It's kinda hard to keep out of discussions like this in a place called "Irish Language Forum".

I know exactly what you mean, I'm like that all the time!

Cara has, as was said Carad as its genitive. Fifth declension nouns (ones whose genitive ends in a broad consonant) can have a genitive plural which is
identical to the genitive singular (Carad) or the nominative plural (Cairde).

I'm not sure which was the case for Cara originally in Classical Irish, but the Caighdeán went for Cairde and Munster Irish went for Carad.

Of course many native speakers in Munster and Connacht (although not all) treat Cara like a fourth declension noun with genitive Cara.

And in the Déise they give it the vocative A Charaid.

Long story short, you're both right!

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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

I think you meant to say "… or the nominative plural (Cairde)."

p.s. Thanks for the info!

Yes, thanks!

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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

Everyone's a winner!

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Yup, I was thinking the exact same thing!

Yup I should have said I was talking about the plural genitives, sorry for causing the confusion.

Thanks to Lon Dubh for the clarification.

I am not sure about Classical Irish but Old Irish is:

Nominative: Carae (singular), carait (plural)
Vocative: á/a charae, á/a chairtea
Accusative: carait n-, cairtea
Genitive: carat, carat n-
Dative: carait, cairtib

"t" in Old Irish = "d" in Modern Irish



I have also heard "a charaid" as the vocative in Ó Murchú's bar in an Buailtín/ Baile an Fheirtéaraigh.

Cian

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