Greetings, looking for some help in translating the following for a group please?:

"Blessed Valley of the Fox"

"Blessed Valley of the Foxes"

Looking for a GM translation and pronunciation guide too.

Thanks everyone.

Gleann Beannaithe an tSionnaigh "Blessed Valley of the Fox"
giLOWN BAN-ih-hih on tyON-ig (GM)
/g´l´auN b´æNəhə əN t´oNig/

Gleann Beannaithe na Sionnach "Blessed Valley of the Foxes"
giLOWN BAN-ih-hih nuh shu-NAHKH (GM)
/g´l´auN b´æNəhə Nə s´oNəx/

Await further input ...

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WARNING: Intermediate speaker - await further opinions, corrections and adjustments before acting on my advice.
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect.
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), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

Could someone please verify if this is correctly spelled in Gaelic:

"An Glean Naofa an Sionnagh"

Does this translate to: "The Sacred Glen of the Foxes"?

Thanks people!

Hi, since this post relates to the previous topic you posted, I've merged the new topic back into the old one. Please don't start a new topic for confirmation or even for slight variations on a theme. Just bump this one and ask for more input.

That translation is incorrect for the following reasons:

1. In Irish you can't have two definite articles (an/na) in the same compound so the first one should be dropped.

2. Gleann has two n's in Irish.

3. The genitive plural of an Sionnach is na Sionnach "of the Foxes", genitive singular is an tSionnaigh "of the Fox".

4. Naofa can be used for "sacred, holy". Other options are beannaithe "blessed, holy", diaga "divine, godly", sácráilte "consecrated".

Going with naofa, the above translation should be:

Gleann Naofa na Sionnach "Sacred Glen of the Foxes"

Await further input ...

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WARNING: Intermediate speaker - await further opinions, corrections and adjustments before acting on my advice.
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect.
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), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

Thanks for all the help!

I second all of this.

Redwolf

To my knowledge ... this translation looks perfect!

I actually think it's a very beautiful name for a valley. To me the version with beannaithe sounds prettier than the one with naofa. Either way, I think it sounds like a lovely place.

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ЯГОН ТОҶИК НЕСТ ИНҶО???

Isn't "beannaithe" (< lat. benedictus) a very Christian term?

In "Neo Pagan" contexts, I'd prefer naofa.

One small correction: sionnach has the stress on the 2nd syllable (in Munster, anyway) – shu-NACH

Good point.

Oak_Shaman, by Neo-pagan? Are you 'Celtic' Neo-pagan? I'm deducing that from your use of 'oak' in your name, since Celtic sacred groves were set in areas of oak woodland. Some of the earliest Irish monasteries were also constructed in areas of Oak woodland, e.g. Dar Inis, Doire etc..., leading many to the conclusion that these were also sacred pre-Christian sites.

This might be reading too much into it, but, the Gaulish word for a 'sacred grove' is NEMETON; the first part of the word, i.e. NEM, is where we get Old Irish nem > neamh 'Heaven'.

Given this context, the adjective neamhthaí might be an option. The problem though is that in Modern Irish, neamhthaí means 'heavenly', 'celestial', more so than 'sacred', or 'blessed'--so it would lead to confusion. It just depends if you're (Oak_Shaman) OK with sacrificing the overall meaning in favour of keeping the connection with NEMETON.

Gleann neamhthaí an tSionnaigh
Gleann neamhthaí na Sionnach

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Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice