12 IRISH SPELLING 



evident to the advocates of reform as it can possibly be 

 to Dr. Mac Enri. 



To avoid misconception, then, let me say that our 

 Society was not founded to advocate the spelling of Irish 

 words as if they were English, with English values of the 

 letters. This has, of course, been done frequently. Most 

 of the Irish Catechisms that appeared in the eighteenth 

 and early nineteenth centuries were printed in roman type, 

 and in a phonetic, or semi-phonetic and unhistoric spelling. 

 A couple of specimens may be of interest. The first is 

 from a translation of Butler's Catechism by " Muirertach 

 Ban O'Ceiliochuir, 6 Heaumpull Cluaindrohid." I quote 

 from the edition printed " A Gorcuig san mlian, 1792," 

 page 26 : 



" C. Creud e an nee Dochus ? " 



" F. Suailkeas Diaga, veireas muineen laidir duin 



chun na beaha sheereegh, agus na meoin le na 



Vaighmeed ee." 



Here you see a mixture of Irish and English orthography. 

 A better example is this from a Connacht catechism of 

 the early nineteenth century. It was translated from the 

 English of Dr. Kirwan by Thomas Hughes, a parish clerk 

 of the Diocese of Tuam, who was living in 1848. I quote 

 from the third edition, page 25 : 

 " K. Ke phackees ni an gra ? " 

 " F. An tea meen fou go yea, na yau choarso ega." 



You don't like this spelling ? Well, no more do I. It is 

 not beautiful. It is grotesque. But it could be easily read 

 by native speakers, and this book passed through several 

 editions, without, as far as I am aware, spoiling the Irish 

 accent of the Diocese of Tuam. And observe that the 

 Irish represented in this uncouth fashion is genuine Irish. 

 I admit that it would not pass muster in a Gaelic League 

 Feis. Any competitor who should write an tea meen fou 

 ega instead of An c A mbionn J?U.AC Aige would at once 

 be disqualified. It would pay much better to write even 

 an c6 Ac.d (!) puAt Ai$e, which, by your leave, is not Irish 

 at all, though prizes are often given for the like. 



