Old Irish Script

[Scolaire Bocht]

This site is, as far as this writer knows anyway, the first on the web to work entirely through an old Irish script. The script used is Gadelica written by Seamus O'Brógáin and can be seen if you follow the instructions at the bottom of the main screen. To type in the Irish fadas just use contrl+alt+the letter you want the fada on. To type up the dotted consonants - what in modern Irish is a 'h' after a letter is in old Irish script a dot over the letter - use the main posting or reply box on this board and you can see the icons to insert the various dotted letters. The icon that looks like a '7' is the Tironian, which means 'et' in Latin, 'agus' in Irish and just 'and' in English. Remember too that an 's' in old Irish script looks like an 'r' in normal script.

In order to explain the different font styles consider this sample text. On the left you have the old script - which you can see if you followed the instructions on the bottom of the main screen -, used continuously in handwritten and printed Irish for maybe a millenium and a half, in the middle the modernised Gaelic script, used in Ireland only since c.1960, and on the right an English translation.
This is the account of the Convention of Druim Cett by Dr Geoffrey Keating P.P. writing in the early 17th century. It refers to an early Irish parliament attended by St Colmcille in 575 AD (I have increased the size so you can see the Irish font clearly):

Colum Cille ⁊ An Ċoṁḋáil Ḋroma Ceat Is aṁlaiḋ táinig Colum Cille i Éirinn agus bréid ciarṫa tarsna ar a ṡúilḃ go naċ faicfeaḋ úir Éireann. Óir do ḃí d’ḟiacaiḃ air gan úir Éireann d’faicsin ón trát do ċuir Molaiṡe do ḃreiṫ aiṫriġe air dul i nAlbain agur gan fonn na hÉireann d’ḟaicsin go bás, ionnus go dtáinig ḋe sin gur ċonġaiḃ an bréid ciarṫa ar a ṡúiliḃ an seal do ḃí i nÉirinn go tilleaḋ i nAlbain dó; gonaḋ ag faisnéis an ċoṁaill do rinne Colum Cille ar an mbreiṫ sin, do rinne Molaise an rann-so: Gé ṫáinig Colum anoir, I n-eaṫar tar an mórṁuir, Ní ḟacaiḋ ní i nÉirinn áin, Iar dtiġeaċt is in mórḋáil. Is é aḋḃar iomorra fá rug Molaise do ḃreiṫ ar Ċolum Ċille dul i nAlbain, mar ṫáinig do Ċolum Ċille tri caṫa do ċur i nÉirinn, mar atá Caṫ Cúile Dreiṁne, Caṫ Cúile Raṫan, is Caṫ Feaḋa.

[/font][/td]

[td]

Colum Cille agus An Chomhdháil Dhroma Ceat

Is amhlaidh táinig Colum Cille i Éirinn agus bréid ciartha tarsna ar a shúilbh go nach faicfeadh úir Éireann. Óir do bhí d’fhiacaibh air gan úir Éireann d’faicsin ón trát do chuir Molaishe do bhreith aithrighe air dul i nAlbain agur gan fonn na hÉireann d’ḟaicsin go bás, ionnus go dtáinig dhe sin gur chonghaibh an bréid ciartha ar a shúilibh an seal do bhí i nÉirinn go tilleadh i nAlbain dó; gonadh ag faisnéis an chomhaill do rinne Colum Cille ar an mbreith sin, do rinne Molaise an rann-so:
Gé tháinig Colum anoir,
I n-eathar tar an mórmhuir,
Ní fhacaidh ní i nÉirinn áin,
Iar dtigheacht is in mórdháil.
Is é adhbhar iomorra fá rug Molaise do bhreith ar Cholum Chille dul i nAlbain, mar tháinig do Cholum Chille tri catha do chur i nÉirinn, mar atá Cath Cúile Dreimhne, Cath Cúile Rathan, is Cath Feadha.[/td]

[td]

