Page:An Irish-English dictionary, being a thesaurus of words, phrases and idioms of the modern Irish language, with explanations in English.djvu/9

 EDITOR'S PREFACE.

study of the Modern Irish Language, which has received such an impetus in recent years, has been greatly hampered by the want of a convenient lexicon. Nothing but the urgent necessity that existed for such a lexicon could have induced me to abandon more congenial studies and devote my energies to the development and completion of the work so laudably undertaken by the Council of the Irish Texts Society. As I proceeded with the revision of the material supplied me the work grew imperceptibly under my hands. In preparing the work, I went through the whole of Peter O'Connell's MS. Dictionary, and also, though more rapidly, through the MS. Dictionary compiled by O'Naughton. The Gaelic Journal and the principal modern published texts were also laid under contribution, as well as several lists of words received from various parts of the country Not the least valuable part of the work is what I was able to remember from the days of my childhood, the rich vocabulary employed by my father and mother and the inhabitants of my native Sliabh Luachra, the snatches of song, of story, of proverb, the allusions and rhymes and exclamations which mingled with their conversation, as well as the precise and accurate use of phrase and idiom which distinguished them.

In spite of many defects, it is claimed for this work that it contains a larger number of words used in the