Lughaidh wrote:
Grá na máthar(a) = the mother's love
Grá máthar(a) = a mother's love.
Although that English logic doesn't quite work in Irish
†, I think you might be correct in this instance.
† The definite article works completely differently in Irish. In particular, the definite article is used with a singular noun to represent generic cases and abstract concepts in Irish, where English will use a singular or a plural noun with no article or personification:
aois na hóige "the age of youth" literally "age of the youth"
aois na glóire "the age of glory" literally "age of the glory"
Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir. "Time is a good storyteller" literally "the time is the good storyteller"
in aghaidh an bháis "against death" literally "against the death"
Ní haon ualach an chiall. "Sense is no burden" literally "the sense is no burden"
fear na céille "a man of sense" literally "man of the sense"
None of these would make sense translated literally into the other language. English and Irish have their own separate logic systems.
Scooby wrote:
I'd like to offer the following which has a kind of traditional structure, I reckon:
Is buan grá máthar.
Would others contributors say it has the connotation of 'constant' or 'everlasting' or both?
Yes, that's much nicer, scooby, though I would prefer it as:
Is buan é grá máthar.
(Although the
é is designated "optional" in the Caighdeán Oifigiúil, it is used in two of the major dialects and only Ulster really omits it. I might be wrong but I feel the CO uses "optional" so as not to exclude the usage in that dialect.)