Colum Cille and The Convention of Druim Cett

Columcille came to Ireland having a cerecloth over his eyes, so that he might not see the soil of Ireland. For he was forbidden to look at the soil of Ireland from the time that Molaise imposed as penance on him to go to Scotland and not to see the land of Ireland till death, and it was for this reason that he kept the cerecloth over his eyes while he was in Ireland until his return to Scotland; and it is to relate Columcille’s fulfilment of this penance that Molaise composed this stanza:
Though Colum came from the east
In a bark across the great sea,
He saw nothing in noble Ireland
On his coming to the convention.
Now the reason why Molaise imposed on Columcille the penance of going to Scotland was that Columcille caused three battles to be fought in Ireland, to wit, the Battle of Cuil Dreimhne, the Battle of Cuil Rathan, and the Battle of Cuil Feadha.[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Triallais Colum as sin go hoireaċtas an ríoġ is Doṁnall ‘n-a ḟoċair; agus ar roċtain do Ċolum do láṫair an ríoġ fáiltiġis roiṁe - do ġaḃ eagla ṁór an rí roiṁe trés an ní do rinne ré Conall ris an ríoġain is ré n-a hinnilt, aṁail adulḃramar.
“Do b’í m’ḟáilte mo riar,” ar Colum.
“Do-ġéaḃair sin,” ar an rí.
“Maiseaḋ,” ar Colum, “is é riar iarraim: trí hitġe iarraim ort, mar atá fastóḋ na ḃfileaḋ ataoi do ṫaṫfann as Éirinn, is scaoileaḋ do Scannlán Mór mac Cinnḟaolaiḋ rí Osruiġe as an mbroid ‘n-a ḃfuil agat, is gan dul do ċur ḃuinċíosa ar Ḋál Riada i nAlbain.”
“Ní toil liom,” ar an rí, “fastóḋ n ḃfileaḋ, ar ṁéid a n-ainḃreat is ar a líonṁaire atáid. Óir bíd tríoċad i mbuiḋin an ollaṁan is a cúig déag i mbuiḋin an anroṫ agus mar sin do na gráḋaiḃ file oile ó ṡoin síos.”
Do ḃioḋ buiḋean ar leiṫ ag gac aon díoḃ do réir a ċéime féin, ionnus go raiḃe trian bfear nÉireann ré filiḋeaċt beagnaċ.
Aduḃairt Colum Cille ris an ríġ go maḋ cóir mórán do na fileaḋaiḃ do ċur ar gcúl ar a líonṁaire do ḃádar ann. Gideaḋ aduḃairt ris file do ḃeiṫ ‘n-a ardollaṁ aige féin ar aiṫris na ríoġ roiṁe, is ollaṁ do ḃeiṫ ag gaċ ríġ cúigid, is fós ollaṁ do ḃeiṫ ag gac tiġearna triúċa ċéad nó tuaiṫe i nÉirinn; agus do cinneaḋ ar an gcoṁairle sin lé Colum Cille, is aontuigis Aoḋ é; gonaḋ ag maoiḋeaṁ na commaoine sin do ċuir Colum Cille ar na fileadaiḃ do rinne Maolsuṫain an rann-so:
Ro saoraḋ ḋe na filiḋ
Tré Ċolum an ċaoiṁḋliġiḋ;
File gaċ tuaiṫe ní trom,
Is eaḋ do orduiġ Colom.[/td]

