Starting from the top and going down the page, I believe that word is "fadphíp" which maybe should read "fadphíb" - he's speaking of the various lovely parts of a woman body (not going too far down) and I thought of all possibilities (including the ones "below") and the only thing that seemed to make sense was "píb", which can mean neck in a figurative sense - "long chalk-white neck". Does that seem right?

"gach guais anma curaidh laiogh" > (I don't know if I have this right or not) courageous, heroic, warrior, etc. soul. ("Every danger of the heroic warrior soul") I think the "e" is actually a "c" and the dotted "a" intends to show the ending "-aidh" or something similar. The same with "ar do . . ." with the dotted "i". I saw somewhere where that "h" was actually "lu" so maybe "ar do luaith"? Again, just grabbing straws.

I think you are on the spot with "aríomh" > beyond imagination, comprehension, belief

If this poet continually refers to the subject as a hero or a warrior, then it would make sense that he would call up a hero from fairly recent history, O'Byrne, who fought against the British about 200 years previous.

Curious to know what you think.

fadphíb - I think you may have cracked it! My only reservation would be the eclipsis which seems to indicate genitive plural. 'the appearance ... of the long chalk-white necks'? Otherwise it's quite a persuasive reading.

curaidh/luaith - I don't think I've run across a dotted vowel before. Dotted and overlined, yes - the overline refers to the omission of one or more letters, and the dot to the fact one of them is a lenited consonant. A dot alone over a vowel would strike me as - idiosyncratic. Not saying it doesn't exist, mind you! only that I haven't seen it. I think the 'dots' we're seeing can be more easily explained as blots and smudges; the page certainly has enough of those anyway (see for example the almost-dot over the 'i' in 'guais' in the same line, and even over the 'l' in 'laoigh').

However, I feel the strongest objection to 'curaidh' must be the fact it spoils the rhyme scheme (a-ú-ú-é-í):



As you can see, we really need something with an é (or an e, or an ao, or an ae...) in that position. Actually, I'm obliged to retract my initial reading of 'anma', which would intrude a stressed a-syllable where it isn't wanted. There should be only unstressed syllables between 'gúais' and the é-syllable (whatever it is.)

I wonder if perhaps the spacing between letters here is deceptive and it's two words really: 'a __ae__r , a laoigh'?

Camburn, is there any chance of (yet another) high-quality scan - this time of the lower half of page 53? The line we're most interested in is the third line of the third stanza, or the fifth one from the bottom of the page.

WOW Irish scholars one and all. Caitríona, I can't express my admiration at your ability to ferret out a very difficult poem. I don't know how to repay you. Perhaps another bad scan of a poem from the 1700s I have Fallon's (he later changed his name to O'Fallon) hand written pedigree so I'll check on any O'Byrne connections. He had a penchant for younger women: marrying General George Rogers Clark's sister Fanny who was 15 at the time they wed. Fallon was 41. I love the description of the woman in this poem. I can't say I blame O'Fallon. Withered limbs and wicked flesh are fun too I'll rescan the requested section on a good scanner tomorrow and send it in.

Yup, Caitríona is doing an amazing job. It's hard to be helpful from the sidelines and not distract her.

One thing, Caitríona, and I'm sure you already know this, but if you get stuck on a big problem or project, it is a good idea to step away from it for a few days, relax and come back to it fresh. That gives the brain a chance to process the information unimpeded by the stress of "cramming", i.e., of trying too hard.

Sleep is also an amazing problem solver. Science is showing more and more that all mammals (at least) practice and solve problems in their sleep. It's why you suddenly wake up one morning with the answer to that question that has always bothered you. Of course, people of all religions will also tell you that that their gods reveal the answers to them in dreams - I'll leave that interpetation up to individual preference.

So, don't forget to take a break every now and then.

_________________
Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

I wonder if "fadpíp" couldn't be referring to legs . . . (?)

Also, "éura" > (some form of) éaradh the final a of "anma" eliding with the "é"?

I didn't even think about the rhyming at all. Thanks for reminding me. I studied it a bit but didn't even consider it.

Go raibh maith agat, a Bhreandáin. Sé bua mór an idirlín nach bhfuil a leithéid agus 'sidelines' ann, nó dá mb'ann dó is ansin a bheinn féin! Ní scolaire le Gaeilge mé ar chor ar bith. Tá mé ag baint an-taitneamh go deo as seo ina dhiaidh sin féin.

a timluascein, ba dhána an mhaise don fhile trácht ar chosa mná chor ar bith! Is amhlaidh freisin go gcuirtear a fadphíb - nó 'a fadphíbe', cibé acu é - i gcomórtas le heala, éan a mbíonn cosa gairide dubha faoi más fíor dom. Measaim féin go raibh an ceart agat i dtosach, is é sin gurb é muineál na mná atá i gceist. (Níl léiriú ar bith agam ar an urú más ea.)

a Chaitríona



Aontaím go hiomlán. Níl a fhíos agam cad a bhíos ag smaoineamh. (Is dócha nach rabhas ag smaoineamh mórán. )

Ach sílim go bhfuil ceart agat fé na rudaí seo. Is féidir liom go ndéanaim moltaí amháin. Ar aon chaoi, beimid linn ag iarracht a dhéanamh é, ar ndóigh?

Another shot of the bottom of page 53:

_________________
Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

Just a thought:

éar is "to refuse, deny, repel"

mo aisge uaibh gach gúais anma éar, a láoigh
"my request of you is to repel all danger to your soul, o hero."

_________________
Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

By the way, "snúadhchailc". No "e" on the end. At that time, "píob" was the common spelling. Would using "píp" be intentional as would be the plural? - "of the chalky-white long necks (on her)" to be some sort of put-down, describing a multi-headed Medusa? Farfetched, I know.