'os, 's níor ghráigh aon fhear ariamh.

That is really nice and I appreciate the translation, but I am looking for something that is originally Irish and then do a translation for the English speakers there. I may not be able to find something but it is worth trying. There is 12 months till the wedding so I am hoping I will strick gold sometime between now and then. Thank you for posting that anyway Scathach, I may keep it just in case :D

That's so good, I'm going to memorise both!, 'is ceannóidh mé leabhar an Shéacspaora! Oh, an bhfuil aon leabhar le gach leathain ag díoladh sa siopaí nó er an n-idirlíon?

Ah I understand now..... here's something else to consider

Ortha Seirce agus Síor ghrá

Ortha a chuir Muire in im,
ortha seirce is síorghrá:
nár stada do cholainn
ach d'aire a bheith orm,
go leana do ghrá mo ghnaoi
mar a leanas an bhó an lao
ón lá seo go lá mo bháis


A Charm for love and lasting affection

The charm Mary put on the butter
is the charm for love and lasting affection:
may your body not cease
to pay me attention
may your love follow my face
as the cow follows her calf
from today till the day I die.

Orla, no I meant that if you did a religious reading, it would be doubtful if any of the officials would know the difference.

I assumed that whatever reading is ultimately done, is done for the benefit of the family.

A Bhrn,

http://www.litriocht.com/shop/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=417 8

BRN,
Is féidir leat soinéid Shakespeare i nGaeilge a cheannach anseo. Bruigh ar an nasc thíos luaite más é do thoil é.

http://www.litriocht.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=4178&osCsid=8166d3437 8a25a405794dff730e60ed6

GRMA agaibh, a leaids!

Assuming "lead" is actually an Irish word, the vocative plural would be "a leada".

It's a word all right!

Fóclóir Uí Dhónaill, lch. 761:
leaid, m. (gs. ~, pl. ~eanna). Lad.

And he doesn't mention it, but "leaids" as the plural is common enough from Connemara speakers at least.

A Scathaigh,
cá bhfuair tú an Ortha?

thuit mo leannan
thuit mo leannan orm don teine,
's chan eil agam dhith ach luath;
cha leig mo chridhe dhomh 'n teine bhrodadh
ged tha 'n rum a' fas glé fhuar.
ha! mightn't be the best (of course, it's gaeilge na hAlban, so...)

recent:
Ni Dhomhnaill 'Labasheedy' somewhat erotic
Liam MacUistín 'Ceol an ghrá'
"Éistigí, éistigí, cloisim arís é, ceol an ghrá..."
nice little piece despite its eurov. stigma


not so recent
raifteirí 'máire ní eidhin'
uilliam english 'caiseal mumhan'
'youghall harbour'
'coillte glasa an triúcha'

these come to mind. if you have no luck finding them let me know. if i think of others, i'll post.

"achtaimid mar dhlí do bhéithe
an seacht fá thrí gan cuibhreach céile
tharraingt ar cheann go teann gan trua
's a cheangal don chrann so i dteannta an tuama.
bainigí lom de a chabhail 's a chóta..."

the time i've lost in wooing, in watching and pursuing, the light that lies in woman's eyes....

'eistibh a luchd an tighe-se...'

Wow thanks so much everyone. I didn't expect to get this much help but I really appreciate it. I will talk to the bride now and see what she thinks. You lot have really picked me up :) There are still some nice people left!

A Aonghuis,
Fuair me an ortha ó leabhar leis an teideal
"An Duanaire 1600-1900"
Poems of the Dispossessed
Seán Ó Tuama & Thomas Kinsella

Is é atá sa duanaire seo ná rogha dánta a scríobh filí aitheantúla sa 17ú, 18ú agus 19ú haois ach tá roinn sa leabhar chomh maith ina bhfuil véarsaíocht shiollach neamhfhoirmiúil ón 17ú haois a chum filí gan ainm, agus roinn eile ina bhfuil filíocht na ndaoine. Cheannaigh mé mo chóip den leabhar in Easons i nGaillimh, fiche euro a bhí air.

Scríobhtar é seo sa leabhar:
"Tá na céadta paidreacha rithimiúla bailithe ó bhéalaithris: paidreacha a bhaineann le deadhóidí Críostaí
áirithe, le teagasc, nó le hócáidí faoi leith.. I gcás roinnt acu, áfach - go speisialta i gcás na bpaidreacha a deirtí mar chosaint ar an dainséar nó mar chabhair i gnáthchúrsaí an lae - is léir go n-eascraíonn siad ó orthaí réamh-Chríostaí."

Tá an leabhar úd agam, ach níor thug mé an ortha faoi ndeara. GRMA.

A Aonghuis,
Tá an ortha a luaigh mé thuas ar leathanach 350.
Céard a cheapann tú faoin leabhar?

Rud éigin eile má tá suim 'at i rudaí mar seo, sean nósanna agus mar sin de:

Nuair a bhí m'athair ag freastal ar scoil agus é in a gasúr óg, d'imir siad cluiche le brobh a bhí ar lasadh (ní tharlódh rudaí mar sin inniu!) agus bhí dán i nGaeilge ag gabhaíl leis an gcluiche. Bhí sé ina chónaí i mbreacgaeltacht, an dtuigeann tú.
Níor chuimhne liom an dán i láthair na huaire, ach cuirfidh mé glaoch ar m'athair amárach agus b'fhéidir go mbeidh níos mó eolais agam oíche amárach.
Ar feadh mo chuimhne, bhí páiste éigin ar a c(h)eithre boinn, agus bhí an brobh ar lasadh os cionn a d(h)roim.

B'fhéidir go bhfuil eolas faoin gcluiche seo ag na baill atá ar an bhfóram?

An bhfuil tairbhe ar leith leis na cluiche agus na nósanna seo a bhailiú? Ní bheidh siad ann go deo!

"leaids" is the only plural I have ever heard in Connemara, Abigail.

Ó Cúiv, 1944: 45 'joke' [dzo:k] The Irish of West Muskerry

which is very similar to my 'dióc'...

I don't know why dictionaries are considered the arbiters of what consititues a word. Once it is used functionally in the grammar it is a word

quote:

Céard a cheapann tú faoin leabhar?

Sár leabhair. Is maith ann é.

quote:

An bhfuil tairbhe ar leith leis na cluiche agus na nósanna seo a bhailiú? Ní bheidh siad ann go deo!

Tá go deimhin. Tá bailiúchán na scoil ann, dar ndóigh. Agus corr leabhair bunaithe air.