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Gaelic Ritual Phrases

All translations and spoken phrases are by Alexei Kondratiev (right).

Alexei's background is in anthropology, linguistics and comparative religion. He currently teaches Irish Language and Celtic History at the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan.

The spoken phrases were recorded by Skip Ellison at the Etheracon Festival in January of 2003 and are encoded in low resolution mp3 format.

"Behold the waters of life"
(Referring to whiskey as the waters of life.)
Irish - (ar) an uisce beatha seo
Scots Gaelic: (air) an uisge beatha seo
Manx: (er) yn ushtey bea shoh
Welsh: (ar) ydwr bywyd yma
Cornish: (war) an dowr a vywnans ma
Breton: (war) an dour a vuhez 'mañ
Audio clip (1:13, 160Kb); High quality (853Kb)

"This Cup" - "This Well" - "This Sacred Place / Nemeton"
Irish: (ar) an gcupán seo - (ar) an tobar seo - (ar) an neimheadh seo
Scots Gaelic: (air) a' chopain seo - (air) an tobar seo - (ar) an néamhaidh seo
Manx: (er) y chabban shoh - (er) yn çhibbyr shoh - (er) yn niauey shoh
Welsh: (ar) ycwpan hwn - (ar) yffynnon hon - (ar) ynyfed hwn
Cornish: (war) an hanaf ma - (war) an puth ma - (war) an neves ma
Breton: (war) an hanaf-mañ - (war) ar puñs-mañ - (war) an neved-mañ
Audio clip (2:13, 278Kb); High quality (1.45MB)

"May the Gods and ancestors bless___"
Irish: Go raibh beannacht na ndéithe agus ár sinsir ar___
Scots Gaelic: Gu robh beannachd nan diathan agus ar sinnsearan air ___
Manx: Dy row bannaght ny jeeaghyn as nyn shennayryn er ___
Welsh: Bydded bendith y duwiau ac ein hendeidiau ar ___
Cornish: Bens bennath an dywow ha' gan hendasow war ___
Breton: Ra vezo bennozh an doueed hag hon hendadoù war ___
Audio clip (0:50, 110Kb); High quality (585Kb)

"Gods be with you" - "And also with you"
One person says it to a group and then it's said back (like at a Catholic Mass)
Irish: Na déithe libh - agus leat féin
Scots Gaelic: Na diathan leibh - agus leat fhín
Manx: Ny jeeaghyn lhieu - as lhiat hene
Welsh: Y duwiau gennych chi - a gennyt tithau hefyd
Cornish: An dywow genowgh - ha gened-si ynwedh
Breton: An doueed ganeoc'h - ha ganit-te ivez
Audio clip (0:52, 113Kb); High quality (600Kb)

The polite forms of "Thank You" - singular (plural)
Irish: Go raigh maith agat (agaibh) - or - Tá mé (muid) buíoch díot (díbh)
Scots Gaelic: Tapadh leat (leibh)
Manx: Dy row mie eu
Welsh: Diolch i ti (i chi)
Cornish: Meur ras dhis (dhywgh)
Breton: Trugarez dit (deoc'h)
Audio clip (1:11, 157Kb); High quality (837Kb)

"So Be It"
Note: Bíodh Sé by itself is ungrammatical. It would be like saying 'be it' by itself in English, rather that completing it as 'be it so.'
Irish: Bíodh sé amhlaidh
Scots Gaelic: Bitheadh e mar sin
Manx: Bee eh myr shen
Welsh: Felly y bydded
Cornish: Bedhens yndellma
Breton: Evel-se bezet graet
Audio clip (0:39, 86Kb); High quality (454Kb)

Terms to fill in the blanks: "Pole"
Irish: cuaille
Scots Gaelic: cabar
Manx: lorg
Welsh: polyn
Cornish: gwelenn
Breton: peul
Audio clip (0:17, 38Kb); High quality (199Kb)

"Tree"
Irish: bile, crann
Scots Gaelic: bile, crann, craobh
Manx: billey
Welsh: pren, gwydden
Cornish: gwydhenn
Breton: gwezenn
Audio clip (1:09, 151Kb); High quality (805 Kb)

"Stone"
Irish: cloch, gallán (standing stone)
Scots Gaelic: clach, tursach (standing stone)
Manx: clagh
Welsh: maen
Cornish: men
Breton: maen
Audio clip (0:34, 76Kb); High quality (403 Kb)

"Pit"
Irish: poll, sloc
Scots Gaelic: toll, sloc
Manx: ooig, poyll
Welsh: pwll
Cornish: poll
Breton: poull
Audio clip (0:52, 114Kb); High quality (605 Kb)

