Dia Daoibh,

A friend of mine posted this message on our Civil War reenacting forum.
I can usually figure out what he is trying to say but this time I am in the dark except for something about a Friday night battle.
I would really appreciate a translation.
The message is.

Ar agaidh chun BUA.

Beidh an Caenn Mor mar thoradh ar duinn.

Ba choir go mbeadh ar an reimse an cath de hAoine oiche.

My friend is from Belfast and has Leaving Cert. Irish.

I hope you can help.

GRMA

Seosamh

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Please feel free to correct any and all mistakes in spelling, grammar etc.
I am very much a beginner and need all the help I can get.

ar aghaidh chun bua.

I'd say "ar aghaidh chun na bua(idhe)". (Ulster Irish).


Beidh an Ceann Mór mar thoradh...
I don't understand "ar duinn". Doesn't look possible, "ar" means "on" and "dúinn" means "for us".
What is "an Ceann Mór" (the big one? the big head?)



Ba chóir go mbeadh ??? (where is the subject?) ar an réimse (??) an cath oíche Aoine.
But I don't understand what it means.



another evidence that Irish isn't properly taught...

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Aye, it has issues, but I think the gist is:

Ar aghaidh chun an bhua. "Onward to victory." (Though I suppose chun bua could be "to a victory.")

Beidh an Ceann Mór mar thoradh againn. "We'll have the Big One as our reward" (I think he's mixed up two idioms tá toradh ruda agat and mar thoradh ar rud)

Ba chóir bheith ar an réimse chatha san oíche Dé hAoine. "One should be on the battlefield on Friday night." (Would be better as Bí ar ..., if "Be on the battlefield" is intended.)

(Might still need some correction.)

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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).

Breandán,

Thank you for the translation.
It makes a little bit of sense given the circumstances.

How would I reply to him in Irish with;

You can stay on the battle field on Friday night but I will be in camp with a whiskey and a big cigar.

GRMA

Seosamh

_________________
Please feel free to correct any and all mistakes in spelling, grammar etc.
I am very much a beginner and need all the help I can get.

yeah but "buaidh" is feminine for us in Ulster :-) (I mean, if you put "an bhua" in red to correct me...)



are you sure it's right to say "oíche Dé hAoine"? I've always heard and learnt "oíche Aoine", ie. the name of the day immediately after "oíche" (with lenition when possible) and without "Dé". But maybe it's different in Connachta...

_________________
Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Perhaps:

Fan thusa ar an réimse chatha san oíche Dé hAoine ach beidh mise istigh sa champa agus gloine fuisce agus todóg mhór agam.

Await correction ...

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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).

Beidh mé isteach or beidh mé ist(o)igh? or rachaidh mé isteach? To me "isteach" is rather used with verbs of motion...

_________________
Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Not to correct you, only the original, but I should have mentioned it is CO no GU.


I checked and it looks like it should be san oíche Dé hAoine, but definitely with Dé. Like an Aoine versus Dé hAoine, oíche Aoine is "Friday nights" or "every Friday night" whereas san oíche Dé hAoine is on a particular Friday night.

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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).

Got it.

_________________
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).

using the article there sounds wrong to me...

_________________
Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne