Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann
Word for wordHis like will not be there again
What it meansWe shall not see his like again.
Approximate pronunciation guide
nee vay a leh-HAYJ uh-REESH ahn
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 For a eulogy or obituary of someone genuinely singular. Changes form with who is mourned.
About this saying
The great Irish eulogy line, made world-famous as the closing sentence of Muiris Ó Súilleabháin’s and Tomás Ó Criomhthain’s Blasket memoirs in the form "ní bheidh ár leithéidí arís ann" (our like will not be there again) mourning not a person but a whole way of life. Said of one person, it is the highest compliment Irish grief pays.
Provenance
Where this wording comes from. We publish nothing we cannot point at.
- DictionaryÓ Dónaill, Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (1977)s.v. leithéid, printed "Ní bheidh a ~í arís ann" glossed "we shall not look upon their like again"; the singular is the form in universal use of one person