We've had this discussion about the Cailleach several times already, if not on this forum then on the old one.

The Cailleach was a goddess whose seasonal worship was intertwined with the worship of Bríd, and Wikipedia has an interesting article about her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cailleach, mentioning this interesting remnant: : "...people are generally relieved if Là Fhèill Brìghde [that's written in the Scottish Gaelic form] is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep, will soon run out of firewood, and therefore winter is almost over".

The Wikipedia article agrees with the "pallium/veil" origin of caillech/caille, but it doesn't mention the interesting theory that the worship of the Cailleach was brought by the Gaels from NW Spain, where they lived before coming to Ireland. There are apparently indications of her worship there, whether in place names or in archaeological remains, and she may have been a pre-Indo-European goddess whose worship was absorbed there by the Celts. I'm not sure how the Latin origin of the name could square with that, but the name Cailleach might have been added as a euphemism for her original name(s) at some point (perhaps she was a veiled goddess).

The word cailleach came to mean an "old woman", and then "witch" or "hag", possibly when the Christians were trying to denigrate or demote the old gods and goddesses (they also turned the goddess Bríd into a saint). In Scottish Gaelic, cailleach usually means "old woman", although it can also be used as a term for a wife, a nun (the veil again) and in a pejorative sense for a hag or witch, but they usually use another term for a witch. The Gàidhlig speakers use caileag for a girl up through her teens, and cailin is somewhat poetic or old-fashioned now in Gàidhlig.

The article mentions the "corn dolly" traditions related to the Cailleach and briefly refers to the fertility rites related to the Cailleach (and Bríd) which lasted into the 19th century in Scotland. I know I posted something about that before, so I'll look to see if I can find it and add a link here.

Here's a link to the earlier thread about old customs which has some discussion of the Cailleach. It's all in Irish, though, and I guess no one ever decided to add a translation:
http://irishlearner.awyr.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1648&p=14541&hilit=cailleach#p14541

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I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

Heh. Lots to piece together here. Still a bit confused. Just a few questions for clarity, if you don't mine.

An Lon Dubh:

1. I see what you mean about needing a form of raibh. So where you used "a rabhais", you could similarly use "a raibh tú" in the "Standardized Irish" way or whatever it is called, right?

2. You had written "ar an réalt san a rabhais...". Was that supposed to be "sin" and not "san"? Sorry, I am still new to the language so I was confusing it with the preposition i + the definite article at first.

3. I am guessing that "mar gheall ar" is essentially another way of saying about / in regards to, etc.

Lughaidh:

Isn't "na réalta" the singular genitive form of "réalta" with the definite article? Anyhow, I got that form from Wiktionary. Perhaps Wiktionary is incorrect though. Not sure but that site lists "na réaltaí" as the plural genitive form with the definite article included.

Partrick:

I found your use of "ar" instead of "faoi" interesting. I thought that I had to use "faoi" to mean "about" but looking up "caint" in Collins Pocket Irish dictionary for the Android, I found "bí ag caint ar..." as an example for "Talk about (something)!" Are they interchangeable or is "ar" the grammatically correct word to use here?

So putting this together, I think I have the following as possibilites. Are any of these correct now?

* 1. Cad é an t-ainm atá ar an réalta a raibh tú ag caint fúithi aréir?

2. Cad é an t-ainm atá ar an réalta a rabhais ag caint uirthi aréir?

3. Cad é an ainm atá ar an réalta a rabhais ag caint mar gheall uirthi aréir? (feminine ainm use here instead)

* I realized that Wiktionary says réalta is feminine so I should have declined faoi for the feminine gender instead of masculine like I mistakenly had for the word ainm. lol ugh

Yes, certainly, rabhais = raibh tú. San is used in Munster in place of sin after words with a broad ending.

That's right. Although ar would probably be better here, as mar gheall ar is closer in meaning to conerning or regarding, rather than about, so
it might be a little clunkier sounding, but I have heard it from native speakers in exactly this type of sentence.

Lughaidh:

Isn't "na réalta" the singular genitive form of "réalta" with the definite article? Anyhow, I got that form from Wiktionary. Perhaps Wiktionary is incorrect though. Not sure but that site lists "na réaltaí" as the plural genitive form with the definite article included.


This would be correct in Standard Irish, also Conamara Irish, I think (Bríd?).

This sentence uses Munster grammar, but has an t-ainm, which is feminine in Munster, so I would
say:
Cad é an ainm atá ar an réiltín a rabhais ag caint uirthi aréir?
Réiltín, although masculine is one of a few words, like bád, that is referred to as if feminine.

This is fine also.

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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

In Connemara, perhaps:

Cén t-ainm atá ar an réaltóg a raibh tú ag caint fúithi aréir?

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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).

Why "faoi"?

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

Ah, fúithi sorry. Corrected above.

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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).