[td]Triallais Colum as sin go hoireachtas an ríogh is Domhnall ‘n-a fhochair; agus ar rochtain do Cholum do láthair an ríogh fáiltighis roimhe - do ghabh eagla mhór an rí roimhe trés an ní do rinne ré Conall ris an ríoghain is ré n-a hinnilt, amhail adulbhramar.
“Do b’í m’ḟáilte mo riar,” ar Colum.
“Do-ghéabhair sin,” ar an rí.
“Maiseadh,” ar Colum, “is é riar iarraim: trí hitghe iarraim ort, mar atá fastódh na bhfileadh ataoi do thathfann as Éirinn, is scaoileadh do Scannlán Mór mac Cinnfhaolaidh rí Osruighe as an mbroid ‘n-a bhfuil agat, is gan dul do chur bhuinchíosa ar Dhál Riada i nAlbain.”
“Ní toil liom,” ar an rí, “fastódh n bhfileadh, ar mhéid a n-ainbhreat is ar a líonmhaire atáid. Óir bíd tríochad i mbuidhin an ollamhan is a cúig déag i mbuidhin an anroth agus mar sin do na grádhaibh file oile ó shoin síos.”
Do bhiodh buidhean ar leith ag gac aon díobh do réir a chéime féin, ionnus go raibhe trian bfear nÉireann ré filidheacht beagnach.
Adubairt Colum Cille ris an rígh go madh cóir mórán do na fileadhaibh do chur ar gcúl ar a líonmhaire do bhádar ann. Gideadh adubhairt ris file do bheith ‘n-a ardollamh aige féin ar aithris na ríogh roimhe, is ollamh do bheith ag gach rígh cúigid, is fós ollamh do bheith ag gac tighearna triúcha chéad nó tuaithe i nÉirinn; agus do cinneadh ar an gcomhairle sin lé Colum Cille, is aontuigis Aodh é; gonadh ag maoidheamh na commaoine sin do chuir Colum Cille ar na fileadaibh do rinne Maolsuthain an rann-so:
Ro saoradh dhe na filidh
Tré Cholum an chaoimhdhlighidh;
File gach tuaithe ní trom,
Is eadh do orduigh Colom.[/td]

[td]Colum, accompanied by Domhnall, proceeded thence to the king’s party, and when he had come into the king’s presence the latter welcomed him, the king dreaded him greatly on account of what he had done to Conall, to the queen, to her handmaid, as we have said.
“My welcome is compliance with my wish,” said Colum.
“It shall be granted thee,” said the king.
“Then,” said Colum, “what I wish is this: I make three requests of thee, namely, to keep the poets whom thou art banishing from Ireland, and to free Scannlan Mor, son of Ceannfaolaidh, king of Osruighe, from the bondage in which thou keepest him, and not to go to impose a tribute on the Dal Riada [the Irish colony] in Scotland.”
“I do not wish to keep the poets,” said the king, “so unjust are their demands and so numerous are they. For there are usually thirty in the train of an ollamh, and fifteen in that of an anroth, and so on for the other grades of the poet down to the lowest.”
Each of them used to have a separate train of attendants according to his degree, so that nearly the third of the men of Ireland followed the bardic profession.
Columcille said to the king that it was right to set aside many of the poets, as they were so numerous. But he advised him to maintain a poet as his own chief ollamh, after the example of the kings who went before him, and that each provincial king should have an ollamh, and, moreover, that each lord of a cantred or district in Ireland should have an ollamh, and Columcille proposed this plan and Aodh assented to it; and it was to celebrate this benefit which Columcille conferred on the poets that Maolsuthain composed this stanza:
The poets were saved by this means
Through Colum of the fair law;
A poet for each district is no heavy charge.
It is what Colum ordained.[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]“An treas aṫċuinġe iarraim ort,” ar Colum Cille, “cairde do ṫaḃairt do Ḋál Riada gan dul na n-argain go hAlbain do ṫaḃaċ ḃuinċíosa orsa. Óir ní dliġṫeaċ ḋuit d’ḟaġáil uaṫa aċt airdċíos is éirġe ṡluaġ ar muir is ar tír.”
“Ní ṫiuḃrad cairde ḋóiḃ gan dul da n-ionnsuiġe,” ar Aoḋ.
“Maseaḋ,” ar Colum, “biaiḋ cairde go bráṫ uait”; agus fá fíor sin.
Leis sin ceileaḃrais Colum Cille go n-a ċléir don ríġ is don ċoṁḋáil; agus adeir Leaḃar Ġlinne Dá Loċ go raiḃe Aoḋán mac Gaḃráin mic Doṁanġuirt rí Alban san ċoṁḋáil-se, is gur ċeileaḃair i n-aoinḟeaċt ré Colum Cille don ríġ is don ċoṁḋáil. Adeir an leaḃar céadna go raiḃe an ċoṁḋáil-se Ḋroma Ceat ‘n-a suiḋe bliaḋain is mí ag orduġaḋ reaċta is dliġeaḋ ċánaċ is ċáirdeasa idir ḟearaiḃ Éireann.[/td]