"Tribe"
Note: People with a tribal identity should use the tribe name in place of the word for tribe.
Irish: (ar) an treibh seo
Scots Gaelic: (air) an treubh seo
Manx: (er) y chlein shoh
Welsh: (ar) y llwyth hwn
Cornish: (war) an loeth ma
Breton: (war) ar meuriad-mañ
Audio clip (1:03, 138Kb); High quality (733 Kb)

"Let the gates be opened" - "Let the gates be closed"
Irish: Osclaítear na geataí - Dúntar na geataí
Scots Gaelic: Fosgailtear na geataichean - Dùintear na geataichean
Manx: Foshiljee ny giataghyn - Dooinjee ny giataghyn
Welsh: Bydded y pyrth ar agor - Bydded y pyrth ar gau
Cornish: Bens an porthow igerys - bens an portow deges
Breton: Ra vwzo ar oerzhier digoret - Ra vwzo ar perzhier serret
Audio clip (1:02, 136Kb); High quality (725 Kb)

"This man" - "This woman" - "This child"
Irish: (ar) an bhfear seo - (ar) an mbean seo - (ar) an bpáiste seo
Scots Gaelic: (air) an fhear seo - (air) a' bhoireannach seo - (air) a' phàisde seo
Manx: (er) yn er shoh - (er) y ven shoh - (er) y phaitçhey shoh
Welsh: (ar) y dyn hwn - (ar) y ferch hon - (ar) y plentyn hwn
Cornish: (war) an den ma - (war) an wreg ma - (war) an flogh ma
Breton: (war) an den-mañ - (war) ar vaouez-mañ - (war) ar bugel-mañ
Audio clip (1:12, 159Kb); High quality (845 Kb)

"Protection of the Gods upon ____"
Irish: Cosaint n ndéithe do ___
Scots Gaelic: Dìon nan diathan air ___
Manx: Coadey ny jeeghyn er ___
Welsh: Amddiffyniad y duwiau ar ___
Cornish: Gwithyans an dywow war ___
Breton: Gwarez an doueed war ___
Audio clip (0:46, 101Kb); High quality (537 Kb)

"This place" (mundane places)
Irish: (ar) an áit seo
Scots Gaelic: (air) an àite seo
Manx: (er) yn voal shoh
Welsh: (ar) y lle 'ma
Cornish: (war) an le ma
Breton: (war) al lec'h-mañ
Audio clip (0:20, 45Kb); High quality (237 Kb)

"This object"
Irish: (ar) an rud seo
Scots Gaelic: (air) an rud seo
Manx: (er) yn red shoh
Welsh: (ar) y peth hwn
Cornish: (war) an daklenn ma
Breton: (war) an dra-mañ
(Sorry, no audio clip available)

"This water (not whiskey)"
Irish: (ar) an uisce seo
Scots Gaelic: (air) an uisge seo - or - (air) a' bhùrn seo
Manx: (er) yn ushtey shoh
Welsh: (ar) y dwr hwn
Cornish: (war) an dowr ma
Breton: (war) an dour-mañ
Audio clip (0:25, 56Kb); High quality (294 Kb)

"May the Gods be honored"
Irish: Go dtugtar onóir do na déithe
Scots Gaelic: Cuirear urram air na diathan
Manx: Curjee onnor da ny jeeghyn
Welsh: Anrhydedder y duwiau
Cornish: Bens gordhyans dhe'n dywow
Breton: Ra vezo enoret an doueed
Audio clip (0:33, 73Kb); High quality (388 Kb)

"Behold the___" or "This is the___"
Irish: Seo an ___
Scots Gaelic: Seo an ___
Manx: Shoh yn ___
Welsh: Wele'r ___
Cornish: Otta'n ___
Breton: Setu an ___
Audio clip (0:22, 50Kb); High quality (263 Kb)

"Sacred fire"
Irish: tine choisricthe
Scots Gaelic: teine coisrigte
Manx: aile casherick
Welsh: tân cysegredig
Cornish: tan sakrys
Breton: tan sakr
Audio clip (0:22, 48Kb); High quality (256 Kb)

"We are here to honor the Gods"
Irish: Támuid anseo chun onóir a thabhairt do na déithe
Scots Gaelic: Tha sinn annseo chum urram a chur air na diathan
Manx: Ta shin ayns shoh erson onnor y chur da ny jeeaghyn
Welsh: 'R ydym ni yma i roi parch i'r duwiau
Cornish: Ni 'yw omma dhe ri gordhyans dhe'n dywow
Breton: Ni 'zo amañ evit enoriñ an doueed
Audio clip (0:39, 87Kb); High quality (460 Kb)

There is also a clip where Alexi explains the word 'tuatha' (98Kb).

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