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Guaille caomhluidhe

from Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin 1840), page 21: The strings of the harp.


Irish giolla comhluí spoken by Gráinne Yeats
Scottish Gaelic gille co-laighe spoken by Tony Dilworth

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Guaille caomhluidhe ('in English characters' Gilly Caomluighe) - Servant to the sisters

The English version suggests giolla comhluí ('servant of comhluí'); giolla (Scottish Gaelic gille) can mean 'a servant'. Guaille, here and in Guaille tead na feitheolach, might be some form of gualainn, 'a shoulder' (its genitive case is guaille, its plural guaillí), or may simply be an error.

Colm Ó Baoill 2002