was the original spelling of bean sí "bean sídhe"?

If so, what is the plural in the spelling of the day? Today I believe it would be "mná síthe"

grma

I don't think there's a fada on the i. Take my surname for instance:

Ó hÉilidhe

which is pronounced:

Ó hÉilí

Similarly , the old spelling for "buí" was "buidhe", I actually saw it on a shop sign in Waterford called "An Linn Bhuidhe".

According to "An Foclóir Beag", it would indeed be "mná síthe".

quote:

I don't think there's a fada on the i.

There is a fada, because -idhe (-iḋe) as well as -ídhe (-íḋe) is -í in modern spelling.

Sídhe is genitive of síodh (ſíoḋ) = fairy-mound

Plural of bean sí is mná sí
Plural of bean sídhe is mná sídhe (mná ſíḋe)

(síthe [= fairy hills] is plural of the noun sí, but sí is used as an attribute and doesn't change here.

Lars

Dar leis na bhFoclóir mBeag, is é "síthe" an t-iolra ar an aidiacht "sí".

Ní aidiacht é "sí" ach ainmfhocal a úsáidtear mar aidiacht. Féach:
Foclóir Beag:
"sí [ainmfhocal firinscneach den cheathrú díochlaonadh]
lios; sióga (bean sí, slua sí); (mar aidiacht) draíochtach, meallacach (ceol sí)."

Agus: "Foirmeacha
sí - ainmfhocal"

Lars

dinneen gives

bean sídhe - a woman of faery, depicted as keening as she combed her hair (usually red) and foreboding death or calamity; fear sídhe, a man of faery; fir sídhe (síthe), phantasmata

so it looks at the time (from the masculine definition) that I'm good with either sídhe or síthe as a plural

sidhe (no fada) was "a blast, a puff, a leap or bound" 7rl, 7rl

sídhe is "gs. as a., fairy, magic" whereas "sídh (sídhe)" is given as "see síodh" which gives "a fairy mound" but then also includes a long definition in which sídhe is used as an adjective...the above examples come from that.

I didn't have dinneen at the time of asking, but i'm reading all that right, yes?

Cúpla sampla as Tobar na Gaedhilge:
(Seaghán 'ac Meanman: Mám as mo Mhála):
"Bhí fir sídhe ann agus mná sídhe agus páistí sídhe, agus
an eachraidh sídhe thiar ar deireadh."
"D'á olcas na mná sídhe, is fearr iad 'ná mná na Midhe!"

Lars