Lessoon Keead as Queig: Y Quaaltagh
Lesson One Hundred and Five: The First Foot


keead as queig (KEE-ud-azz-KWEGG) - 105
y quaaltagh (a-KWAAL-takh) - the first foot

Co-loayrtys

Peddyr: Bee shiu goll magh Oie Nollick Beg?
Ean: Bee, son shickyrys. Beemayd cur shilley er ny thieyn.
Peddyr: Quoi by vie lhiat myr quaaltagh?
Ean: Cha nel mee laccal sleih erbee as folt ruy oc. Ta shen bunnys cho olk as
kayt. Ta mish laccal dooinney as folt doo echey!
Peddyr: Ta sleih ennagh gra dy row ad coontey shen dy ve neu-aighoil er y twoaie.
V’ad laccal quaaltagh va fynn, t’ad gra.
Ean: T’ad quaagh er y twoaie.

Oie Nollick Beg (EE-NULL-ick-BEGG) - New Year’s Eve

The Manx for ‘New Year’s Eve’ means ‘The Night of Little Christmas’.
You will also see ‘Oie Nollick Veg’ for this, with the ‘b’ mutated (changed) to ‘v’. ‘Oie Nollick Beg’ is the older form.

cur shilley er (kur-SHILL-ya-err) - visiting (‘putting a sight on’)
quoi by vie lhiat? (KWOY-ba-VY-l’yatt) - who would you like?
myr quaaltagh (merr-KWAAL-takh) - as a first foot
sleih erbee (SLY-er-BEE) - any people
folt (fault) - hair
ruy (RA-ee) - red

‘Folt’ refers to the hair on your head and not to individual hairs or animal hair, in which cases other words are used.
The word ‘ruy’ usually means natural ‘red’ (describing hair or features of landscape).

Note the use of ‘and’ in this sentence:
Cha nel mee laccal sleih erbee as folt ruy oc (ha-NELL-mee-LALL-SLY-er-BEE-azz-fault-RA-ee-ock) - I don’t want any people with red hair (‘I don’t want any people and red hair at them’).


bunnys cho olk as (BUNN-iss-ho-ULK-azz) - nearly as bad as
echey (EGG-a) - at him
sleih ennagh (SLY-enn-YAKH) - some people
gra (graa) - saying
neu-aighoil (n’yow-aykh-OLE) - unlucky
er y twoaie (err-a-TOO-ee) - on (in) the north
fynn (finn) - fair-haired
quaagh (kwaakh) - strange

Tooilley Gaelg: Y Quaaltagh

Cur Gaelg orroo shoh.

any people sleih erbee
as a first foot myr quaaltagh
at him echey
fair-haired fynn
hair folt
nearly as bad as bunnys cho olk as
New Year’s Eve Oie Nollick Beg
on (in) the north er y twoaie
red ruy
saying gra
some people sleih ennagh
strange quaagh
the first foot y quaaltagh
unlucky neu-aighoil
visiting (‘putting a sight on’) cur shilley er
who would you like? quoi by vie lhiat?

Cur Baarle orroo shoh.

  1. Bee shiu goll magh Ean?
  2. Ta Catreeney laccal dooinney as folt ruy echey.
  3. Bee, son shickyrys.
  4. Ta Ean laccal thie er y twoaie.
  5. Cha bee son shickyrys.
  6. Ta sleih ennagh gra dy row ad quaagh er y twoaie.
  7. Beemayd cur shilley er yn dooinney.
  8. Ta shen bunnys cho olk as Peddyr.
  9. Cha beemayd cur shilley er ny thieyn.
  10. Ta Ealish laccal dooinney as folt doo echey.
  11. Quoi by vie lhiat myr quaaltagh?
  12. Cha nel mee laccal sleih erbee as folt ruy oc.
  13. Ta Peddyr neu-aighoil.
  14. Ta Peddyr coontey shen dy ve neu-aighoil.
  15. V’ad laccal quaaltagh va fynn.
  16. T’ad quaagh er y twoaie.
  17. Ta Ealish bunnys cho olk as Catreeney.
  18. Cha beemayd cur shilley er Catreeney Oie Nollick Beg.
  19. Ta mish laccal kayt.
  20. Cha nel Peddyr laccal quaaltagh as folt ruy echey.
  21. Ta shen bunnys cho olk as kayt.

Vel fys ayd?

a.) What does the Manx for ‘New Year’s Eve’ mean?

b.) Which word usually means natural ‘red’ (describing hair or features of landscape)?


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