Gaelic speakers, please

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 03 Sep 20 - 11:01 AM

Many thanks, everyone, for the translation --
for some reason, those three little words
were not included in the translations I encountered elsewhere.

Those translations would start with the word "Breeding"
for some reason, which threw me off.

Should you wonder at the context in which I found the saying,
the author was writing (in English)
about the musical group The High Kings,
whose youthful founders all came from musically talented families.

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: Felipa
Date: 31 Aug 20 - 05:20 PM

Thiocfadh leat means "you could" (leat is a prepositional pronoun meaning "with you" and it affects the meaning of the verb)

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 31 Aug 20 - 07:05 AM

GRMA!

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 31 Aug 20 - 04:45 AM

- 'I’ve forgotten how to insert them in HTML!'

ctr-alt Martin : ú í

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 31 Aug 20 - 02:58 AM

The original proverb would be
“Briseann an duchas tri shuile an cait”
Which translates literally as:
“Nature breaks out of the eyes of the cat”.

The sense is that “Nature will out!”.

The “Go m..” at the start is not relevant here - it suggests the proverb was extracted from another sentence.

There are two diacritics missing in my version - I’ve forgotten how to insert them in HTML!

Regards.

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 30 Aug 20 - 07:18 PM

while you're working on whatever is in the OP,

I stumbled across this proverb,
and I am utterly clueless.
By which I mean to say,
I don't even understand the English translation.

Here's the original:

Go mbriseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait


. . . say what?

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: michaelr
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 08:36 PM

Thanks a million, Sue! I can provide an mp3 of the song if needed.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 08:09 PM

OK. I've now sent the lyrics to both a Scots gaelic speaker/singer and an Irish gaelic speaker/singer to ask if they can shed any light on these lyrics. I'll report back if I get any response.

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 05:44 AM

Michael's original thread asking for the lyrics has been going since 2002, so maybe this is the most definite text that anyone's now going to come up with - unless someone has a hotline to Manus/Capercaillie...

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:54 AM

GUEST

I did already! Like Declan, I'd prefer to see a definite text before I try to sort poetry, mishearings and Donegal Irish from each other!

Regards

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:51 AM

Hi Martin,

Have a look at my very recent post on the original thread of this song and tell me if you think I have caught the essence of the lyric?

Guest

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Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 03:12 AM

Hi Declan,

I agree

Regards

Subject: RE: Gaelic speakers, please
From: Declan
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 02:55 AM

Michael

I'm not familiar with the song and its difficult to translate from what looks like an innaccurate text.

Tiocfadh leat fanacht would translate more as Would you stay? Would you come is a literal translation. The last line of that verse would be I would come with you - a bit of a play on words here in that the phrase Thiocfadh leat can have both meanings.

Manus is from County Kildare with Donegal roots but has lived in Scotland for many years. I'd be fairly sure this is Irish rather than Scottish although he may have picked up some Scottish inflections during his time there.

If you can find an official set of lyrics I could have a go at translating it, although my gaelic is far from perfect. THe play on words in the first verse would be lost in translation.

Subject: Gaelic speakers, please
From: michaelr
Date: 27 Jan 09 - 09:53 PM

I'd really appreciate it if someone could check the lyrics posted toward the bottom of this thread and tell me whether the translation is accurate.
My best guess is that it's Donegal Irish, but some have suggested it might be Scots Gaelic.

Thanks in advance,
Michael