Assuming that you're talking about them (as opposed to talking to them):
mo shearrach = my foal
mo mhuca = my pigs

If you do happen to be addressing them:
a shearraigh = my foal [corrected]
a mhuca = my pigs

Go bhfoire Dia orm
God help me

Go dtuga Dia neart dom!
[May] God give me strength!

Tabhair dom neart, a Dhia
O God, give me strength!

An Tiarna Dia
The Lord God

I'm not really sure how to do a double vocative (two nouns in a row) like this, but I suspect that native speakers would say what you were told, whatever the technically "correct" grammar may be, because that's usually how an adjective would be handled (see "sweet God" below):
A Thiarna Dhia
O Lord God

Dia milis
[a] sweet God

A Dhia mhilis!
O sweet God!



More or less "uh WOOR-neen", although if it were mo mhuirnín I think many would pronounce it "muh VOOR-neen", so it may vary by dialect. Someone may be able to do a sound file to help you get the sounds closer to what a native speaker would actually say, and explain which pronunciation is more common in which area.

_________________
I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

It's not really that complicated, the root word is dubh, meaning black. It's just like Redser and Blondie in English (root word Red or Blond). Duibheasa is dubh/black with a suffix attached, and is probably the person's hair colour.

I think people who write baby name books get a bit carried away, and think every name has to be translated as beauty/princess/precious etc. Maybe that's where the confusion is coming from?

_________________
Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

I think that's it exactly.

Redwolf

Thanks so much CaoimhínSF I've replied in red text:



-------------------------


CaoimhínSF - Do you have anything to add to these translations?
I'm trying to find an equivalent to "You taste so sweet" / "You're tasty/delicious / "You taste like berries/honey", etc (in the context of a lover remarking that his beloved tastes good after kissing her) and this is what we've come up with so far, would love to hear your thoughts on it:


and:


To be on the safe side, would really like to have some more input before I definitely add them all to my novel.
Having said that, I think all the translations are pretty great so far though and am enjoying learning from the great minds here
Thanks again to everyone who has replied so far, Redwolf, mick, CaoimhínSF

Yes, I think you've really hit the nail on the head actually
Anyway mick, how's the field work going? Made any interesting discoveries as to just what Irish articulations are uttered (or perhaps even screamed, for the extra lucky ones ) during the throes of passion yet? The forum eagerly awaits your findings ...

The basic word for foal is searrach. The "h" and the "i" get added [and the "c" becomes a "g"] because, when addressing someone, one uses the vocative case. The vocative case has disappeared in English, except in archaic/biblical expressions like "O God, have mercy on me". The opening "o" there is the same thing as the opening "a" in Irish, but in English the noun no longer changes form in the vocative case (it once did, long ago) and in Irish one must use the "a", whereas in English one can now just say "God, have mercy on me", leaving out the "o" (since most people don't know why it's there anyway).

The vocative changes cause pronunciation changes:
searrach = (roughly) "SHARR-ukh"
A shearraigh = (roughly) "uh HYARR-ee" [corrected, but see Breandán's response]
Notes:
-- The "arr" bit is like the "arr" in the English word "arrogant". not the "ar" in "car".
-- The first "kh" is a deep guttural sound like the "ch" in the Irish/Scottish Gaelic word loch or in Bach, in case you know German or have a friend who can help with that, and it is pronounced from the throat ("voiced"), using your larynx.

What you were given about "tasty" all looks good to me. I had the same initial reaction as others about whether it makes sense when referring to people (as opposed to food), but I checked FGB (the "bible" of Irish dictionaries) and it gives an interesting example:

Tá aithne bhlasta agam air.
I know him very well indeed (more literally: "I have a tasty acquaintance with him")

It's not really the same type of thing as what you're saying, but does indicate that the adjective is more flexible than I thought.

_________________
I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

Do you have a source for that, a Chaoimhín?

I think masculine nouns ending in -ach have -aigh in the vocative, rather than -aich*, so I'd expect a shearraigh for addressing a foal.

A shearraigh would be pronounced like a Scottish person saying "(a) Harry", i.e., with a flapped r.



For this you can use a' bhfuil a fhios a'd ? "do you know?", used like English "you know?" and pronounced very much like "willy sad".

You can also use tá a fhios a'd "you know", pronounced a bit like "toy sad".

_________________
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).

"rún" means more than just secret -- it also refers to intentions and desires.

_________________
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.

Thanks for your input Breandán
Also, there is a second character who speaks hiberno-English throughout.
So, I'm wondering, if she were to say something like: "Come here, my searrach"
(i.e mixing English with Irish, in a kind of hiberno-English) would that be acceptable/correct?
Or would I still word it like this: "come here, my shearraigh/shearraich"?
(keeping in mind this person speaks hiberno-English)



For this you can use a' bhfuil a fhios a'd ? "do you know?", used like English "you know?" and pronounced very much like "willy sad".

You can also use tá a fhios a'd "you know", pronounced a bit like "toy sad".[/quote]

Thank you! I knew there had to be something out there

Thanks for this explanation CaoimhínSF