[td]“An treas athchuinghe iarraim ort,” ar Colum Cille, “cairde do thabhairt do Dhál Riada gan dul na n-argain go hAlbain do thabhach bhuinchíosa orsa. Óir ní dlightheach dhuit d’ḟagháil uatha acht airdchíos is éirghe shluagh ar muir is ar tír.”
“Ní thiubhrad cairde dhóibh gan dul da n-ionnsuighe,” ar Aodh.
“Maseadh,” ar Colum, “biaidh cairde go bráth uait”; agus fá fíor sin.
Leis sin ceileabhrais Colum Cille go n-a chléir don rígh is don chomhdháil; agus adeir Leabhar Ghlinne Dá Loch go raibhe Aodhán mac Gabhráin mic Doṁanghuirt rí Alban san chomhdháil-se, is gur cheileabhair i n-aoinfheacht ré Colum Cille don rígh is don chomhdháil. Adeir an leabhar céadna go raibhe an omhdháil-se Dhroma Ceat ‘n-a suidhe bliadhain is mí ag ordughadh reachta is dligheadh chnach is cháirdeasa idir fhearaibh Éireann.[/td]

[td]“The third request I make of thee,” said Columcille, “is to grant a respite to the Dal Riada and not to go to Scotland to plunder them with a view to laying a tribute on them, for you have a right only to a head-rent from them and a levy of forces on land and sea.”
“I shall not grant them respite, but shall pay them a visit,” said Aodh.
“Then,” said Colum, “they will have a respite from thee for ever,” and so it was.
Thereupon Columcille, with his clerics, took leave of the king and of the convention, and the Book of Glendalough states that Aodhan, son of Gabhran, son of Domhanghurt, king of Scotland, was at that convention, and that he took his leave of the king and of the assembly along with Columcille. The same book says that the convention of Druim Cett sat for a year and a month instituting laws and regulating tributes and forming friendly alliances between the men of Ireland.[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]An Colum Cille atámaoid do luaḋ annso is é fá hainm baiste ḋó Crioṁṫann, agus Axal fá hainm don aingeal ċoiṁdeaċta do ḃí aige, agus Demal an deaṁan do ḃíoḋ go cinnte ar tí a ḃuaiḋearṫa, aṁail léaġṫar san Aṁra. Ag so mar adeir:
Crioṁṫann Ua Cuinn, coṁall ngle,
Ainm baiste Ċoluim Ċille;
Axal ainm a aingil gan on,
Agus Demal a ḋeaṁon.[/td]

[td]An Colum Cille atámaoid do luadh annso is é fá hainm baiste dhó Criomhthann, agus Axal fá hainm don aingeal choimhdeachta do bhí aige, agus Demal an deamhan do bhíodh go cinnte ar tí a bhuaidheartha, amhail léaghthar san Amhra. Ag so mar adeir:
Criomhthann Ua Cuinn, comhall ngle,
Ainm baiste Choluim Chille;
Axal ainm a aingil gan on,
Agus Demal a dheamhon.[/td]

[td]Criomhthaim was the baptismal name of the Columcille we are treating of here, and Axal was the name of his guardian angel, and Demal was the name of the demon that specially troubled him, as we read in the song. Thus it speaks:
Criomhthann Ua Cuinn, fair consummation,
Was the baptismal name of Columcille;
Axal the name of his angel, without fault,
And Demal his demon.[/size][/td][/tr][/table]

[1965]

This was posted elsewhere but I thought it might nonetheless be of interest to anyone researching the old script, its a speech by Richie Ryan TD in the Dáil in 1965:
"Children of my generation at school were the victims or the beneficiaries, as the case may be, of Gaeilge éigeantach as it is now called. If we were, we learned a considerable amount of Irish and we became familiar with a form of words and spelling which, when we left school, allowed most of my generation to maintain a constant and familiar knowledge of the language. Since then two radical changes have taken place in the appearance and form of Irish. First of all, the spelling itself was contracted so that words which we once knew at sight and did not require to spell out were no longer familiar to us, and it required a considerable exercise of self-discipline to read the new appearance of the Irish language which was produced within a matter of five or ten years after many of us left school.

