ualach

Irish

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps from the rare and obsolete uala (“shoulder”), apparently a byform of guala (now gualainn).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈuəl̪ˠəx/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈuəl̪ˠəx/, /ˈuəlˠəx/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈuəl̪ˠa(x)/, /ˈuəlˠa(x)/

Noun

ualach m (genitive singular ualaigh, nominative plural ualaí)

1. a burden, load
   • 2007 February 8, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, “Sláinte”, in Irish Aid‎^[1], retrieved 2012-10-02:

     Is ar na bochtáin, go háirithe i dtíortha ina bhfuil daoine ar ioncam íseal, atá an t-ualach is mó maidir le breoiteacht agus le drochshláinte, agus is acusan atá an rochtain is lú ar sheirbhísí cúraim shláinte agus is lú atá in ann déileáil le tionchar an tinnis agus teacht as.

     The poor, and especially those in low-income countries, bear the highest burden of sickness and ill health, have the least access to health care services, and are least equipped to cope with and recover from the impact of illness. (original from which above was translated)

Declension

Declension of ualach

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative ualach ualaí Vocative a ualaigh a ualaí Genitive ualaigh ualaí Dative ualach ualaí

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an t-ualach na hualaí Genitive an ualaigh na n-ualaí Dative leis an ualach don ualach leis na hualaí

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
ualach	n-ualach	hualach	t-ualach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “úalach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• “ualach”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “ualaċ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 771
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ualach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “ualach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “ualach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024
• Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 59