I was listening to the song Crúiscín Lán and the first line goes "Chuaigh an dá Sheán is mo Sheánsa 'dtí'n aonach." Why is it "an dá" instead of "an bheirt"? I thought that beirt was always used with people.

This reminded me of something I heard on Ros na Rún a couple of weeks back. Caitríona and Mac passed out after drinking too much wine, and the next morning Catríona said that they were "dhá lightweights" (not "beirt lightweights").

_________________
Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

not always, although "beirt" is more common.

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

I always thought that 'dhá' was incorrect for people. It really threw me when I first heard 'beirt' being used for things other than people in Donegal; it sounded weird. Truth is it still does for me.

_________________

... "beirt" srl used to be used for animals too in Munster.

"Dhá" appears in "Caoineamh na dTrí Muire" as well. Took me by surprise when I first encountered it:

"Gabhaigí i leith, a dhá Mhuire, go gcaoine sibh mo ghrá liom...".

Redwolf

I don't know why but "a dhá Mhuire" sounds much more natural to me that "a bheirt Mhuire (Mhuirí?)". I've never seen "beirt" in the vocative, nor before proper nouns.

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

I was going to say exactly the same thing.

very true....what would ye translate "the mother of the two sons" as?

Probably Máthair na beirte, with an bheirt already introduced as two sons. Like:

Bhí beirt fhear ins an tigh sin, agus is í Máthair na beirte úd a dhein an obair.

Perhaps if I just had to translate the sentence directly I'd say Máthair na beirte mac.

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

me too

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