dublinka

Anyone who is familiar with modern Irish might be able to have a go at translating this well known piece of old Irish verse:

Is acher in gáith in-nocht,
fu-fuasna fairggae findfolt:
ni ágor réimm mora minn
dond láechraid lainn ua Lothlind.

It was written in the margin of "The St Gall Priscian" by an Irish scribe in the ninth century- a time when Irish monasteries were under constant threat of attack by Vikings, (Northmen). It's suprising how much can be guessed. See modern calligraphy and translation of it by Denis Brown here. It's a nice traditional piece to memorise - not least because of its age and brevity.