Evening Guys!!
Firstly, after a little lurking, I'd just like to say that the work you guys do for both people and the language itself is amazing! Thankyou!

I want to get a tribute tattoo for my father who has passed. He always told me to 'Find a Way' (to do something) when I was growing up, and so I was wondering if I could get some translations of 'Find a Way' for a tattoo. If possible i'd like it in Old Irish, and im open to font/style suggestions.

Thankyou for reading my post!
Have a great day

This is my tentative suggestion, but wait for the others to correct it -

Bí ag lorg bealach - which means - Look for/seek a way, but I'm wondering whether - Bí ag lorg an bealach ceart - would sound better (Seek the right way) - you could also say - Seek your own way, which could be another possibility.

Bí ag lorg bealaigh (CO) Find a way

Bí ag lorg an bhealaigh chirt (CO) Find the right way

Bí ag lorg do bhealaigh féin (CO) Find your own way

Bí oc lorg belaig* let you find a way (Old. Ir.)

Bí oc lorg ind belaig chirt (ċirt) let you find the way (Old. Ir.)

Bí oc lorg do belaig féin let you find your way (Old. Ir.)

*lenition/ séimhiú is not shown on b in Old Irish but it is pronounced.

Sorry to hear about your father!

I think the last option with féin is the better one, as its less ambiguous than the others.

_________________

Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice

Why not simply ...

Faigh bealach.

Faiġ bealaċ

Old Irish:

Fo-gaib belaċ let you find a way

Wait for more input.

_________________

Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice

I thought of that at first, but I wasn't at all sure whether it would be said - it would have been too obvious and simple

Thanks for the quick replies guys, your help's super appreciated!!
I'll wait for a few more confirmations before I get ahead of myself!

_________________
___________________________________________________________

It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
___________________________________________________________

Déan slí.

"Find a way", in English, to me, means solve the problem that's in front of you. When your dad said "find a way", did he mean, "let's find a new path" or did he mean "lets straighten out and sort the path in front of us".

"Déan slí", means "get out of my way"/ "make way" (I'm coming)

"Faigh bealach"- although makes sense translating word for word; it has no idiomatic charge.

Rossaí

Note: all responses to date have been in Modern Irish. Very few people (if any) on this site are familiar with Old Irish (just as very few English speakers are familiar with Old English).

If you're genuinely interested in Old Irish, you're probably going to need to pay a specialist. (I might know somebody, or somebody who knows somebody.)

_________________
A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.