My Irish reading is flagging in the run up to Christmas, but I may get some done this week as I have no "work" to do. I had hoped to get to chapter 30 (of 59 in this book), but I have just finished ch. 26. Can I ask these questions?

quote:

“Cad é an saibhreas a bhí uaithi?” a déarfadh duine eile. “Nách í Ardríogan na hÉireann í? Tá an saibhreas san aici le fada anois. Nár bhuailtear a thuilleadh uimpi! Cad a chuir i mbéal an amadáin seo Brian a bheith marbh?”

An saibhreas san - I feel that the demonstrative adjective "san" can have an extended meaning, eg "such a great deal of wealth" here?

Nár bhuailtear a thuilleadh uimpi! - may she never acquire any more wealth?? [I notice that the rule about the autonomous form being unlenited in all tenses in PUL's works, a rule that only applies in the preterite in the CO, doesn't apply after "nár" with the present subjunctive...I had expected nár buailtear]. Is this translation right in context?

quote:

“Ní fheadarsa san,” a déarfadh an fear eile, “mura mar seo a dh’eirigh an focal.

D'eirigh an focal - the rumour arose, the word spread? "I don't know, if this is not how word of it got started"???

quote:

Ní thugadh an teachtaire aon fhreagra air ach fé mar a bheadh sé bodhar balbh.

The messenger wouldn't answer him, just as if he were deaf and dumb - but why "ach" in front of "fé mar"? Is there any extra nuance occasioned by the "ach"?

quote:

Do léigh sé an leitir agus chuir sé chuige í.

He read the letter and - tucked it away in his clothing??? The man being referred to is on a boat and did not send the letter on to anyone at that time, so it is not "he sent it to someone else". I just don't know if "tucked it away on his person" is the correct translation or not.

(Message edited by corkirish on December 18, 2010)

Corkirish: I regret I can only answer one of your questions:

quote:

Ní thugadh an teachtaire aon fhreagra air ach fé mar a bheadh sé bodhar balbh.

"ach" means "only" there:

He would only answer him [with shrugs and gestures]as if he were deaf and dumb.
The messenger would only answer him [with shrugs and gestures]as if he were deaf and dumb.
The only answers the messenger would give him were those of one who was deaf and dumb.

Thank you Taidhgín, I should have realised, but I didn't see how "only" could pair up straight away with "fé mar". Now I see with your examples that it can - but I need to put the "only" elsewhere in the sentence in English to make it work... Ta.

quote:

An saibhreas san - I feel that the demonstrative adjective "san" can have an extended meaning, eg "such a great deal of wealth" here?

Perhaps. Or simply that she has "that wealth", the wealth that goes with being queen and needs no more.

quote:

Nár bhuailtear a thuilleadh uimpi! - may she never acquire any more wealth?? [I notice that the rule about the autonomous form being unlenited in all tenses in PUL's works, a rule that only applies in the preterite in the CO, doesn't apply after "nár" with the present subjunctive...I had expected nár buailtear]. Is this translation right in context?

Yes, "may she get no more wealth". "Buail" is commonly used in the sense of "place, put" something on or around or into something else or draw towards oneself. "Buail umat do chasóg", "Buail in airde ar an seilp é", "Bhuaileas chugam peann is páipéar". So, literally "May one not bring anymore of it (wealth) around her, near to her". Nár + séimhiú in foirmeacha guítheacha is the norm in all dialects if I'm not mistaken.

quote:

D'eirigh an focal - the rumour arose, the word spread? "I don't know, if this is not how word of it got started"???

"Unless it got started/spread around in that way as a rumour".

quote:

The messenger wouldn't answer him, just as if he were deaf and dumb - but why "ach" in front of "fé mar"? Is there any extra nuance occasioned by the "ach"?

"He would only answer him as if he were deaf and dumb".

quote:

He read the letter and - tucked it away in his clothing??? The man being referred to is on a boat and did not send the letter on to anyone at that time, so it is not "he sent it to someone else". I just don't know if "tucked it away on his person" is the correct translation or not.

Is it not "and handed it to him"? Was there someone with him?

No, there was no one else with Caoilte - he kept the letter himself at that point. The whole context is:

quote:

Do rugadar ar Chaoilte. Bhaineadar an slabhra dá chom. Sháitheadar an púicín anuas ar a cheann agus ar a shúilibh. Do rugadar leo amach é agus síos agus chun an chuain, agus chuireadar ar bord loinge é. Bhí an long ag dul go hÉirinn. Do cuireadh suas na seolta agus do ghluais an long. Nuair a bhí an long tamall amach ar uisce do baineadh an púicín de Chaoilte agus do baineadh an ceangal dá lámhaibh. Ansan do shín an captaoin leitir chuige. Sid é a bhí sa leitir:—

“A ‘Dhoinn,’ nó a ‘Chaoilte,’ nó a ‘Chosa Buí Arda,’ nó pé ainm inar maith leat freagairt dó, tá t’anam á leogaint leat an turas so. Mar a deirir, níl cogadh idir rí Lochlann agus Ardrí Éireann. Ach má feictear sa tír seo airís tú ní feicfear beo thú ina dhiaidh san.”

Do léigh sé an leitir agus chuir sé chuige í. Bhí an captaoin agus é féin, agus an fhoireann, síbhialta go leor lena chéile go dtí gur sroiseadh cuan Chorcaí. Do cuireadh i dtír ag caladh an chuain sin é agus do fágadh ansan é. Bhí a dhóthain daoine muinteartha i gCorcaigh aige. Níorbh fhada an righneas a dhein sé eatarthu. D’imigh sé ó thuaidh go Ceann Cora. Níorbh fhada go bhfeacaigh sé an rídhamhna, Murchadh. Thaispeáin sé an leitir dó, agus d’inis sé an scéal go léir dó, tríd síos.

So you can see my confusion. He kept the letter, and it was still with him when he got to port, to then give to the heir of the throne - so I think it can only mean "he put it away on his person", but I can't find any evidence in Ó Dónaill's dictionary that such a meaning exists...

"He put it away". I needed to see some more context first as it could have two meanings.

Well, that is all the context, as that is the end of the chapter! So maybe I'll go with "he put it away", as you said.

An gnáth úsáid é sin?

Níor tháinig mé ar cheana.

it would make more sense if it said "chuir sé chuige FÉIN í" - it would be clearer.

Seo roinnt samplaí eile a fuair mé sa chorpas:

Thóg fear acu iad , d'fháisc lena chliabh iad , d'umhlaigh go talamh agus ansin chuir sé chuige ina chaipín iad .

Chuir sé chuige na páipéir ansin agus d' imigh sé ; agus seo mise i mo shuí anseo - mé ag machnamh agus nach eol dom cad air

As aistriúchán Sean Ó Cuirrín ar Dracula iad seo. Is cainteoir dúchais ó na Déise é de réir an eolais sa chorpas.

cuirim chugham; I appropriate, put in my breast, pocket, etc (Dinneen)

Rud eile a déarfaí "chuireas chugam peann is páipéar" -"thógas peann is páipéar" = "I took up a pen and paper".

Chuireas chuige an peann = Shíneas chuige an peann