Christine --- for some reason this message went out under my previous email address, and as a result got lost in limbo! Sometimes my computer seems to have a mind of its own. I hope the message isn't too late to be of use. I've edited it to take in a second thought. Sara ----- Original Message ----- From: "S E Thomas" <saraerskine@btinternet.com> To: <SCT-SUTHERLAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, April 06, 2001 8:02 PM Subject: Re: SUT - Re: 1863 Gaelic book re Donald SUTHERLAND Frances -- there's no 'twelfth' --- or any ordinal number in the text. Check with a native Gaelic speaker, but I believe the translation is cumha d' athair elegy/lament to (his) father (the 'a' meaning 'his' lost before vowel) a bh' ann am Brora an who was in Brora in Siorrachd Chatabh the Shire of Sutherland agus a dh'eug sa' mhios and who died in the month Mhaigh 1863 of May 1863 'cuimhnich', 'remember', has an 'n' in it . There's no 'n' here. '*of* your father' would be 't'athar' (no 'i'). 'To your father' would be 'do t'athair'. The 'd' meaning 'your' becomes 't' before a vowel according to Dwelly. 'of my father' would be (help somebody!) 'm'athar' . To my father - 'do m'athair'. Of course 'to his father' could refer to the writer in the third person. 'a' is the relative 'who', 'which', 'that' 'eug' = 'die'; the 'dh' ' (pronounced 'y' here) indicates the past tense, so 'dh'eug' = 'died' Sara > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Frances Bishop" <bishad@direct.ca> > To: "Sara Thomas" <sethomas@btinternet.com>; > <SCT-SUTHERLAND-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Friday, April 06, 2001 6:06 PM > Subject: SUT - Re: 1863 Gaelic book re Donald SUTHERLAND > > > > Hello, Sara > > Many thanks for your help. Your translation would make the title > read > > something like this: "Remember your father: Donald Sutherland born > at > > Brora in the Shire of Sutherland, and who died on the twelth of the > month > > of May, 1863." > > With best wishes to you and to Ian, > > Frances > >