Thank you all for the input and advice. I finally had a moment to reflect and study a bit, and would like your reaction to the following phrases:

1) Ná lig do na bastaird cur isteach ort

2) Ná lig do na bastaird lagmhisneach a chur ort

3) Ná lig do bhastardaí drochmhisneach a chur ort


Thanks, again!

Any opinions on the perhaps subtle differences between the three phrases? In any event, thanks for all of the assistance! I've enjoyed my time here....

I think "lagmhisneach/drochmhisneach a chur ort" is closer to the English than "cur isteach ort".
Although "bastaird" is the "official standard" form, "bastardaí" is used too, but "bhastardaí" = "bastards"; "the bastards" would be "na bastardaí".
So I'd go for 2).

An alternative version: Ná cuireadh na bastaird lagmhisneach ort - literally "Let not...", which may sound a bit archaic in English but not so in Irish. The "Ná lig do" version is perfeckly fine, but my feeling is that "Ná cuireadh" might be more "natural" in Irish in this kind of context. Ask for confirmation one more time, and if you don't get a response I'll give you details of another site where you can ask.

Thanks again for all of your insight on this query. Let's see if there are any further positions on this weighty matter.

All 3 versions seem grammatically fine, ejc. As Errigal says, the third one mentions bastards rather than the bastards (with the 'h' included because of 'do' of course). For that reason, I like the third one best as one is likely to meet bastards in the future that cannot be pinpointed as the bastards as yet maybe. In other words, I think not letting any bastards (as opposed to specific bastards - the bastards) get to you is a good philosophy. But that's your own call. I'm with Errigal on the 'cuireadh' version. I like that. Can't judge the Latin original but I would go for
Ná cuireadh bastardaí drochmhisneach ort.
or
Ná cuireadh bastaird drochmhisneach ort.

Although I'd imagine bastaird would be more common as a plural in Munster and that is the canúint I try to follow, I think bastardaí has a better ring to it! And maybe a bit easier to pronounce, too.

...which leads to a question.

I was told that in Scottish Gaelic, bastards in general (or any other thing) does traditionally take an article, although in modern usage, the anglicised form (no article) is winning out. This wasn't that much of a surprise to me, as a lot of European languages work that way.

So I'm assuming that Irish has undergone the same process, but to what extent? Are both forms currently valid, or has the English pattern won out?

(Edit: actually, I think I was told that Scottish Gaelic used the singular definite form, but I may be wrong...)

_________________
A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.

For as long as I have been learning Irish, a Néill, I have come across nouns with and without the article and the use of the article would depend on the context. That's why I think elj has a choice in this context between whether he wants to use 'the bastards' or 'bastards' in this instance.
That said, in translation work, I have sometimes come across English nouns without an article where I would be inclined to put an article in the Gaeilge - and do in those cases. The feasts are one example that spring to mind immediately: I would translate Christmas as An Nollaig and Easter as An Cháisc. Also academic subjects (in school for instance) seem to me to be better in Irish with the article although you would not find the article with them in English: An Stair, An Ghaeilge, An Béarla srl. It's an interesting question. I'm not sure if it can be inferred from that that the definite (singular) article was more prevalent in Irish in the past and is being lost through a process of Anglicisation. I'd love to hear what the native speakers have to say on this question - indeed, starting with 'the bastards' v 'bastards' question. Is using 'bastards' without the article unnatural to you?

1. Chuir - was stated to be a typo here, and I don't know how the verbal noun is pronounced in the Connemara. It may be a typo when compared with Connemara pronunciation? But "cur" is pronounced "cuir" in Munster Irish. GCD states this is so unless it comes at the end of a sentence or if it means "to sow" (or to bury???) - I am quoting from memory, so you will have to look it up in GCD.

So drochmhisneach a chuir ort - is fine (at least for Gaelainn Múmhan).

2. Ina n-aghaidh siúd (or maybe súd if the dh is not pronounced, as often happens with this word) - this is right, apart from the fact that "ina" is pronounced 'na. Are there dialects where ina is pronounced bisyllabically? I don't know, so can't be emphatic, but /nə nəi su:d/ or /nə nəigʹ ʃu:d/ is what this should be in Munster Irish at any rate (and thus best written 'na n-aghaidh súd). Similar the phrase frequently found as "ina raibh" is 'na raibh /nə revʹ/, and "ina bhfuil" is 'na bhfuil /nə vilʹ/, etc, leading me to wonder what "ina raibh" and "ina bhfuil" are meant to mean ("inner rev", "inner will"???). Worth checking against Connacht and Ulster pronunciation - as I don't know what they are.

Irish often uses the article differently from English but I think the tendency is for Irish to have an article where English tend would leave it out. In this case the English has one but I see no reason to remove it in the Irish. (Of course, I agree that it would be interesting to hear what the native speakers have to say on this question. )

I propose a combination of Errigal and Muimhneach's versions:

Ná cuireadh na bastardaí lagmhisneach ort.

Await further input ...

_________________
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).