In 1690 Mr Kirk edited in Roman letters an edition of Bedel’s
Irish Bible, with O’Donnell’s New Testament, for the use of the
Highlanders. Kirk says in the title-page of the work, “Nocha ta
anois chum maitheas coit-cheann na nGaoidheil Albanach athruighte
go hair-each as an litir Eireandha chum na mion-litir shoileighidh
Romhanta” _which is now for the common good of the Highlanders
changed carefully from the Irish letter to the small readable Roman
letter_. At the close of the book there is a vocabulary of Irish
words with their Gaelic equivalents. Many of the equivalents are as
difficult to understand as the original Irish.
In 1694 the completed Psalm-book of the Synod of Argyle appeared. It
was very generally accepted, and although some editions of Kirk’s
Psalter appeared, the Synod’s Psalter became the Psalter of the
Church, and was the basis of all the metrical versions of the Gaelic
Psalms that have appeared since.
The Shorter Catechism was published in Gaelic by the Synod of Argyle
about the same time with their first fifty Psalms. Numerous editions
have been printed since, and perhaps there is no better specimen of
the Gaelic language in existence than what is to be found in the
common versions of it. The earlier versions are in the dialect so
often referred to, called Irish. The title of the book is “Foirceadul
aithghearr cheasnuighe, an dus ar na ordughadh le coimhthional na
Ndiaghaireadh ag Niarmhanister an Sasgan, &c.” That may be called
Irish, but it was a Scottish book written by Scottish men.
In 1725 the Synod of Argyle, who cannot be too highly commended for
their anxiety to promote the spiritual good of their countrymen in
the Highlands, published a translation of the Confession of Faith
into Gaelic. It is a small duodecimo volume printed at Edinburgh.
The Larger and Shorter Catechisms, with the Ten Commandments, the
Lord’s Prayer, and the Creed follow the Confession. The book is well
printed, and the language is still the so-called Irish. The title
runs:--“Admhail an Chreidimh, air an do reitigh air ttus coimhthionol
na nDiaghaireadh aig Niarmhoinister an Sasgan; &c.... ar na chur a
Ngaoidheilg le Seanadh Earraghaoidheal.” _The Confession of Faith,
&c., translated into Gaelic by the Synod of Argyle._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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