Irish Blog

Finally returning to the uimhreacha pearsanta after the numerous events of the past couple of weeks, both happy and sad ones.  This time we’ll count from six to ten people, more on larger groups of people later!  First, a quick review, for one to five people: duine amháin or aonar (depending on the type of sentence), beirt, triúr, ceathrar and cúigear.  And, as you may recall, that got us through our discussion of the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, the Jackson 5, and Peter, Paul, and Mary.  You were testing yourself as you read that list, right?  Here’s the Irish in order of the musical groups just listed: ceathrar, beirt, cúigear, and triúr.

So now on to slightly larger groups of people, your quintets, sextets, septets, octets, nonets, and dectets.  But keep in mind, that while English has these specific terms for musical groups of various sizes, in Irish you’d use cúigear for any group of five people, such as five farmers (cúigear feirmeoirí) or beirt for, say, beirt otairinealaraingeolaithe (two otorhinolaryngologists). 

The personal numbers from six to ten continue to be fairly recognizable, if you keep the original number in mind:

So I guess I could spot-check everyone on some recent blogs, with this question

a) Cén dóigh a bhfuil cosúlacht ag Mr. agus Mrs. Weasley (carachtair fhicseanúla) le Joseph agus Katherine Jackson, tuismitheoirí Mhíchíl?

And a few more ceisteanna for good measure:

b) Cé mhéad duine atá i “mórsheisear” (lit. a “big” sixsome)?

c) Cé mhéad páiste a bhí ag an mbaintreach fir Henry Fonda sa scannán Yours, Mine, and Ours (1967) agus cé mhéad a bhí ag an mbaintreach Lucille Ball? 

And finally, this one’s probably a little obscure for many people today, but here goes:

d) Cé mhéad páiste a d’fhreastail ar Bhunscoil Phobal Feirste nuair a d’oscail sé i 1971?

Freagraí: a) Bhí seisear mac ag an dá theaghlach (Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron Weasley agus Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy, agus Michael Jackson) agus chaill gach teaghlach mac go hóg (Fred, Michael); b) seachtar, it’s another way to say seven people, very traditional; c) Bhí deichniúr ag an mbaintreach fir (widower) Henry Fonda agus bhí ochtar ag an mbaintreach (widow) Lucille Ball.  d) naonúr.  According to the most recent information I’ve found online, there are now over ceithre chéad mac léinn (400 students) at this pioneering Irish-medium school in Belfast.  Landmark though this is, one of the first links Google found for it recently, is, strangely, a “H8” cyber-rant.  An bhfuil siad i ndáiríre?  

Gluaisín agus fuaimniú: otairinealaraingeolaithe (beagnach mar an Béarla, ach tá an “g” crua, mar an “g” san fhocal “ring”), néar-mháinlia [NYAYR-WAWN-lee-uh] neurosurgeon; ficseanúil [FIK-shan-oo-il] fictional, one of the plural forms of this word is fhicseanúla [IK-shan-ool-uh]; mórsheisear [MOR-HESH-ur, note the first “s” is silent]; baintreach fir [BAN-trukh fir^zh], widower, lit. a widow-man; d’fhreastail [DRAS-til] attended.