A chara, – Regarding Roibeárd Ó hÚrdail’s comments concerning “Béal na mBláth” (August 22nd), might I suggest that it’s very much a case of “if it’s not broke don’t fix it”. The esteemed Patrick S Dinneen in his Foclóir Gaedhilge agus béarla (1927), page 99 has “blá, m (=masculine), a plain; the white crested sea; the sea” – not a feminine noun as Mr Ó hÚrdail suggests. I think it’s a case of leaving very well alone and concentrating on trying to pronounce the words in the placename properly.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve heard it pronounced variously as “Bale na Blaw”, “Bale na Blah”, and “Béal na Blough”. Hardly anybody pronounces the eclipsis (“m”) before the “B” in “Bláth” on the national broadcaster. Let’s get our priorities right here. – Is mise,