learning the dual

The following poem by Eóghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin is very useful to learn the dual and good for reading aloud and practising ch and dh:


Chím dhá chuaich dhúbha ar an móin, Dhá chapall chóra, dhá choin,
Dhá mhuic, dhá chaora, dhá uan,
Dhá mhnaoi, dhá bhuaraigh, dhá bhoin.

Vocab

cuach: maybe cuckoo, of which cuaich is the dual.
cóir: just, but is this context decent. Two decent horses.
buarach: spancel (rope for milking cows) – feminine, so buaraigh in the dual.


You could translate:
I see two black cuckoos on the moor,
Two decent horses, two dogs,
Two pigs, two sheep, two lambs,
Two women, two milking-ropes, two cows.


Pronunciation

Broad ch: **NOT K**, like spanish j, with a rasp in the throat, although like German name Bach
Slender ch (only in chím below): like hy in huge: hyeem
Broad gh: **NOT G**, it's the voiced equivalent of broad ch, not the same as but not a million miles away from the French r
The following is Cork phonetics

Chím ghá chua ghú air a móin
Ghá chapall chóra, ghá chuin
Ghá vuic, ghá chyra, ghá uan
Ghá vny, ghá vuaraig, ghá vuin