Since then, a further operation has been performed. The Celtic script with which we were familiar has been thrown aside. It is not an unusual thing now for children going to school to ask their parents how to spell words in Irish and for the parents to spell them in correct Irish as the parents learned it and for the children to be slapped in school the following day for producing compositions with Irish words which have been misspelt. This is an abomination and I do not care what expert view there is in the Department to justify it. This policy has done untold harm to the revival of Irish. It has alienated the affection of the first generation to be educated in Irish schools under the system of what is now called compulsory education. It has set up a barrier between parents and their school-going children. At a time when it was necessary to cultivate goodwill and to encourage the use of Irish, to have introduced these two wholly unnecessary artificial operations and make Irish a stranger to the minds of the generation who spent ten or 15 years at school was an appalling thing and cannot be justified.

I know we will be told that for the future this is the best thing that could have been done but apparently we are not yet at the end of it. The Minister has told us that the language is now going through laboratory tests. I do not know whether that is to find out if the cancerous growth which was removed in the last two operations is still growing, but one shudders to think what the final production will be when it comes out of the test tubes and the computers in the scientific laboratories. We are led to believe that these scientific language laboratories can be of great assistance in teaching people a language. That may well be if the language is a living one and a known one, but we have made Irish into no less than three different languages in the last two or three decades. I cannot see what kind of familiar language will come out of all the scientific tests now being applied to the language.

The only problem in the past was the difference between the Irish of Connacht, the Irish of Munster, the Irish of Ulster and whatever residue there happened to be in Leinster. Those of us who went through school in the past 20, 30 or 40 years were reasonably familiar with the differences between the four dialects and there was a possibility that, in time, these dialects would become amalgamated and produce a living language. It might well be the language at which the experts sneer now, the language the Dublin people use when they talk Irish, but it would at least have been a living language. It is my opinion that all the activity of the so-called experts has done untold harm, harm which can never be undone.

There is then the Department making the situation more difficult still. Some years ago the Department directed that only the Roman script was to be used. For the children in the junior schools, it was to be the Cló Romhánach and, in time, that would be the only script for the children and ultimately for future generations. Simultaneously, teachers in the junior schools were teaching children, who were supposed to have only the Cló Romhánach, the Irish script. One year the children were taught Gaelic script and the following year they started learning the Cló Romhánach. The children had the greatest difficulty in changing over from Gaelic script to the Cló Romhánach, from the Gaelic script with its aspirate and the síniú fada to the Cló Romhánach with aitches ['h's!] all over the place.

There is a movement—the title of it eludes me at the moment—in Sandyford in County Dublin dedicated to a form of Irish spelling which will get rid of the aitches. I understand the experts sneer at the activities of these people. They regard them as cranks. I can think of no greater crank where Irish is concerned than the so-called experts in the Department of Education. These people in Sandyford recently produced a book written by Miles na gCopaleen in this script. It is easily readable for people like myself, who were taught Irish through the Cló Gaedhealach, and who were not at any stage of their schooling familiar with these spurious aitches.

The Minister has had more time, and possibly a greater inclination, than others to maintain his familiarity with the Irish language. One envies him his continuing capacity to improve and his ease in expression. Many people, who had a desire to speak Irish, do not get the opportunity in their ordinary avocations because their customers or clients just would not tolerate it and their hours of relaxation are so full of other work that they do not even then get the opportunity to use Irish. Such people, however, can read the book to which I have referred because there are none of these spurious aitches in the spelling. I should like to see our scientific laboratories produce a spelling of the same kind. If they do that, I, for one, shall shout “Hurrah” because that will achieve something. Putting in the aitches means that the words one learned at school become quite unfamiliar. A familiar word of five letters can, with the Cló Romhánach, grow into a word of eight letters. Adults read visually and not by spelling out each word. An adult has become so familiar with the form and structure of words that a mere glance carries the message. That is impossible if one is forced to read a script entirely different from that with which one was familiar.

I am nervous that the Minister will accept all that the Department has done in recent years in relation to the spelling of Irish. It will take courage and, to use a stronger word, guts on his part to say that all this expertise has done untold harm and he intends to put an end to it. We would all like to see him revert to the script familiar to the parents of the school-going children of today. Unless that is done, one will not get the affection that the language should command."
( Dáil 7th July 1965: historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0217/D.0217.196507070066.html )

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