#corcaigh

This is a sight

Which few are able

To see with their own eyes

This forest floor

Wet from ages of rain

Where light falls with patience

Robbed by the greedy

Clouds, trees and birds alike

Under a fern a frog rests

Is this our deity?

     To bring offerings to?

No crucifix nor statue but there at the floor!

And this; wise eyes, silent words

Calming thoughts woven with

Peace and understanding

Questions with answers

Flow from consciousness

Married with joy and love and fullness

Being is to be

You are to love

You are to be loved

c. o'mahony

words from a vivid dream

Tigh Mhuiris: Documenting the Irish of Cléire explores the Irish of the Clear Island Gaeltacht off the Southwest coast of Cork. The author translates and notates stories, with particular focus on Clear Island specific vocabulary. He also has a wonderful resource list for the dialect.

I thought I'd explore some things he mentioned a little further, and also summarise Clear Island pronunciation quirks.

Saé and Suí

Clear Island Irish would be typical of the Munster dialect in that it uses archaic forms, commonly broadening those starting with ‘S’, such as san (sin), so (seo), ansan (ansin), and annso (anseo). 

Clear Island Irish also uses broad sé and sí in certain situations, spelled saé and suí respectively in An Teanga Bheo: Oileán Chléire. Going through the collections on Dúchas.ie, though, I spotted alternative spellings "sae” (no fada) and saoí. I also observed the use of “sae” for sé in Garranearagh in the Iveragh Gaeltacht in Kerry. 

Author Breandán Ó Buachalla lists two situations where saé/suí would be used:

1. Following a verb ending in -dh (-ch sound)

He used to be Standard: Do bhíodh sé Cléire: Do bhíoch saé

2. In phrases ar seisean and ar sise

He said Standard: Ar seisean Cléire: Ar saé shin

She said Standard: Ar sise Standard: Ar suí shin

Seeing as these forms were possibly as widespread as the Iveragh Gaeltacht, this could well be southwest Munster feature. 

Pronunciation Quirks

Note: I did not list anything that is generally a Munster trait, as I would like this list to be Clear Island-specific. For Munster pronunciation, please visit Introduction to Munster Irish

Allows for a séimhiú on ‘R’s by slenderising the R: a rá → a reá (listen here)

Verbs ending -adh are pronounced as though ending with “v” (though sometimes “g”, in bogradh, glasradh)

Séimhiú can be deleted in speech where letters ‘m’, ‘b’, ‘p’ follow each other, and after ‘n’ and ‘s’: i mo bhéal (pronounced im bhéal) → im béal.  (why?)

Inverting consonants: milseán → misleán, tráthnóna → tránthóna

Adding urú to ‘s’: these are pronounced as though spelled as though a ‘z’: i zSasana, ag an zséipéal