Does anyone know the title of this song, sung by Liam O Maonlai, the lyrics of it, and could translate it please?

Thanks
Ryan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je3GoZw1W3w&feature=related

Nevermind, I found it. It's "An Raibh Tu An Ar gCarraig". I found a clearer recording of it by Lasairfhíona Ni Conaola too.

If I learn to sing this song from Lasairfhiona's recording, mimicking her pronunciation, am I going to pick up any peculiar Aran Islands weirdness that's going to confuse me later? How 'non-standard' is the Irish of the Aran Islands, if at all?

(Message edited by riannleighiche on September 07, 2008)

quote:

How 'non-standard' is the Irish of the Aran Islands, if at all?

Wow. What a loaded question. I would say that the Irish of the Aran Islands is probably the least "standard" of all of the dialects. However, you must also understand that there is an "Official Standard" Irish that is used by some but spoken by none. By that I mean that it is chiefly a written standard rather than a spoken standard. At least, that's my understanding. It is a recurring subject of hot debate on this forum.

quote:

...am I going to pick up any peculiar Aran Islands weirdness that's going to confuse me later?

Not if you stay with the language and are willing to explore some of the nuances of the other dialects. I've been plugging away little by little,year by year with the Cois Fhairrage dialect (which is spoken on the Aran Islands) and can generally follow the other dialects without too much difficulty. After a while it's like learning midwestern English but being able to understand the Boston accent, or the English (as in England) "dialect".

I'm sure others will have differing opinions..this is just mine.

"It is a recurring subject of hot debate on this forum. "

Because a lot of people can't understand the idea of a separate written and spoken form, perhaps out of some fear that learning a spoken form is 'less correct' and other garbage

the idea of a separate written and spoken form

This distinction is very clear in the more remote locales of Western North Carolina, an area James is probably familiar with. There, a life-long resident might say:

"It might could be he's fixin' to ponder it s'more,"
but no such language appears in the local newspaper.

Em, the Irish spoken on the Aran Islands was noticeably different from Cois Fharraige (e.g. an Spidéal, Ros a'Mhíl.)
I wasn't really studying the differences when I was there, so could be wrong, but my general impression was that what I heard sounded much more like western Conamara (e.g. Ceantar na nOileán.)

On that impression I would classify them as:
Connacht > Conamara > Cois Fharraige (> Indreabhán)
Connacht > Conamara > Iarthar Chonamara > Árainn (> Inis Mór)
Somebody with a dialect book wanna confirm or refute that, please? Like I said, I wasn't really paying as much attention as I could have been - just enjoying talking to people.

Overall I would say that the Connacht dialects, including Árainn, are probably closer to the C.O. than either Ulster or Munster is. (In fact if I were picking a supreme outlier, it'd probably be Gaoth Dobhair!) Of course if you take a different "standard" as your reference point (which some are fond of doing) - or if you weight grammar vs. phonology differently - the results skew differently.

quote:

(In fact if I were picking a supreme outlier, it'd probably be Gaoth Dobhair!)

Sin agat é go díreach glan! Certainly so among the major players.

I very recently quoted Ó Siadhail as saying in his Modern Irish, "In very broad terms, it can be said of the Aran Islands that Inishmore and Inishmaan are very similar to Cois Fhairrge while Inisheer shares some features with Clare." I couldn't tell you for sure what this judgment is based on, but my impression is that he's an expert on (native speaker of?) the variety of Cois Fhairrge.

Gweedore Irish is the most different to the CO, there is also forms in Conamara Irish that is still very different to the CO...

Aran Islands Irish has different prononciation even from island to island, we need more new books about these dialects if only if there was more Wagners out there today!

I will defer to those who have more experience with the language and the area than I. My comment was based on my experience with Ó Siadhail's Learning Irish and my limited exposure to the language in an Spidéal and Inis Mór. I'm not nearly proficient enough with the language to differentiate between the dialects in any but the most marked cases ie; "Cé chaoi bhfhuil tú?" versus "Conas ata tú" versus "Cad é mar ata tú?" (yes, I'm sure I've dropped some fadas in there).

So, in summary:

Air's a whole passel o' folks what's got a right smart more learnin' than what's I got. Mos'n of 'em what's akshly walked up on 'em knobs and kicked around in 'em hollers over yonder gainin' akshul larnin' from the kith and kin from way back. All I'se got to work with is right little book larnin' and one scurry of a visit over air. If'n I'se you, I'd be right more likely to put stock in 'em 'ar ruminations 'an I would in what I proffered up fer ye.

Different dialect but tuigim

I've heard it my whole life....

"Air's a whole passel o' folks what's got a right smart more learnin' than what's I got. Mos'n of 'em what's akshly walked up on 'em knobs and kicked around in 'em hollers over yonder gainin' akshul larnin'..."

James,

I can almost smell the mash acookin' up ar 'n Hangin' Dog.

quote:

more Wagners out there today!

Ar aghaidh leat!

LOL