Lessoon Keead as Shey: Feeackle y Jargan
Lesson One Hundred and Six: The Flea’s Tooth

keead as shey (KEE-ud-azz-SHAY) - 106
feeackle (feegl) - a tooth
jiargan (JARG-an) - a flea

Notice that, in Manx, we do not need the word for ‘the’ before the first word in an expression like ‘feeackle y jargan’ (FEEGL-a-JARG-an) - ‘the tooth of the flea’. This particular expression comes from a traditional poem which was recited at Christmas and New Year (read across the lines):

Nollick ghennal erriu as blein feer vie, Seihll as slaynt da’n slane lught-thie;
Bea as gennallys eu bio ry-cheilley, Shee as graih eddyr mraane as deiney;
Cooid as cowryn, stock as stoyr, Palchey phuddase, as skeddan dy liooar;
Arran as caashey, eeym as roayrt; Baase, myr lugh, ayns uhllin ny soalt;
Cadley sauchey tra vees shiu nyn lhie, As feeackle y jargan, nagh bee dy mie.

Nollick ghennal (NULL-ick-YENN-al) - Merry Christmas
as blein feer vie (azz-BLAYN-feer-VY) - and a very good year
seihll (sail) - life; world
slaynt (slentch) - health
da’n slane (daan-SLEDD’N) - to the whole
lught-thie (lukht-ty) - family, household
bea (bay) - life
gennallys (GENN-all-iss) - cheerfulness, mirth
eu (aa-oo) - at you
bio (b’yo) - alive
ry-cheilley (ra-KHILL-ya) - together
shee as graih (SHEE-azz-GRY) - peace and love
eddyr (ETH-er) -sounds like ‘better’ - between
mraane as deiney (MRAAN-azz-DAYN-ya) - men and women
cooid as cowryn (KOODJ-azz-KOW-run) - goods and wealth
palchey phuddase (PAL-cha-fudd-AASS) - plenty of potatoes
skeddan (SKATH-an) - herring
arran as caashey (ARR-an-azz-KAAZH-a) - bread and cheese
eeym as roayrt (EE-um-azz-RAWRT) - butter and plenty
baase, myr lugh (BAASS-mer-LUKH) - death, like a mouse
uhllin ny soalt (ULL-in-na-SAWLT) - the stackyard of the barn
cadley (KADD-la) - sleeping, sleep
sauchey (SOW-cha) - safe
tra vees shiu ny lhie (traa-VISS-shoo-na-LIE) - when you’ll be asleep

This literally means ‘When you’ll be in your (state of) lying down’.

nagh bee dy mie (nakh-BEE-the-MY) - may it not be well

Tooilley Gaelg: Feeackle y Jargan

1 Nollick ghennal erriu as blein feer vie, 6 Seihll as slaynt da’n slane lught-thie;
2 Bea as gennallys eu bio ry-cheilley, 7 Shee as graih eddyr mraane as deiney;
3 Cooid as cowryn, stock as stoyr, 8 Palchey phuddase, as skeddan dy liooar;
4 Arran as caashey, eeym as roayrt; 9 Baase, myr lugh, ayns uhllin ny soalt;
5 Cadley sauchey tra vees shiu nyn lhie, 10 As feeackle y jargan, nagh bee dy mie.


Fill in the number of the correct line.

oBread and cheese, butter and plenty oPlenty of potatoes and enough herring
oHealth and wealth to the whole family oSleep safely when you are in bed
oLife and cheerfulness living together oHappy Christmas and a very good year


Cur Gaelg orroo shoh.

a flea jiargan
alive bio
and a very good year as blein feer vie
at you eu
between eddyr
bread and cheese arran as caashey
butter and plenty eeym as roayrt
cheerfulness, mirth gennallys
death, like a mouse baase, myr lugh
family, household lught-thie
goods and wealth cooid as cowryn
health slaynt
herring skeddan
life bea
life; world seihll
may it not be well nagh bee dy mie
men and women mraane as deiney
Merry Christmas Nollick ghennal
peace and love shee as graih
plenty of potatoes palchey phuddase
safe sauchey
sleeping, sleep cadley
the stackyard of the barn uhllin ny soalt
to the whole da’n slane
together ry-cheilley
tooth feeackle
when you’ll be asleep tra vees shiu ny lhie

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