I have a thing I started using with Maológ Ó Ruairc's 'Díolaim d'Abairtí Dúchasacha'.

The thing is to take 3 phrases at random, and memorise them. For example, ná bac leis an fear thall (don't mind what people think); thug sé leath uathu (he held he own agin them); bhí an-rud air linn (he could not do enough for us).

Make up a story in ones head to suit the phrases, and fill it in. This will test your memory, production ability, grammar ,and other stuff.

Admittedly, the above lines are rather incompatible in a short story, but here goes.

bá ghiolla (servant) é Peadar. "Bhí an-rud air linn" adeiridís a mháistéirí. Gach lá, nuair a bhí na linbh an shaibhre ag siúl thar an ngeat an feirme, ba ghrách leo cur tarcaisne (scorn) air, agus é ag obair. Arsa an seandhuine (níl aon seanscéal gan seanduine!) "ná bac leis an fear thall". "Is fíor sin" adeireadh Peadar, mar buachaill shimplí a rabh é.

Óiche amháin, agus é ina chrap codlata, bhí cúpla gada timpeall an fheirme, ag lorg an caoi isteach i dteach mór. Níl siad in ann a bhris isteach, agus mar sin, thosaigh siad chun na stablaí inar chodladh Peadar. D'oscail siad é go ciúin, agus chuaigh siad insteach, ach bhuil an duine is mó a chos as an bpíosa ómaid (wood).

Thosaidh Peadar suas. "Cad a tharla?" a deir sé. Fuair sé a scuab a bhí cois an leapa, agus shiúil sé go mall agus go ciúin síos an staighra. Ansin, chonaic an gada leis na siúleanna gearra (sharp eyes) Peadar ag teacht. "Feck" a deir sé agus thug sé 'dig' ar an ngada eile in aice leis. "Is duine le bata anseo; cad a dhéanfaidh muid?" "Bhris a cheann" arsa an fear eile, agus thosaidh siad ag rith chun Peadar.

"Oh shite", adeir Peadar nuair a chonaic sé iad. Glaoi sé cosúil le taighgéar agus léim sé síos an staighre agus é ag luascadh an scuaib thall is anall cosúil le fear buile. Bhuail ceann an scuaib aon duine, agus an duine eile. Thug siad cúpla 'shcaits' ar ais, ach thug sé leath uathu. Anois, bhí eagla mhór air, mar bhí na cúanna ag tafann, agus solas buí as an teach mór at teacht trí doras an stabla, b'fhéidir go rabh fear an tigh ag teach leis an gunna.

Rith siad amach an stabla agus isteach an oíche

A good idea.
But you are mixing orthographies, so it is hard to see what is a mistake, and what is an alternative form you have dug up somewhere.

One general point: only one definite article should be used; i.e. geata na feirme, NOT an geata na feirme.

aon duine = indeterminate.
duine amháin is what you want.

sall is anall

amach as an stábla agus isteach san oíche

tarcaisne a chur air

"adeiridís a mháistéirí" I have my doubts about this. I don't think you can mix the synthetic form with a noun in this way.

Sorry, about the style. I write Irish from rules of sound where I have not the experience other wise. Plus I place no particular dialect as intrinsically superior, so I learn a bit of each. Sometimes this means my spelling might look dialectal, but is only me. I do follow a northen rule of consonant + n =r (cnoc -> croc) but I think I extend it to middle and end of word, and this rule does not seem to have propagated 100% in real speech.

Now, I made this story up at the computer; it was only that long as the three phrases were very incompatible. Usually, even a third of the length would have done.

"I have my doubts about this. I don't think you can mix the synthetic form with a noun in this way."

I think you might be right -I don't have enough Irish to analyse it as I write, only later on. I was troubled with the construction, as the imperfect was not easy to use there

Cen fath "don't read this" go buan?

Beir bua agus beannacht

Irony? I was looking for to get something to put there. Can you guess that it says now?

Its anyone's guess a chara.

Beir bua agus beannacht

Can you guess that it says now?

Cinnte,

delianideachistitnh

I'm not sure if even mr. Morse could decipher that one.

.-- .... .- - / -.. --- . ... / .. - / -- . .- -. / ..--..

Aaron,
good man for spotting the errors -its meant to be 'dé-lipideach/liopadeach istigh' a variant of the by now well known pun on Intel.

(Message edited by bearn on July 04, 2007)