I read this and understand it literally, but is it an idiomatic phrase to use it in this sense? The translation is provided in the same book as the sentence.

... agus chuaigh mé a mhúinteoireacht ansin ...
... and I began teaching then ...

GRMA.

I'd have written "ag múinteoireacht"


I suppose it is idiomatic: It suggests the continuous practice of a calling.

I suspect that this may be a Conamara thing but I'm not altogether sure.

Céard a bheadh agatsa?

"Chuaigh sé ag múinteoireacht" a shamhlóinn a déarfadh an Muimhneach.

Mura bhfaighidh se a dhóthain raghaidh sé ag sceamhaíol agus má gheibheann sé a sháith ní shásóidh an diabhal é feasta. (AC:56)

dúirt sé go mi an chéad duine a chonaic sé ag déanamh coca féir, (GCD:158)

chun go dtosnóidh sé ag seimint; so that it will start playing, (GCD:449),

Chuas ag cur a tuairisce ina dhia san; I went to find her, ask about her, enquire about her, (CBL:TÓC)

Ó Chléire don chéad shampla thuas. Ó Chorca Dhuibhne dos na trí shampla eile.

Deir na Bráithre linn go bhféadtar "ag dul a dhéanamh" nó "ag dul ag déanamh a rá" (18.24)

Ní rud Chonamara é in aon chor. Tá mé a cheapadh go ndéarfaí rud ar nós 'thosaigh sé ag múnadh / múinteoireacht' nó, b'fhéidir, 'chuaigh sé sna múinteoirí'. Is gnách le muintir Chonamara 'ag VN' a úsáid le cupla briathar aspectual, mar 'téigh, tosaigh, teara'.

Is as Gort an Choirce i dTír Chonaill an cainteoir. Seo níos mó comhthéacs:

Ach shocraigh mé ansin, cineál de, go bhfágfainn ar feadh ar scor ar bith agus chuaigh mé a mhúinteoireacht ansin agus tá mé ag múinteoireacht ó shin.

Cuirim i gcás gur nath cainte é, ach ní fhaca mé cheana é ariamh. Baineann sé úsáid as “ag múinteorieacht”, mar sin, thuig mé an chiall.

Meas tú an botún cló atá ann?

Tá roinnt samplaí Ultacha eile sa chorpas:
http://corpas.focloir.ie


Chuaigh mé a smaointiú ar an am a raibh fir mo bhaile féin i Rann na Feirste ag obair ansin agus ar thug siad cuairt ar an tábhairne seo . -- Pádraig Ó Baoighill, Ceann Tìre/Earraghàidheal Ár gComharsanaigh Gaelacha


(Message edited by aonghus on October 05, 2010)

Tá an córas seo sa teanga leis na cianta, cé nach maireann sé ach i nGaeilig Thír Chonaill sa lá atá inniu ann.

Chluinfeá "Chuaigh sé a bhaint mónadh" agus abairtí dá leithéid i dTír Chonaill inniu.

Tuigtear domh go bhfuil samplaí den struchtúr seo fada siar i stair na Gaeilge ach tá "ag" i bhfad níos suntasaí inniu. Tá an struchtúr céanna seo i nGaeilig na hAlban fosta.

I gcás ar bith, is é an chiall chéanna atá ann.

Tá seo feicthe agus cloiste agam in áiteacha i gConamara fosta ach go bhfuil "ag" i bhfad níos coitianta.

So I put everyone on the chase and I found the answer by accident last night, in the same book I got the sentence:

You may have noticed that Cathal says An chéad bhean go ndeachaigh mé a dh’amharc uirthi. This feature of Donegal Irish appears before verbs that imply movement or activity. Dh is prefixed to verbs that begin with a vowel and verbs beginning with a consonant are lenited. Here are some examples from the interviews:

• Chuaigh mé a mhúinteoireacht ansin. I began teaching then.
• Thosaigh an carr a bhogadh. The car began to move.

Speaking Irish, pg. 14



And I found this on Lars’ website (my paraphrase):

Other verbs in place of bí:

Instead of the verb bí (= to be), there are some other possible forms which convey the the progressive:

• A verb of perception or sense: Cloisim tú ag teacht, I head you coming. Feicim an fear ag foghlaim, I see the man learning. (I see the man with learning.)

• A verb of motion: Tagann siad ag siúil. They come walking.
Often this is used with the infinitive construction of a goal: Tagann sé ag foghlaim Gaeilge. He came to learn Irish.

• A verb of beginning/ending/continuation: Thosaigh mé ag ól. I began to drink.
The subject of the progressive form comes directly in front of ag. For example, Cloiseann tú Seán ag teacht. You hear Seán coming. Tú = subject of clois. Seán = subject of ag teacht.

In Ulster with verbs of motion in the sense of a goal, you often have adh’/a dh’ preceding a vowel, or a preceding a consonant (with lenition). E.g., Tháinig mé a dh’ól. I came to drink.



Thanks for your help everyone!

Is "a d'iarraidh" another example of this?

Is saintréith de chuid Ghaeilge Thír Chonaill é an fhoirmle seo a úsáid
briathar gluaiseachta + a + ainm briathartha , seachas ag + ainm briathartha.

Cuirtear dh' roimh ghutaí agus f+guta
Chuaigh sé a dh'ól
Thosaigh sé a dh'imirt
Ag dul a dh'fhanacht/dh'fhoghlaim

Sílim go dtugtar 'infinitive of purpose' air agus tá trácht ag Dónall Ó Baoill air sa leabhar 'An teanga bheo: Gaeilge
Uladh'

I nGaeilge Thír Chonaill, déantar idirdhealú idir an dá mhúnla thíos:
D'éirigh sé a cheol = He got up to sing
agus
D'éirigh sé ag ceol = He got up while singing

>>>... agus chuaigh mé a mhúinteoireacht ansin ...
... and I began teaching then ...
-------------------------------------------------

Seán, there are other ways of saying "I began teaching". I think what is really being said is "I went into teaching".

The only Munster phrase like this is: do chuas a chodladh.

Good example! Why didn't I think of that?!