Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine
Word for wordIn the shelter of each other the people live
What it meansWe live in one another's shelter.
Approximate pronunciation guide
err skaw a KHAY-leh a WAR-us na DEE-neh
Written for English speakers and editorial rather than sourced. It will get you close enough to be understood, and it is not a substitute for a native speaker. Recorded audio is planned; see About.
When to use it Quote the dictionary’s form when you want the older, archival flavour.
About this saying
This is the shelter proverb as Ó Dónaill prints it, with the older relative verb ending (mhaireas) a survival from an earlier state of the language that dictionaries preserve. The form in general modern use, Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine, has its own record. Both are real; the difference is register, like quoting the King James beside a modern translation.
Provenance
Where this wording comes from. We publish nothing we cannot point at.
- DictionaryÓ Dónaill, Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (1977)s.v. scáth