NOTES AND QUERIES.
(15) (See N. and Q. 2) Mr. Finian Lynch states that in Kerry aig an ndorus, aig an dtobar, ar an dtír are always said, eclipsis being always practised in such cases.
(16) (See N. and Q. 4) A passage in O’Begley’s or MacCunin’s Dictionary, s.v. live, would go to show that the Western phrase (in-on′) = in innṁe. “That ship is so old, she can’t live long at sea. Atá an long úd coiṁsean agas soin, naċ fada ḃias sí aninnṁe na mara dfulang.” We have here exactly the same sense as in the Western (in-on′) and the Donegal ’niniṁ. Again, in Luke, V. 7, “agas tángadar ⁊ do líonadar an dá [ 48 ]luing, ionnus go raḃadar a ninnṁee a mbáiḋte,” and they came and filled the two ships, so that they were about to sink (on the point of sinking, or “fit” to sink). This latter sense agrees exactly with the use of the phrase of the Leitrim man, quoted in the Journal, Vol. IV., p. 69. The above are both good authorities, and spell the phrase exactly in the same way. I have not the slightest doubt that in innṁe is the correct spelling of the Connaught (in-on′). J. H. Lloyd.
(17) (See N. and Q. 11) Ceirim may be for creidim, older, cretim. Thus, cretim, ceirtim, ceirṫim, ceirim. We see similar instances of transposition in beir, breiṫ; ceilt, cleiṫ; meilt, bleiṫ : dearc, dreaċ.—Tomás O’Flannaoile
(18) (See N. and Q. 8) The Waterford drae may be for draen, draon, a thorn (found in draonán, better draiġean and draiġeanán, used=a particle, a bit). Compare the Northern scolp de sceulaiḃ (not) a particle of news. Scolp = splinter, prickle. as well as a scollop for thatching. Compare also the Munster poinn aráin, a mite of bread, no bread, from the Norman-French point, as I had the pleasure of pointing out to Dr. Hyde. in his “Love Songs of Connaught.” If I am right, then we should write drae scéil. For the disappearance of final n, compare the numerals seaċt, oċt, naoi, deiċ; words like pearsa, etc.; and in popular usage the article (is maiṫ a’ sceul) before many consonants.—T. O’F.
(19) (See N. and Q. 7) Nár éiriġiḋ an t-acsaḋs leat. If this is used in the sense of “Confusion to you,” it is obviously a curse, and cannot be the equivalent of “May you escape the gauger,” which surely must be a good wish in Ireland. I do not think we have excise here. I thought first it might be exercise in the sense of feat, trick or deed—“May the deed or trick not rise with you,” i.e., “not succeed with you” but I am most inclined to believe that, in spite of the strange spelling, “acsaḋs” is only an Irish form of success, with the initial lost after the article. If this be the word, a more analogical spelling would be socsaḋas or socsaos; and “nar éiriġiḋ an t-socsaḋas leat” would mean, May success not rise with you, or attend you, another form of the familiar droċ raṫ ort! The article would be used after the Irish analogy; cf. “Go raiḃ an t-áġ ort!”—May you have (the) luck! The initial s would disappear in pronunciation after the analogy of feminines like an t-sláinte, health; an t-saoirse, freedom, ⁊c. The word cannot date to early Christian times, like a good many classical words, or we should not have the s sound of the c in cess. It may be Norman-French, like aḃantur (luck) = aventure; bantáiste (profit)=vantage (for avantage), ⁊c., dating from a time when as yet the final s in succès was pronounced; but most likely it is very modern, and a direct loan from the English success. Seeing that we have so many pure Irish words for the same thing, the loan is, of course, quite unnecessary. T. O’F.