Hi. I have a quick question regarding a tattoo translation. I'm considering a tattoo of the phrase "son of mil". I was pretty sure that it should just translate to Mac Mil, but I wanted to double check. I could probably look it up in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, but I'm pretty sure it never occurs in the singular and I was afraid there would be an alteration of some kind.

You have to put Mil into the genitive case. In Irish, "Mil" and "of Mil" would be two different words. Unfortunately, I don't know what the genitive of the name Mil is. You could try Mac Meala, but that looks like "son of honey."

If you can look it up in the plural form, then it should be simple enough to change it to the singular.

But then again, Middle Irish could work differently to Modern Irish.

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Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

The usual way to indicate the genitive of names in Modern Irish is simply to lenite the first consonant of the name, giving mac Mhil, Mil's son or "son of Mil".

However, as Mick says, Old and Middle Irish worked differently and some names in particular have different vocative and genitive forms to what we expect nowadays.

Lenition wasn't written back then, so Mac Mhil, even if the same, would have been written Mac Mil.


Here's a transcript of the Lebor Gabála Érenn manuscript(s):

http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G800011A/text001.html

Translation here:

http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/lebor1.html#14

Looks like Mac MIlid, is "a son, Mil". The genitive of Milid appears to be Miled, which would make "Son of Mil" Mac Miled. Does that sound right?

I don't think the genitive of Milid would be different for "sons of Mil" and "son of Mil", only the words "son" and "sons" should change, but I am not familiar enough with Old Irish to be sure.

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).