Middle and Junior Grade—The papers are fair enough. It might be said that the Protestant version of the Scripture is not a fair test to give to ordinary Irish boys for translation at sight. Some inconsistencies of spelling may be noticed; as, torrṫa and torrṫuiġe; sgiobóil and sgioból.
Junior Grade—The questions in grammar are more difficult than the questions in the higher grades. Question 5 rests on a groundless assumption. In the second piece for translation at sight, the first line (dár ṫuit) has no meaning, and, therefore, could not be translated.
On the whole, I must say the papers are badly graded as to difficulty, and the selection of badly-spelled extracts and words has made answering a matter largely of guess-work.
E. O’G.
EASY LESSONS IN IRISH.
(Continued.)
EXERCISE XXVIII.
C BROAD (CONTINUED).
§ 184. WORDS.
| cú (koo), greyhound | púnt (poonth), a pound |
| [1]breac (braK), a trout | sac (sok), a sack |
| [1]cearc (karK), a hen | [1]searc (sharK), love |
| glac (glok), take | sioc (shiK, sŭhk), frost |
| mac (mok), a son | sparán (spor′-aun), a purse |
| muc (muk), a pig |
§ 185. Atá sac coirce agus sac eorna ins an sgioból anois. Cuir an sac trom ar an urlár; cuir an sac eile ar an asal. Atá Nóra agus an mac óg ag dul do’n oileán úr. Atá breac deas ins an tobar. Atá cearc ins an sgioból, ag an sac coirce. Ná glac an sgilling ó Una, níl sgilling eile aici anois, agus atá sgilling agat. Atá muc ins an leuna. Atá sparán deas ag Peadar. Glac an púnt uaim, agus cuir an sgilling ins an mála.
§ 186. There’s a pound in the purse. I have not a purse, I have a new shilling. There is a shilling on the floor. Open the door, there is a hen in the barn, James has a fresh trout. There is frost on the road—the day is cold and healthy. Do not take a shilling from Niall, he has not another shilling now. Niall has a new shilling and Conn has another shilling. There is a greyhound at the door. I have not the purse, the purse is lost. The purse is not lost, the purse is on the floor. Do not lose the pound.
EXERCISE XXIX.
C SLENDER.
§ 187. As before stated, the ordinary letter k will, in most cases, represent to the ordinary reader the correct sound of c slender. This, however, is not true when the c is followed immediately by l, r or n. In English the combinations cl, cr, as in clear, cream, are always pronounced with our K sound, or broad sound of c, so that when in Irish these combinations are followed by a slender vowel, we must use the symbol k to caution the student that the c is to have its slender sound. It is not difficult to pronounce c slender before l, r or n, but the sound is unknown in English, and we shall endeavour to teach it to our students by means of a little device:
§ 188. Examples.
| The word | Key word | is pronounced almost |
| cleas | klas | kil-as′ |
| crios | kris | kir-is′ |
| cneas | knas | kin-as′ |
| creid | kred | hir-ed′ |
If the first syllable of the words in the last column be pronounced very short, and the stress be laid on the last syllable, the student will have a very good pronunciation of the words in question.
§ 189. Words.
| [2]binn (bin), sweet (of sound) | crios (kris, kir-is′), belt |
| ceol (kōl, k-yl), music | fíor (feer), true |
| ciall (kee′-ăL), sense | láidir (laud′-ĕr), strong, |
| cionnus (kiN′-as), how ? | ná (Nau), nor |
| cré (krrae, kir-ae′), clay | nó (Nō), or |
| creid (kred), believe | páirc (paurk), a pasture, field[3] |
| críona (kreen′-a, kir-een′-a), prudent |
§ 190. Cionnus atá tú? How are you ? Go láidir, strongly. Cionnus ’tá tÚ is oftener Heard, and the older form, cannus ’taoi? (koN′-ăs thee) is yet spoken in Munster. Gort, a tillage field; páirc, a pasture field.
§ 191. Atá ciall ag Nóra. Níl ciall ag Úna, níl sí críona. Níl an ceol binn, atá an fonn eile binn. Dia duit, a Úna, cionnus atá tú? Atá mé go láidir, cionnus atá Nóra, agus an mac? Atá cóta úr agus crios úr ar an mac anois. Níl an crois fada go leór. Ná creid an sgeul-níl an sgeul fíor. Níl an mac óg láidir, atá sé tinn, agus níl ciall aige fós. Atá gort mór agam, níl páirc agam; ata bó agam, atá sí ar an ród.
§ 192. Prudent Nora. Conn has a belt. Do not believe the story. Do not put clay on the road. A horse has not sense, a man (duine) has sense. The other man (duine) has not sense. Nora and Una are prudent
