I'm thinking of getting Rí Tuaithe as a tattoo. I think it means "King of a Tribe". For me the "tribe" would be my family, my children, Wife, future grandchildren, etc.

Does this work? Does it mean what it sounds like and what I wrote? Is there a better way to say it? I like the King idea but not as in a ruler of others, more the responsibility that a leader of a family/tribe would have to the members of the family/tribe.

If the words convey the message that I'm hoping for, how does the font need to be written? Capital R, í with the accent, capital T and lowercase uaithe? Is all that correct? I found a font that I'd like to use but it's all uppercase. Can I make this phrase work with all uppercase lettering?

Anything that I should do differently?

I cant thank you enough for helping me make sure I don't end up with "No Regerts".

It's not technically incorrect, however, it does have a certain connotation. In the Medieval Irish political system a Rí Tuaithe was a local or tribal king. They were more akin to dukes or lords in modern language. They often owed service to an over-king, and he again to an even higher king. So simply taking the direct translation "king of a tribe" and adapting it to your family may not be the most idiomatic way to use it.

There are specific terms in Irish for your children, of course, with the extended meaning, family. I'd suggest Rí Clainne, meaning "King of a clann" where clann has the implied meaning of descendents/children/family.

I like Rí Clainne better. It would include more than just my children though, right? Implied, at least? Would it include my wife?

If so, how about the case (upper case vs lower case). Would this work RÍ CLAINNE?

Since this will be a tattoo and will be on me forever, how confident are you? Should I stick with the rule of three? Can anyone else chime in to confirm?

Thanks for all your help so far!

Reading your initial post my immediate reaction was "he wants rí clainne" -- looks like Ade had the same idea

It can work all uppercase. It sounds good to me, but wait for another opinion

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ЯГОН ТОҶИК НЕСТ ИНҶО???

It's true that, in Modern Irish, the word "clann" is generally reserved for your offspring or descendants, but it can technically still be used with the broader meaning you want, as in Clann Dónaill, meaning the "McDonnell Clan". It's usually paired with a name like that, and the usage is much more common in Scottish Gaelic, but with the word "rí" in front of it, I don't think anyone would misunderstand your meaning, since "king of [the] children" wouldn't make a lot of sense.

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

Couldn't you use the word - treibh - here ?

Doesn't that imply something more along the lines of homestead or land/property?

There's also good old "taoiseach," which used to mean "chief" or "leader" before it was adopted for the Irish prime minister.

Redwolf

I too was thinking along that line.

Perhaps:

Taoiseach na Treibhe
"Chieftain of the Tribe"

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[hr]Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher[/hr]
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).