Trying to translate a couple of sentences and I was hoping you'd correct them for me. Or even suggest better ways of saying them, although I would like to stay as close to the original as possble.

Behind every man now alive stand at least thirty ghosts,
I ndiaidh gach duine beo a sheasann tríocha taibhse ar a laghad.

When you've played the fiddle as long as I have, you'll know that every tune you know has at least two versions.
Nuair a sheinfidh tú ar an bhfidil chomh fada liomsa, beidh a fhios agat go mbíonn dhá leagan ar a laghad ar gach port atá agat.

Thanks in advance.

You might be interested in this seanfhocal.

Bíonn dhá insint ar scéal agus dhá leagan déag ar amhrán
There are two tellings of a story and twelve versions of a song

_________________
Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

For a more literal translation of this one, I think a subjunctive would be more appropriate in Irish:

Dhá mbeifeá ag seinm ar an bhfidil chomh fada is atá mise, bheadh a fhios agat go mbíonn dhá leagan ar a laghad ar gach port atá agat.

Just a thought. Open to correction ...

_________________
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).

Thanks, Mick, I did try and use that as a base for the second part of the sentence.

And thank you, Breandán for your suggestions. Just a few questions (of course).

….chomh fada is atá mise …as long as I am vs …chomh fada liomsa… as long as me?
I think I see.
My version would be comparing your fiddle playing to my physical length, is that it?

I used nuair in the sense of nuair a bheidh tú réidh leis - when you have finished with it…implying something that will happen.
I don't know but would the construction with dá not have a slightly different implication - If you had been playing as long….(but you haven't!)? Or am I just overinterpretting it?
Oh and did you not mean the conditional rather than the subjunctive, Breandán?

And what would be the difference between bheifeá/beidh tú ag seinm and just sheinfeá/seinfidh tú?
Except when it's used as the continuous present - I am playing (táim ag seinm) against the habitual - I play (seinnim) I am never totally sure which to use with the other tenses.

Once again I hope you don't mind me asking so many questions.

Here are my attempts:

1. Taobh thiar de/laistiar de gach duine (atá) beó (anois), seasann tríocha taidhbhse ar a laghad/tá tríocha taidhbhse ar a laghad ina seasamh.

The use of the relative form of the verb in your sentence completely changes its meaning, indicating it's a variation of "seasann tríocha taibhse ar a laghad i ndiaidh gach duine beo" ("thirty ghosts at least stand behind/after every living man") in which where the ghosts stand is emphasised: "(Is) i ndiaidh gach duine beo a sheasann tríocha taibhse ar a laghad" ("It's behind/after every living man that thirty ghosts at least stand").


2. Nuair a bheidh tú chomh fada ag gabháil don bhfidil(éireacht)/do sheinnt na fidile agus atáim-se, beidh a fhios/sé d'fhios agat go mbíonn dhá leagan ar a laghad ar gach port ded' chuid/dá bhfuil agat.

I've tried (unnecessarily perhaps) to avoid the possibility of the first part of the sentence being understood as referring to playing during a single occasion.

N.B. Errors above are very likely

_________________
(SL)(GM)

..ag gabháil don bhfidil/fhidil.. I like that, or maybe you could just use …ag gabháil d'fhidil… ? (Where the preposition is de)

Eclipsis after don is mostly confined to Munster is it not?

…gach port dá bhfuil agat - every tune that you have. Yes that's much better than what I had.

In the first sentence I thought that the position of the ghosts (behind every living person) was the important point, maybe I misinterpreted the focus of the sentence.

Thank you very very much for your suggestions.