When I was a child, my paternal grandmother, who had emigrated from Ireland to America, often used a Gaelic expression. Neither I nor my parents can remember the exact pronunciation, but phonetically it sounded like this: "No bachlesh." That's as close as we can come to a phonetic representation of the expression. My grandmother used this phrase often, mostly as an utterance akin to "No problem." Can anyone please illuminate us regarding the exact spelling and meaning of the Gaelic expression she was using? We would be grateful for any guidance and information provided.

Most likely; Ná bac leis, Don't mind it, leave it alone, don't bother about it.. Pronounce roughly as you had but nah not no

And we call it Irish not Gaelic!

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Thank you so much! This means a great deal to my family and me. I am calling my parents right now with the translation and the information. And thank you for letting me know that it is Irish, not Gaelic.

I shared the information with my parents and friends and family, and everyone is thrilled that we received the answer so promptly. Thank you again for the responses. My Aunt Rosie posed an ancillary question: She states that when she was a child, her mom (my paternal grandmother) often used another Irish phrase that sounded like this: "Il na papa." If anyone can offer information about what that expression means, my family and I would be grateful.

Thank you for the knowledge and guidance.

That beats me. Pápa is the word for the Pope but can't think of anything that fits. Does Aunt Rosie remember the meaning or context of what was said? That might help.

Thank you. I just posed that very question to Aunt Rosie on Facebook. I await her reply and will post here as soon as I receive it. My family and I are infinitely grateful for the help.

Haven't heard back from my Aunt Rosie yet, but Aunt Rosie's daughter says that her mom uses that expression frequently, and the daughter takes it to mean "Be careful what you say." Here's what the daughter wrote: "My mom says that all the time I always took it as watch what you say or careful like she doesn't want me saying something in front if someone." I am still awaiting Aunt Rosie's input.

Where in Ireland was your granny from, odalais?

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The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

My mom just told me that my paternal grandmother was from the town of Gisala, County Mayo (she was related to the Gaughan family; her maiden name was Casey). Also, my mom thinks that possibly my grandmother used the expression "Il na papa" to dismiss a person's authority (as in "What does he know? He's not the pope."